Dagoberto Gilb Love

Analysis of Love in L.A. The most intriguing aspect of Dagoberto Gilb’s story Love in L.A. is how realistic it really is. Generally, love stories follow the traditional pattern of two strangers meeting, falling in love and living happily ever after. Love in L.A by no means follows this pattern. Many real life romantic relations do not follow this pattern either. Not following the pattern, however, does not disqualify Love in L.A. from being a love story. The essay is still very much a love story only with a twist. Most of the story’s realism stems from its stereotypical characters. Very rarely does one actually come across a handsome, well-mannered man on a white horse. Instead, one often finds a dishonest, self-absorbed, unemployed playboy. A prime example of this type of man is the main character in the story, Jake. Gilb provides numerous examples throughout the story to illustrate Jake’s character.
The following description exemplifies his playboy characteristics.
He needed an FM stereo in something better than this ’58 Buick he drove. It would have crushed velvet interior with electric controls for the L.A. summer, a nice warm heater and defroster for the winter drives at the beach, a cruise control for those long trips, mellow speakers front and rear of course, windows that hum closed, snuffing out that nasty exterior noise of freeways. The fact was that he’d probably have to change his whole style. Exotic colognes, plush, dark nightclubs, maitais and daiquiris, necklaced ladies in satin gowns, misty and sexy like in a tequila