ENC1102
MWF 9am
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
I. Theme, Plot, and Elements
In a novel titled The History of Love, Krauss (2012) features Leo, an old man who is relentless in his efforts to see the love of her life. Although he is almost dying, Leo attempts to stay alive till he settles the unending mystery of his life: finding his long-time lover Alma. Leo spends most of his daytime dreaming of the love that he lost over six decades ago in Poland. This inspires him to author the book. Although he is unaware of it, the book also survived, even to cross the ocean to the United States where Alma lives.
II. The New York Setting
The novel’s storyline unfolds within the New York City context. This setting is important in the sense that it sheds light on the cultural and overall actions of the novel characters. The New York setting is important in the sense that it serves a symbol of reunion of two lovers after many years apart (Krauss, N, 2012). Leo yearned to see his lover Alma wile in Poland, but he could not. His last book titled The History of Love featured Alma, his childhood girlfriend. New York City also acts as a sign of separation since Alma leaves Leo in Poland for the United States where she lives in New York. Being a far-distant land, the thought that he might never see Alma again motivates Leo to give the manuscript to a friend, Litvinoff to send it on his behalf. Leo also decides to visit the United States in pursuit of Alma (Krauss, 2012). It is during his first encounter with Alma in New York after many years of separation, that Alma breaks the news of her being pregnant with Leo’s child when she left Poland. The New York City setting also helps to reveal to Leo that her childhood lover has already moved on and settled with Mordecai Moritz.
III. Significance of Climaxes in Understanding the Novel’s Plot
The novel has sequences of events that generate climaxes. These climaxes increase the understanding of the plots. The most outstanding series of climaxes are based on love and loss. Climaxes come out when almost all relationships in the novel end poorly. There are series of betrayals, separations, and misunderstandings. Most significantly, death sets in to bring a feeling of grief to the plot. Even Leo and Alma, who have suffered in the name of love, still remember it as one of the most precious phenomena in their respective worlds. Leo’s attempts to survive a bit longer are also awe-inspiring. Leo spends his final days dreaming about the love lost sixty years ago in Poland, something that inspires him to develop a book that crosses oceans and generations, transforming lives. The idea that love is undying in the book generates climax by fulfilling the unrequited crush. Loss and death creates grief and sadness in equal measure. This is especially true when Leo discovers that his son had died. Thereafter, Leo buys a new suit at Bloomingdale’s and makes a rip in the collar. Heartbroken Leo goes back home and starts taking a lot of alcohol. Consequently, he wakes up late, goes to the service only to miss it.
IV. Elements of Love, Loss, and Identity
Love, loss, and identity are the major themes that dominate the novel. Leo’s affection for his Polish lover Alma is so immense that he does not forget that he promised to wait or her forever. True to his pledges, Leo demonstrates her desire to be with Alma, even though she is already married. When he asserts that he loves her, he means it and does not give room for anything that stands in his way of establishing and sustaining that love (Krauss, 2012). Leo’s affection for Alma is so deep that Litvinoff understands that all he has to do to win the heart of his lover, Rosa, is to convince her that he has developed the words contained in Leo’s novel. Consequently, Rosa commits her life to Litvinoff and assists him to translate Leo’s emotional story.
Much of the love stories depicted in the novel have tragic characteristics. For instance, Leo does not succeed in fully wining back Alma’s affection. In addition, his son Isaac dies before he is able to see him face to face and tell him that he is his real father (Krauss, 2012). Had he been so true to his love for Alma, he might have found a wife and would not have been so lonely at the time of his love. Alma Singer also experiences a tragic moment of his life in the early demise of her father from cancer. When it comes to identity, Isaac suffers from identity crisis since he is unable to know who his real father is until he dies. Like love, loss is a major theme that brings the feeling of sadness. Another loss for Alma comes out when her mother dies.
The point of focus of the American tragedy is often the family system (Wallace, 2007). In such arrangements, people mourn deaths of their loved ones. Consequently, the novel kicks off with an introduction to Leo, who suffers two major tragic, and emotionally crippling personal loses that make him develop a feeling of being invisible. Leo lost the only woman that he ever loved (Krauss, 2012). Leo reveals that he sometimes had to watch his old son grow up, wondering if anybody notices him.
Identity is often related to struggles to understand the self within an environment that is complex. Usually, characters who suffer from identity crisis normally struggle to redefine their personalities, roots, and ancestry. Gursky suffers from personality crisis in which he seeks approvals and recognition from the society (Sanchez-Arce, 2013). Identity crisis comes out when Gursky normally did things to compel other people’s acknowledgment of his existence, such as spilling food on himself and dropping money all over the floor. He even volunteers to work as a nude model since he likes the feeling of being talked about and studied. This brings out both comic and tragic effects at the same time.
V. Major Elements
The story mainly revolves around elements such as love, loss, an identity. However, issues such as loneliness and melancholy dominate the novel. For instance, 14-year-old Alma Singer seeks ways to help her mother to ameliorate herself from the unending feeling of loneliness and melancholy. Believing that she might find it in an old book, her mother is affectionately translating she sets out in quest for its author. The film also shows determination, when an old man Leo seeks to survive a bit longer, although he is already old.
References
Krauss, N. (2012). The History of Love: A Novel. New York: WW Norton & Company.
Sánchez-Arce, A. M. (Ed.). (2013). Identity and form in contemporary literature (Vol. 11).
London: Routledge.
Wallace, J. (2007). The Cambridge introduction to tragedy. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
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