Love in l.a.

A Thing Called “ Love” The difference between two separate opinions of love could be very similar, yet could be drastically contrasting. In the story ” Love in L. A.”, written by Dagoberto Gilb, Jake has, what would appear to a normal person, a skewed vision of love. Out of everything in his world he could chose to love, it is his car that he loves. His car means everything to him and it seems as if nothing else matters. In the story ” The Love of My Life”, by T. C. Boyle, two teenagers seem to love each other so passionately that they are willing to risk the life of their own child to keep, what they consider in their eyes, a perfect life. Like Jake in “ Love in L. A. ” and the teenagers in “ The Love of My Life”, people’s view on love can sway many different ways, sometimes clouding their ability to make the proper decision. In “ Love in L. A. ” Jake has a deep love for his car and everything about it. Even as he rides in his car, he thinks of ways to make it better. While he describes adding accessories such as ” crushed velvet interior… warm heater and defroster… and cruise control,” Jake falls even further into a daze. To the reader the car is just an old piece of junk. This old piece of junk is more than enough to keep Jake happy. Without any friends or someone to talk to, his beat up Buick is the only thing he is able to connect with. For example, his awkward encounter with Mariana shows how strangers perceive him, which could be a contributory reason to why he has such a connection with his car. Instead of having a relationship with a human being, in a way he has a relationship with an inanimate object. The teenagers in “ The Love of My Life” have an offbeat view of love. They love each other greatly and will do anything for love, even if it means throwing their newborn baby in a dumpster like a piece of unwanted garbage. Both of them are at fault for the situation that they now find themselves in. Even though the Jeremy is in jail for murdering their young child, the girl pressured him into doing so. If they both love each other as they claim, the girl wouldn’t have pressured Jeremy into murdering the baby, and the guy should not have given in for the sake of love. Their view of love is off in the sense that they are too caught up in loving themselves and believe that having a baby will ruin their lives. They don’t want to take the time to love their baby because it will take away time that they would get to spend together. If they truly loved each other, they would take the baby into their lives and love it like they love one another. Along with not having a view of love that would be considered “ normal”, Jake does not seem to have a real grasp of what is acceptable and what is not. After giving fake information to the girl he just rear ended while day dreaming about his beloved car, he drives away pondering what just unfolded. He feels some guilt and shows signs that hint towards knowing what is right and wrong, “[taking] a moment or two to feel both proud and sad about his performance. ” But soon after he is content and the only thing on his mind is getting new license plates for his car since he stole the old plates off of an old junk car. His love for the car clouds his reasoning and forces him to make decisions influenced by him loving his car. As most teenagers would say, having a baby before the age of twenty is a burden someone of that age could go without. The teenagers in “ The Love of My Life” seem to hold the same opinion, but the teens in the story took a route not heavily traveled upon. Without thinking of a plan to safely get rid of the baby, like adoption, their first reaction was to throw the baby in a dumpster. Short term fix, ending with heavy consequences. The reason for their decision was based off love. In Jake’s eyes, the love that he has for his car is no different than loving something physically. The car that he drives makes him happy and gives him something to do. It is clear that nothing, not even a fender bender, can keep him from loving his car. On the other hand, the lack of love the teenagers show towards their child in “ The Love of My Life” shows that they have tunnel vision when it comes to love. They are focused on themselves and they will stop at nothing to keep their love intact. Depending on how a person is raised or influenced throughout life, love can have many different meanings. Like Jake in “ Love in L. A. “, love doesn’t always have to be associated with other people. Love can influence people in a negative way like “ The Love of My Life, ” but could also have a positive impact. As experienced in both stories, people’s views on love can sway many different ways, sometimes affecting their ability to make the proper choice.