Cousin Lymon Willis And Marvin Macy example essay topic

The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe Throughout the novel The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers, there is an evident recurring theme. Ever-present in the story is a feeling of unrequited love, illustrated through looking at the parallels of the intertwined relationships between three separate individuals. Miss Amelia Evans, Cousin Lymon Willis, and Marvin Macy, are the players involved in this grotesque love triangle. The feelings they respectively have for each other are what drives the story, and are significant enough that the prosperity of entire town hinges upon them. First to come of the couplings between these main characters, was the 10 day marriage of Marvin Macy and Amelia Evans.

Previously notorious as a womanizer and town miscreant, meeting Amelia made Martin wish to be a better man. He cleaned up his act, and devoted his entire attention to his love for Amelia. Amelia, however, felt no connection with this man, and sought a relationship only out of economic advantage. When this finally became clear to Marvin, when he was once and for all removed of the illusion that his love was returned, it was already too late. Amelia had stripped him of everything he owned. He took refuge in criminal activity, and was sent to prison.

His love was not returned, and he suffered greatly for it. Many years down the line, there came into Miss Amelias life a man named Lymon Willis. He was a distant cousin, not to mention a deformed hunchback, yet this did not stop Amelia from falling for him. Amelia catered to his every need, giving him everything she could possibly offer him, as Marvin had once done for her. In return for all her efforts, Lymon was very ungrateful.

He didnt necessarily offer nothing in return, as mere companionship was of crucial need to Amelia, but h definitely took advantage of her feelings. Instead of loving her back, instead of being eternally grateful for her treatment of him, Cousin Lymon chose to betray her. He chose his love for another, over Amelias love for him. Miss Amelia, as with Marvin before her, was left with nothing.

Another victim, fallen pray to love, unrequited. One might wonder why Lymon had chosen to rebuff Amelias love for him. Quite simply, it is because Lymon, himself, fell for someone. Now maybe not love, in the conventional sense, yet an extremely deep admiration. Marvin Macy was everything that Cousin Lymon was not, and yet had always wished to be. Lymon was willing to do anything to win Marvin favor, even ruin the life of someone who cared for him.

He did just that, too, helping to destroy Ame ilas every worldly possession, and her means of supporting herself. All he did, in the name of, what he thought was, love However, Marvin felt no more for Lymon, then Amelia had for Marvin, or Lymon had for Amelia. Lymon was basically used by Marvin in an attempt to get back at Amelia. Although the story ends before it could happen, its very likely that Lymon came to be hurt severely by Marvin, once his usefulness had run out. This story is all just one big vicious cycle of love and hatred. Its almost inescapable, that a person will inevitably love someone, and not have that feeling returned with the same force, or to the same extent.

This is what happens repeatedly throughout The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe, and in life, itself. There is a recurring theme of being hurt by the ones you love, of being denied that which you most desire, and it is that, that is responsible for driving the story.