Love, Death, and American Culture

The Loved One started out dull, but as soon as Sir Francis died, it got a lot more interesting. At first I was shocked by how cynically Waugh treats death and then I was appalled by it. Overall, I really liked the book; it provided a good sense for American culture, outwardly proper, but inwardly callous, that still easily applies today. A couple of examples of this duplicity are the characters of JoyBoy and Dennis. While at work, JoyBoy is gentle, strong, and passionate, but once he goes home, he becomes pathetic and powerless. Dennis, who seems unassuming and asexual in the beginning, morphs into a sadistic and sarcastic joker after he is seen through Aimee's eyes.

I was amused by how far out of his way The Dreamer was willing to go to make the park a place for lovers. The ferry brings young couples to the lake island so they can "neck," the Wee Kirk o' Auld Lang Syne provides a place for lovers to swear their eternal love, and a section of the gardens is a burial for couples, presided over by a statue of The Kiss. This approach could be interpreted as a noble blending of the love from life and love in death, but with Waugh's tone it turns cheap. Aimee might be one of the few people who takes the Heart of the Bruce seriously and she kills herself in order to escape it. Maybe this suggests that The Dreamer uses love as a way to urge people into earlier death. Part of the sales routine to get people to make their "Before Need Provision Arrangements" is to exploit their love for their families.

Overall, a good, short and sweet read. In my mind, I can still see Dennis reading a novel as his "fiancee" is incinerated..