`A negative view of love emerges from the novel', `the ways in which de Bernières portrays love shows that it makes characters stronger and more heroic.' With which of these do you agree"

Up to a point I agree with both of these two views: taking one or the other suggests that you are not looking at the novel as a whole. There are several different negative views of love portrayed but there is also evidence of love making characters more heroic and noble.

At times the negative side of love can seem to be overwhelming, and the only thing love seems to brings is pain, sorrow, loneliness and despair. This is possibly best shown via the characterisation of Mandras, which shows that love can become an obsession that changes a person and culminates in violence and anger. Mandras finds two loves that unfortunately cannot mix...