The Bible speaks of love as a set of attitudes and actions that are far broader than the concept of love as an emotional attachment . Love is seen as a set of behaviors : Place me like a seal over your heart , like a seal on your arm for love is as strong as death , it 's jealously unyielding as the grave . It burns like a blazing fire , like a mighty flame . Many waters cannot quench love rivers cannot wash it away . If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love , it would be utterly scorned (Song of Solomon 8 : 6-7
Setting the quote beside Faulkner 's A Rose for Emily , we see their differences stand out in stark contrast . The love as it exists in the story is very different from the love that the Bible talks about . In fact , they are polar opposites . While the love that the Bible talks about is steadfast and willing to fight , in does so in a manner that is reasonable and upright
The Bible speaks of an ideal love that is lucid , even as it enduring and powerful . The love that is portrayed in Faulkner 's story is a destructive obsession that drove the main character to commit murder Emily 's deep loneliness stems from a childhood deprived of a loving home . Emily did not want for material things , but there was no warmth in her home . And she grew up longing for a genuine connection with another person . That is why she fell madly in love at the first man she had met (Faulkner , 2002
Looking at Emily 's story , I wonder if she really fell in love . Can love ever spring from a place of fear ? While I cannot fault Emily for it , she was desperately afraid of being alone . She was willing to embrace the illusion of love , and hold on to it nail , tooth and claws . And when the man she wanted did not return her feelings , Emily did not let him go Rather than face the truth and move on , Emily killed the man she loved ' and carried the secret to her grave
I think that reflecting on the love that the Bible talks about is important . Indeed , true love fights and is enduring and passionate . But love should always bring out the best in us , not drive us to madness like what happened with Emily . We all fall into the illusion of love because like Emily , most of us are so afraid of being alone . But love in its purest sense can never come from a place of fear . In such cases love mutates into a dangerous obsession that can drive us to commit desperate acts . True love is always self-sacrificing . When you are in love , the welfare and happiness of your loved one always comes first There is no room for revenge or spite for those whose hearts love deeply and purely . It will fight for true love and let go if.