Fiction as a representation of reality involves the construction of credible characters that the reader can identify with in order to understand the pertinent issues in the society. The theme of teenage love and sex, for example, is a common endeavor in literature and will require the author to ensure that a character’s personality and values are well communicated to the readers. This report aims at undertaking a critical analysis of Scott Spencer’s novel titled Endless Love with David Axelrod as the focus of the study. The paper will dwell on his love relations with Jade Butterfield and the rest of the characters in order to unearth the implied traits and values and further ascertain the ethical implications of his character.
David is presented as a dynamic character who easily adapts to different situation within his home and the larger society. Having been raised by parents whose main interest is politics, he has always been aloof at home because of his parents’ disinterest in him. His personality, however, adjusts outside home after he is introduced to Jade by her brother who happens to be David’s friend. This confirms that his dull life at home is as a result of lack of choice and that he is ready to explore in the outside society. His ability to adjust in different situations s reflected when he schemes to win favor from Jade’s father. Hugh intends to separate the teen lovers until his daughter is through with her studies. Although David’s plan backfires and he is convicted for arson, he readily adjusts to his situation and resorts to sending love letters to Jade in hope that it would keep them going. More so, he embarks on the search for jade after leaving the mental hospital although it gets him in more trouble after Jade’s father is accidentally killed while following him. Although David ends up in jail, he adjusts to jail life where Jade visits him. This confirms that he is in a capacity to adjust to various situations while still maintaining his love for Jade.
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It is also apparent that David is a fatal character whose course in life will always be hampered by mishaps that leave him in desperate situations. It appears that his fate follows him from childhood considering that his parents are presented as negligent and less involved in his development. It is unfortunate that Jade’s father disliked him just when he has found an escape from his dull lie. It is also a matter of fate that the fire prank works to his disadvantage and he ends up in the wrong side of the law. More so, the blame on David for Hugh’s death is a further confirmation that fate has dictated that the two teen lovers will never be together.
A critical reader is expected to make note of the ethical implications embedded in the novel and analyze them against the teachings of early thinkers. The Socratic school of thought, for example, is keen on ethics and will pass the protagonist as an ethical individual. He is not pushy and only gets into a love relationship with Jade because it is mutually fulfilling. More so, he is not confrontational even when Hugh strives to end the relationship. David has also been furnished with the ideals of stoicism considering that he readily takes the collateral damage that comes with their love affair. From the repulsion from Hugh to admission as a mental patient and imprisonment, David is not ready to be deterred by the hurdles on his course. It is a trait that reminds the readers that they have to be ready to pay the price for what they believe in and should not be swayed by anything if at all they are true to their cause.
Spencer, S. (1979) Endless Love. New York. Harper Collins Publishers.
