Love at its maximum power is a universal force that is beautiful yet terrible. There is something so intimate and miraculous about being able to give one’s entire self to another in the name of love, but this always guarantees an exposure of one’s own vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities eventually lead to an even worse fate--internal anguish. Everyone has loved ones whether they be friends or family, and Jess C. Scott’s quote “Friends are the family you choose” unearths the fact that friends and family fulfill the same role in one’s life, which is being the catalyst for heartbreak. In Orson Scott Card’s Ender's Game, Jasper Fforde’s Shade of Grey, and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, love inevitably provokes emotional torture, and it brings…show more content… The incontrovertible truth of Peter’s nature is that he is a monster, yet after an attempted murder of Ender, Peter apologizes and claims to “love” Ender because they are brothers. Although Ender knows the full extent of Peter’s immorality, this assertion inadvertently gives Ender hope, false hope, but hope nonetheless. Even after all the horrid things Peter does from torturing squirrels to tormenting his siblings, Ender has no desire to beat him, and instead has the delusive wish that Peter will be capable of loving him. But it is impossible for Peter to change his nature because his jealousy and hatred of Ender’s superiority will always create an invisible barrier between the two brothers. Love is not convenient especially in a brotherly relationship where love is supposed to be present in everyone but is not. Ender will never be loved by Peter the way he loves Peter, and Ender is forced to shoulder his desire for love as a burden because it subjects him to the abuse of his brother. The one-sided love in this brotherly relationship benefits no one, and the presence of the other brother only serves to produce bitterness and…show more content… Originally, Jane despises Eddie and all that he symbolizes-- conformity to the Colortocracy and ignorance, but once he proves his trustworthiness, they develop a friendship in which Jane shares her infinite amount of knowledge with him. They embark on a dangerous journey together, share secrets, and work at every turn to rebel against the Chromatic hierarchy. As their relationship progresses, they both realize that they do not just want to be friends, and erotic love is added upon the philia-based foundation that already exists. Alas, fate keeps these friends and lovers apart. Not only are they unable to marry as they hope to do due to the law, but they are also socially forbidden to interact with one another because they are complementary colors. Two people who are meant to be together are forced apart showing the cruelty of fate. It also shows that love chooses whom it might befall; one does not get to choose whom to love. This perhaps is the greatest risk and misfortune of love--one does not get to dictate his own fate, and fate will always plot against every one of humanity’s
