Response to TC Boyle's "The Love of My Life"

In his short story “The Love of My Life,” T.C. Boyle examines teenage relationships by placing the young couple in an emotionally charged situation. Through the progression of the events, Boyle reveals the difference between real and idealized love and how that love can be torn apart. Though it the obvious subject of the story is teen pregnancy, the underlying themes deal with falling in and out of love.

In the beginning of the story, Boyle plays off of the stereotypes of a young, high school couple. China and Jeremy are so in love that they can’t stand to be apart. They are constantly together, wearing “each other like a pair of socks” (133). They constantly exchange kisses, even if they have only been apart for a few minutes. And on top of it all, China and Jeremy love each other so much, that they start sleeping together not long after they started going out. They have an idealized notion of what love really is, and therefore, they think that the love they have is real. All of these things are common stereotypes of a young couple, which Boyle uses to characterize the relationship between China and Jeremy. Through this, he can provide key details that are important to the characterization, and leave the minor details to the reader’s imagination to fill in with additional stereotypes. In order for this to work, Boyle operates under the assumption that being young and in love is a universal feeling. However, because Boyle trusts his audience to understand his implications, his narration is not tied down by little things.

However, in order to examine how love can be torn apart, Boyle does focus on specifics, rather than relying on common ideas. He focuses specifically on the effects that the unexpected pregnancy. Though teenage pregnancy is becoming increasingly common, especially in the American culture, it is not a universal experience. Thus, Boyle is careful to describe the fear and other strong emotions that accompany the pregnancy. The repetition of “Just get rid of it” (144) further serves to reveal how scared China and Jeremy are.

This juxtaposition of common ideas and stereotypes versus specific detail is an interesting combination. Boyle must trust his reader to fill in the blanks in some places and rely on the detail in the narration in other places. It is a dangerous method to employ, for if it doesn’t work in just one place, the whole story has the potential to unravel.