Post Two "What do we talk about when we talk about love"

One of the first things I realized when reading this passage was the difference in character between each individual. Mel seemed to have a pessimistic yet seemingly realistic outlook on love for the most part. Terri, Mel's second wife, was the helpless romantic that believed love still existed in a relationship despite harmful and even abusive actions. Laura seemed to have an optimistic while reasonable outlook on love as did her husband; the narrator. As the group was diverse in their views of love, the symbolism for the ambiguity faced in love everyday is shown. Each character seems to express their confusion and even frustration on the topic of love throughout the passage. Mel puts forward the point that although he's in love with Terri his current wife, if he was to die she would more than likely grieve yet eventually love again. How could something so sacred be contradictory in so many situations? This ambiguity almost answers the question of the title “What do we talk about when we talk about love.” It proves the point that love and its mysteries are still being discovered. Despite the characters diversity a correlation is seen between them in that fact that they are all on their second marriage. This correlation shows the uncertainty of love and the fact that love does not always play out the way we think it will. Each character had previously loved someone before his or her current lover. The passage uses individuals who had been torn and tossed around by the roller coaster of love to express its ambiguity and uncertainty. Additionally it seems the passage may tie the ambiguity of love into the ambiguity of the heart. There are many references to the human heart throughout the passage, as it is a universal symbol for love.
One major reference is Mel’s profession as a cardiologist, one who works with hearts. Most importantly though is the ending excerpt “I could hear my heart beating. I could hear everyone’s heart. I could hear the human noise we sat there making, not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark.” The patterns and topic of love seem impossible to explain, just as the motives of the human heart.