Love is definitely a four-letter word to the narrator of Surfacing (well, it's a four-letter word anyway, literally speaking, but you get the point). She spends the early part of the novel musing about the fact that she's never really been able to figure out what that feeling is supposed to be. She apparently dreads the moment in her relationships when the L-word finally becomes an issue, since she can't really come up with the goods her boyfriends are expecting. It's no wonder she's ambivalent about it, though, given the fact that she had a nasty ex who apparently used professions of love to convince her to do whatever he wanted (continue an affair even though he was married, get an abortion, etc.). By the end, she seems to recognize that she loves Joe, but it's unclear what that knowledge will translate into, in terms of their future relationship.
Questions About Love
- In the narrator's view, is the concept of love flawed or does it end up being viable? How do we know?
- Are there some instances of "real" love in the novel—or, at least, the potential for real love? What are they?
- How does the narrator's chilly view with respect to love and human relationships color your view of her and the novel?
- What do you make of Anna and David's relationship—is there any love there at all? Does it matter? Why or why not?
- Are there alternatives to "love" that the narrator presents as preferable or more powerful? If so, what are they?
Chew on This
The novel suggests that "love" as a concept is, at best, meaningless, and at worst, dangerous (since it can be used as a tool to control and manipulate others).
While Atwood and her narrator underplay it, the narrator's ability to feel love for Joe at the end of the novel is a huge step forward for her, signifying her willingness to move forward in her relationship and the present after confronting the truths of her past.