Poor Sutter just can't seem to believe that anyone would ever really love him. We're not surprised. His dad abandoned him, his mom and sister are cold towards him, and his girlfriends always break up with him. Aimee is the only one who really, truly loves him and is even willing to suffer for it. So what does he do? Duh. He cuts himself off from her. In The Spectacular Now, love is something for other people—but definitely not for our protagonist.
Questions About Love
- Do we see any examples of love in The Spectacular Now? What does love look like? Does it need to be mutual?
- Does Sutter love Aimee? Why or why not?
- What does Sutter think love is? Does he have unrealistic expectations of love? Or is he simply afraid to love anyone because he doesn't want to be abandoned?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Sutter chooses whiskey over Aimee because he's afraid of loving and then losing her.
Because he never had a good home life, Sutter doesn't know what love looks like.