A Love Triangle There are many different kinds of love; therefore, there are many different types of relationships as well. For example, according to the triangular theory of love, developed by psychologist Robert Sternberg, love has three constitutive components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. So, the type of love one experiences depends on the relative strengths of these components. The types of love that the main characters of Talking it Over experienced for one another were very diverse since their relationships were based on different components of love.
Two men fell in love with the same woman for different reasons, and the same woman fell in love with two men at the same time. Is this really possible? If so, can anybody be found guilty for a love triangle? On the one hand, we have the two male characters, Oliver and Stuart, who in spite of being totally opposed as regards personality, they fall in love with the same woman. In the novel, Stuart meets Gillian and falls in love with her. Stuart finds with Gillian a Consummate love, which according to the triangular theory is the perfect kind of love because it involves the three components with a balanced strength.
So, eventually, they marry and plan to have a family together. The problem is that Oliver also falls in love with her and becomes adamant on winning her over. The love that Oliver feels for Gillian can be defined as a Romantic love, and it derives from a combination of the intimate and passionate components of love. On the other hand, there is Gillian, a beautiful and young woman that falls in love with Stuart and Oliver at the same time. She decided to marry Stuart because she loved, respected and fancied him. “I fell in love, and Stuart is a good person, a kind person, and he loves me” she said.
What Gillian felt for her husband was a Companionate love, an intimate, non-passionate type of love that is stronger than friendship because of the element of long-term commitment. Nevertheless, when Oliver told her that he loved her, Gillian started to have feelings for him too. With his romanticism, Oliver drew Stuart`s wife into his arms. However, it was Gillian that allowed Oliver to get so close to her and decided to hide what was really going on from her husband. So, if there must be someone to blame in this love triangle, it hould be the woman whose irresponsible decisions were the main causes of the sad outcome of the story. In conclusion, many different types of love are possible, and it is also possible to feel more than one type of love for two people at the same time. In my opinion, we cannot be found guilty for simply falling in love; however, we must take responsibility for our decisions and actions after we have acknowledged our feelings. In Talking it Over, Gillian is to blame for the love triangle because, after falling in love with Stuart and Oliver, her actions ended up hurting many people around her.
