Discussion Topic
The message and distinction between passion and obsession in The Passion
Summary:
The Passion explores the fine line between passion and obsession, illustrating how intense emotions can drive individuals to extreme actions. Passion is depicted as a powerful, yet potentially positive force, while obsession is shown as destructive, leading to irrational behavior and personal downfall. The novel emphasizes the importance of balance and the dangers of letting passion morph into unhealthy fixation.
What is the difference between passion and obsession in The Passion?
"Passion" is a word with a wider range of meanings than "obsession." The Latin root means "suffering," conveying the truth that to care deeply about something or someone is bound to cause pain. Narrowing the sense of the word so that it becomes comparable with obsession, "passion" means an intense devotion to a person, an ideal, or even, in the case of Napoleon Bonaparte in The Passion, a food. This passion becomes an obsession when it can no longer be controlled but instead controls the subject. The dividing line between passion and obsession, therefore, while it may be clear in retrospect, is almost never experienced as it is crossed, and few people notice and reflect on it as they approach.
As mentioned above, an instance of a passion that becomes an obsession in Jeanette Winterson's novel The Passion is Napoleon's fondness for chicken. Winterson says that he "wishes...
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his whole face were mouth to cram a whole bird" and insists on huge quantities of chicken dishes being prepared, although he is unable to finish them. This suggests one of the effects of crossing the line between passion and obsession: the latter, when it is not sinister, is often ludicrous. An instance of passion in the novel is Henri's intense admiration for Napoleon and desire to fight for him.
What message does The Passion convey about passion and obsession?
Jeanette Winterson’s novel The Passion contains an important message about passion and obsession. While passion can be a good thing and add zest and meaning to life, when it verges on obsession, there can be unfortunate consequences. Obsession, as I see it, is very much like addiction. We see this in the very beginning of the book, where Napoleon’s passion for eating chicken becomes a kind of sickening obsession/addiction and causes undue suffering for the animals who are debeaked, declawed, and caged well in anticipation of their demise, instead of meeting a quick death. Napoleon’s chicken obsession also causes waste, as he often demands more meat than he has time to eat. It seems to me that the state of the chickens as victims of a passion turned into something excessive sets the tone for an important theme and lesson in the novel: the dangers of obsessive love.
Obsessive love is often idealized in literature and popular culture (think of Romeo and Juliet), but it is defined in psychotherapy as an unhealthy kind of love that becomes all-consuming and can lead to bad decisions. The intensity of obsessive love becomes overwhelming, and the person who is experiencing it can lose interest in the company of family and friends, and sometimes even work or other necessities of daily living. Obsessive love can lead to missed opportunities and a great deal of pain. It can also turn into something uncomfortable (or even dangerous) for its recipient, especially if the feelings are not mutual. Obsessive love is neither healthy nor normal.
In The Passion, Villanelle’s obsessive love for the Queen of Spades impedes her ability to live life fully, to be open to other possibilities, and to fully recognize the good things that life brings along. Her love for a woman who will never reciprocate takes up so much of her emotional energy that it blinds her to what may be possible with Henri.
Henri’s love for Villanelle also reaches the point of obsession. He ends up jailed for life for an irrational act he carries out on her behalf (the murder of her husband) and eventually goes mad. Both characters lose their ability to balance reason with emotion because of obsessive love.
What is the difference between passion and obsession? Provide examples from The Passion.
According to Henri, the difference between passion and obsession is subtle. About the two, he says, “I have known both and I know the dividing line is as thin and cruel as a Venetian knife.” Your essay should probably note Henri’s acute and minute interpretation.
With passion, Henri doesn’t seem to state what it is exactly, but instead what it’s near or positioned between. According to Henri, passion can be located “between the swamp and the mountains.” It can also be found “between fear and sex.” Lastly, Henri says that passion can be between “God and the Devil.”
You might notice a pattern. Passion seems to reside between two extremes. It can rise to good, loving intentions (God, the mountains, sex). It can also fall to adverse, sinful behavior (the swamp, the Devil, fear).
Wherever it is, it seems like it has to be a part of all humans. According to Henri, “Man cannot exist without passion.” That quote seems to suggest that passion is the main force of life. It’s what compels people to make the choices that they do.
You could say that Henri and Villanelle’s relationship is an example of passion. Henri’s lofty love for Villanelle is what propels him to commit sinful deeds, like murdering her husband. More so, you could claim that the ambiguity of their relationship—remember, Villanelle refuses to marry him—reflects Henri’s rather enigmatic thoughts about passion.
As for obsession, Henri seems to link obsession to hate. Concerning Napoleon, Henri writes, “If the love was passion, the hate will be obsession.” Remember, Henri admires Napoleon at first. Now that he’s stuck in Russia, that esteem has morphed to hate. It’s almost as if once Napoleon stops representing movement and mobility (i.e., passion), Henri stops revering him. In Russia, Henri seems to figure out that Napoleon is more obsessed with conquest than passionate about freedom. Napoleon's obsession literally threatens the existence—the passion—of Henri and his fellow soldiers.