History Of Love Questions

1. How are Alma and Oskar Similar?

Alma and Oskar are similar in a few different ways. Both are mourning the loss of their father, they both try to emulate their father, Perhaps most importantly both are on a mission to find out more about their fathers. Oskar is on a quest to find out what the key meant to his father. Alma on the other hand begins her quest in an attempt to find her mother a new love towards the end she is trying to find out what the significance the book had to her father and what type of a person he was.

2. Can you relate to Bonx's search to the History Of Love Context?

I think the two stories are similar. Binx had never felt more alive then when he nearly died in combat in the Korean war, now Binx Bolling is trying to find a meaning to his low key life in Louisiana where life and death are not a daily issue. Leo Gursky was once deeply in love with someone who he felt would never leave his side. After all of his family and all he knew was exterminated by the Nazi war machine he moves to America to find that the person who he thought would always love him and moved on and that he couldn't have a relationship with his son. Now he is looking back on his life trying to find a purpose. Leo wants to know how he impacted the world. He wants to know that his son knew him and wishes that his writing could have some how impacted him. What he finds is that his writing impacted his son and others. Bird lost his father at a very young age and is looking for a meaning for his life through a religious mission. His older sister fills his mind with these great stories about their father and he believes that his purpose it to be the messiah or at least one of the 36 lamed vovnik. Alma begins by searching for some way to make her mother happy again but in the end she is just trying to find more out about what type of person her father is and what Gursky's book "the history of love" had to do with her/her father. All the characters are searching to find them selves and their purpose. Binx searches as an existentialist. Leo searches as lover, writer, and father. Bird searches as a son / person of devout faith. Alma searches as a daughter.

3. What type of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his Son?

Leo Gursky is a lonely person who feels that all his life's work was for nothing. He believes his novel was lost and that his son didn't even know that he existed. It is not until the end of the book when he meets Alma in central park that he sees that his writing impacted the life of his son and of others. Gursky like his son is a talented writer by writing the history of love he is able to tell him why he wasn't a part of his life. This however isn't all that Gursky has to offer. I think that Leo could have been a great father to his Son had be been given the opportunity. He obviously cares about him very much and I believe that under normal circumstances he would have been able to raise him and even mentor him with his writing.

4. Is Bird a religious fanatic?

Yes!