For much of My Heartbeat, Ellen is stuck in the middle of a complicated love triangle between herself, James, and the mercurial Link. A fourth side of the triangle (so wait, it's a love square?) is the added difficulty of Link's struggle with his sexual identity, and Ellen's desire to love him unconditionally, which makes her attempt to navigate their situation without permanent damage increasingly difficult. Questions about what love is and how to love someone best become a theme that permeates Ellen's desire to do the right thing for the two boys she adores.
Questions About Love
- Is Link disturbed by the fact that he loves James, or is it the prospect of sexual attraction that bothers him?
- What are some of the ways that Ellen shows Link how much she loves him?
- Compare and contrast the ways that Mom and Dad show their love for Link. How about for Ellen? What patterns do you notice across the siblings?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Love can be a really confusing thing.
Love is never confusing—it is an absolute—it's everything else that is confusing.