Essay

Prompt: 1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

            This whole book is centered on the life of Katie running from her abusive husband and falling in love with the perfect man Alex, complete opposite men. The name of this widely used literary element is called doubles, other known books that use doubles are: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. The amount of books that use doubles is uncountable; some authors use it without even thinking about it, because every story needs a little balance. Double can be opposites or even the most similar things, people or places. Three large examples of doubles in Safe Haven are Carly and Katie, Katie’s cottage and her old house and the largest example is Alex and Kevin.

            Carly and Katie are double because they are very similar. Carly is described as loving and very happy. Katie becomes happy when she is with Alex, just as Carly did. Carly also had an extremely passionate, strong, motherly love for Josh and Kristen. This love is apparent in Katie whenever there is a scene with her and the kids. At the end of the book we even come to a realization that the two ladies were basically best friends, though one was not actually alive.

            Two places that are often described as doubles would be Katie’s old house with Kevin and the little cottage she occupies in Southport. In her old home when her name was Erin, it was huge, massive, and too big for a couple. She knew it needed kids, but Kevin did not want that. But in her new home, where he name is Katie, it is small, perfect and meant just for her. It shows independence to be on her own, in her little cottage. One home represents her old life, while the other represents her new, perfect life.

            Lastly, the most profound double is Alex and Kevin. Alex is the sweet guy that could never hurt a fly, while Kevin is the abusive husband that Katie is running from. Kevin has never wanted children and Alex has a son and daughter. The two characters are main characters because Katie is running from Kevin and running to Alex. Alex is the true person Katie should be with and does end up being with.

            Though not all of these doubles are what make the book amazing, without them, this book would not be as good as it is. Without Kevin’s abusive behavior, there would be no reason for Katie to run to Alex. This would ruin the entire plot of the story, showing how important this element is. Without Carly and Katie, the cottage and the house, and Kevin and Alex, this book would be boring. Nicholas Sparks did a fantastic job in the character building necessary for these doubles.