Have you ever noted the night view of your city and thought about death? I know I am asking something very atypical. But death and funerals are the earthbound things of our lives that add attributes to our subconscious mind, which is beyond perception. Well, today’s tale starts with a strange depiction of death. Before this, let’s see some glimpses of life.
I always fantasize about fiction as a simple and lively portrayal of my fantasy. In the beginning, Colleen Hoover just captured my heart. In Boston, Lily’s small storefront has lots of flowers. “Lily Bloom,” such a beautiful name. Isn’t it? But what about the scar that life gave to this young woman? Yes, I am talking about Hoover’s book, It Ends With Us. After reading the book, I can’t designate it as a romance novel at all. It was a tale of confronting reality.
Cycle of Life with Black & White Scars
Let’s depict the characters of the novel. Colleen Hoover’s ‘It Ends With Us’ is an emotional exploration of Lily Bloom with shreds of evidence of navigating with love, pain, and difficult challenges for ultimate realization. Is love always enough to excuse harmful behavior? From here, we can start tracing the hidden message of the novel. Lily, the young soul with deeply woven early life trauma, witnessed the extremely strained relationship of her parents’ enduring years of domestic abuse. The conflict of Lily’s emotions started from this point. Colleen Hoover doesn’t illustrate Ryle as just a typical villain but rather as an extensive contemplation of a psychopathic individual. He was also torn by his own past, with a deep and dark scar of trauma. Lily’s when she realized that she was in the same position as her mother. Her greatest fear had come true.
What is the usual scenario of society? Is abuse always obvious? No, it’s not. We all have that one reel circulating on our screens. The metaphorical delineation of the transferring of generational abuse is a flower, which is torn to shreds. Just like that torn flower, Lily also has a cycle of life with her black and white scars of generational abuse gained from her mother. Portraying abuse in shades of black & white in Hoover forced us to question our own perceptions of love and harm. Abuse is not about physical harm or violence. Abuse is the control, patterns, and the painful illusion that things might change.
Just keep swimming!
Do you remember our childhood favorite drama, ‘Finding Nemo’? The story of our adored Nemo. Hoover repurposes this amazing reference here as a symbol of resilience and survival. Years back, Atlas had written “Just keep swimming” in Lily’s old journal, just like a survival spell. This one thing plays a prominent role in reigniting the connection between Lily and Atlas. The silent promise between them became the source of strength for Lily as a reminder that no matter how much pain she endures, she must keep pushing forward.
In chapter twelve, Lily created a centerpiece, a steampunk-themed floral arrangement, for her shop. There, Lily
I placed the flowers on the center display table. I’m pretty sure
This is exactly what I was supposed to do with my life.
Ryle, with his twin flame archetype, entered Lily’s life with intense challenges, separation, and emotional turmoil. But Lily survives and chooses a future where pain doesn’t define her. Hoover represented the tale of breaking cycles, healing wounds, and swimming toward a life where love is gentle, not cruel.
Colleen Hoover really justified the name Lily Blossom Bloom, as if she were destined to break the cycle. At the ultimate point, Lily broke the cycle of abuse, violence, and toxic love and chose her hardest decision to prioritize her worth. The novel mirrors the struggle of an abusive relationship, where we are all sometimes torn between love, hate, and the painful reality of harm. Even in the title, Colleen Hoover represented the determination to prevent history from repeating itself and breaking the continuity. At the end of the day, resilience and self-empowerment are the key components that can encourage all the Lilies from our hearts to leave that abusive relationship, and also teach us that real love should never come with fear. Daughters have to be the bravest who can do, which is to let go.
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Writer
Arpita Das
Intern , Content Writing Department
YSSE.