The Power of Love Theme Analysis

Kennedy depicts Christine as a loving mother and wife in “Tender,” even while Christine struggles with the possibility of having a malignant tumor. Although her family often causes her disappointment, anxiety, and frustration with their antics, her unconditional love for them keeps her committed to caring for them. Through Christine’s point of view, Kennedy demonstrates that love often stirs up negative emotions but is nevertheless powerful enough to inspire selfless action.

Despite her anxiety over the lump in her arm and a biopsy in the morning, Christine’s love for her family pushes her to look after their needs rather than her own. At the beginning of the story, Christine attempts to hide the appointment from her children, even at the risk of forgetting the time by not writing it down on the calendar, in order to save them worry about their mother. While Al reveals that he has already informed Hannah and Jamie, who do not seem to behave any differently, Christine’s concern for even this small detail highlights how meticulously she tries to ensure a smooth day for them without her. She completes Jamie’s diorama project on his behalf, working on it for several hours and staying up past midnight, before waking up early the next morning to complete her “unfinished vision” for it. Although the last-minute rush was entirely Jamie’s fault for forgetting about the assignment until the night before it is due, his unhappiness at the idea of showing up to school and seeing other kids’ completed projects drives Christine to go above and beyond to surprise her son with a high-quality diorama in the morning. She also sets out mousetraps and makes sure to collect them in the morning, wanting to catch the mice scurrying around the kitchen yet trying to avoid the children’s clamor for a funeral if they find any dead mice. Even though she is already up late in the middle of completing Jamie’s diorama, another selfless task, she immediately takes the time to address another problem as she notices it and again prioritizes her family’s needs.

However, Christine is often frustrated and annoyed with the rest of her family, who are not as organized or responsible as she is. Al’s relaxed and absentminded personality often annoys Christine, who notes that he “can’t seem to shut a drawer once he’s opened it.” She appreciates the “same amiable mood” he is always in but complains about his inability to complete his many half-done tasks, such as the unfinished bookshelves, the compost pile, or the unaddressed weeds. When the children are fighting in the bath, she is irritated at his delayed intervention. Even though his coworkers assure her that whatever Al does “all comes together in the end,” she expresses frustration at his ignorance towards “how much organizing she has to do around him.” Christine also describes Jamie as “so like Al it scares her” when he casually brings up starting his diorama project after dinner, to be completed for the next day. Like his father, Jamie is disorganized and ignorant of how much work Christine does behind the scenes to compensate for it, in this case finishing the diorama after he goes to bed. With a comparison to Al, Christine expresses much of the same disappointment and frustration towards her son as she does towards her husband.

In the end, Christine gives in to her love for her family in spite of their shortcomings. At the beginning of the story, Al remembers Christine’s appointment, even though it is not on the calendar, and knows which train she should take. While she is working on Jamie’s diorama, Al quietly takes over washing dishes to relieve her of that responsibility. Christine takes comfort in the image of him shaking out Hannah’s pajamas to turn them right side out, surprising her with how he can take care of their household despite his relaxed attitude. Although Al is generally absentminded, she knows that he is there to support Christine when it matters, and she loves him for what he does, rather than what he doesn’t do. When Jamie tells Christine that the diorama needs to be done by tomorrow, she feels “the ardent rush of helpless, terrible love” drive her to help. When Jamie is not done by bedtime, the “warmth bloom[ing] briefly in her chest, tight and aching like tears” forces her to take over and finish it for him. Even though she could reasonably tell Jamie he should have started earlier or allow him to bring his unfinished work to school, she cannot help giving in to her love for her son and doing all the work for him. Kennedy’s words choices in these phrases emphasize that genuine love isn’t always simple or pleasant; instead, it can be “terrible” or painful in a way that makes people feel “helpless” against its power. But most importantly, the positive side of love wins out—it may not be easy to love others as much as Christine loves her family, but her ongoing devotion to them shows that it’s still a worthwhile effort.