Love and Romantic Confusion

Where it surfaces

• II

  Hugh's intense but fleeting feelings for Helen; his inability to sustain the romantic intoxication.

• The Big Game and the Serenade

  Hugh's encounter with the girl in the corn-colored frock and his subsequent romantic reverie, comparing her to Helen, illustrates his emotional confusion and burgeoning romantic feelings.

• XIV

  Hugh's summer romance with Janet Harton reveals his confusion between idealized love and physical desire, as he finds her childlike affection unsatisfying.

• Chapter XX

  Hugh's infatuation with Cynthia Day dominates his thoughts, leading him to neglect college life and deepening his emotional entanglement.

• Prom

  Hugh's idealized love for Cynthia is tested by the reality of their drunken behavior, and Norry's intervention underscores the confusion between genuine affection and physical desire.

• Chapter XXIII

  Hugh oscillates between love and hatred for Cynthia, unable to distinguish genuine affection from physical attraction.

• XXIV

  Hugh's correspondence with Cynthia deepens his emotional turmoil, as he is torn between love and fear of commitment, leading to a tangled and painful relationship.

• XXVI

  Hugh's internal debate about whether his feelings for Cynthia are love or mere sexual attraction, culminating in a decisive but friendly parting.