# Love and Romantic Confusion in The Plastic Age

> Theme guide for The Plastic Age by Percy Marks.

Hugh's relationships with Helen, Janet, and especially Cynthia illustrate the difficulty of distinguishing genuine love from infatuation, sexual attraction, and societal expectation.

## Where it surfaces

- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/ii): Hugh's intense but fleeting feelings for Helen; his inability to sustain the romantic intoxication.
- [The Big Game and the Serenade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/x): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/xx): Hugh's infatuation with Cynthia Day dominates his thoughts, leading him to neglect college life and deepening his emotional entanglement.
- [Prom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/xxii): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/xxiii): Hugh oscillates between love and hatred for Cynthia, unable to distinguish genuine affection from physical attraction.
- [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/xxvi): Hugh's internal debate about whether his feelings for Cynthia are love or mere sexual attraction, culminating in a decisive but friendly parting.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/themes/love_and_romantic_confusion
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_plastic_age_se/themes