True Love

The main theme of this novel is the idea of learning how to love completely, as well as the importance of knowing that one is loved. During their lives, the mothers of both Rose and Jean-Marc voices wishes that their children know particular aspects of love during their lives. For Rose, Celestine wishes that her daughter will always know that she is loved. This may be because her absent husband often left her and her daughter feeling alone and unloved by his frequent absences. Through all of her experiences, the roses remind Rose that she is loved. It is when she realizes that she has the power to keep those she loves safe by sacrificing herself that Rose learns what true love is. It is this knowledge of love that also helps Rose to understand that Jean-Marc does not understand how to completely love. It is also...