Themes and message

Love

The story “The Man Who Loved Flowers” by Stephen King explores love in a misleading and dark way. At first, the text seems like a romantic story, focusing on the feeling of being in love. All the secondary characters who cross paths with the main character assume that he is in love: “She passed on her way, thinking: He’s in love.” (p. 175, l. 10)

The thoughts of the old woman are shared by the old flower vendor and the middle-aged woman at the very end of the story. At the same time, the story mentions the policeman also being in love and seeing himself in the young man: “the cop was engaged himself and recognized the dreamy expression on the young man's face from his own shaving mirror, where he had often seen it lately.” (p. 179, ll. 15-16). 

Falling in love can make people feel ecstatic and kind, and give them a more pos...