Love is one of the most intimate expressions of life because it means that we must share our full selves– our hearts– with another human being. While it is undeniable that we must treat our mind with dignity and compassion to be able to form meaningful affection for someone else, almost as if love needs to be in a state of equilibrium between a pair, Edward Albee’s play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Nitesh Tiwari’s 2023 film, Bawaal, showcase how sometimes this is not reality. Both works demonstrate clearly how love can be lost when the value within ourselves is lost. As a result, the audience can see how without a foundation of love, vulnerability, and honesty within ourselves, romantic relationships can crumble.
One of the main characters in Bawaal, Ajay, is afraid his average, mundane life will bleed into the public eye, so instead, he creates a false image of himself. Built by insecurity and surface-level desire, he makes himself look expensive with clothing and other material items, makes elaborate excuses for why he falls short of achievements, and passes all of his students without educating much at all so that he looks like a wonderful teacher. The public eye believes in this illusion, yet the fooling can only go so far, as Ajay is internally unhappy and disappointed with his life. As a result, his issues destroy his marriage because his wife, Nisha, suffers from epilepsy, and he is afraid a potential fit she could have in public would ruin his image. He won’t bring her out to the public or allow her to leave the home to work which leads to the complete termination of caring for her even in the privacy of their own home. Essentially, he pretends that Nisha does not exist. This causes separation and isolation between the two all because Ajay has a fear of living an average life, is insecure, and actively fears the way he is perceived by other people.
In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a lack of merit and joy is demonstrated in Martha and George’s relationship. While there is fault coming from both sides, it can be noted how Martha’s aggressive demeanor towards George is the product of the fear of an unwanted truth: her unfulfilled marriage. The inability to brave reality and face vulnerability in their relationship, even if it means investigating an unwanted truth, leaves their marriage stagnant with dissatisfaction and the inability to grow. Martha's fear stems from George, as well as her father. As the daughter of the president of a college, her father’s powerful position is what makes Martha feel worthy as if that is what gives her value, rather than any actual love a daughter might find their worth from in their father. The confinement Martha is placed in from the network of powerful people in her life leaves a hollowness in her relationship with them. She relies on hiding her vulnerable emotions to go through life. In effect, she believes that if she doesn’t let anyone in, and instead acts out of impulse with viciousness, she can’t get hurt because she hasn’t given her heart.
Pairing these two works together has shown the universal consequences in relationships when there is a lack of value within the self. While Martha has been conditioned to see little value in herself and uses a defense mechanism to keep her heart safe, Ajay’s lack of value he sees in himself causes him to live a faulty life with faulty relationships. Like Martha, Ajay is afraid of presenting truly as he feels, and in both cases, a lack of true self causes both marriages to suffer. This shows the importance of being vulnerable, open, and honest for love to be worthy. When placing these works side by side, it can be seen that whether the fear of truth is generated by the fear of the true self or the fear of the true relationship, without fighting for authenticity, realness, and clarity, love will be lost.
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