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Revenge is one of those fundamental human emotions. As artist Paul Gauguin put it, "Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge." But there's definitely a difference between the revenge fantasies of men and women. Men don't ponder revenge in the same way that women do. For example, guys will often destroy another's property when it comes to revenge. Did Lorena Bobbitt consider keying her husband's car? Probably not. Men might actually think that "living well is the best revenge." For women, revenge is the best revenge.
Nathaniel Hawthorne wondered whether "hatred and love be not the same thing at bottom. Each ... supposed a high degree of intimacy and heart-knowledge ... Each leaves the passionate love or the no-less-passionate hater, forlorn and desolate by the withdrawal of his object." Revenge and obsession sleep in the same twin bed, and that's probably why revenge is so often associated with a betrayal of the heart. A love that's river deep and mountain high is going to produce a grief just as deep and high when it's taken away. From the Persuaders to the Pretenders to Annie Lenox, the song remains the same: It's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate. And watch out for the steak knife and the frying pan, dude!
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