Love is not everlasting by Vidhushi Harit

Before the summer of 15, Cadence Sinclair Eastman's life was perfect. She had the boy of her dreams, Gat- soulful and curious; her two best friends, Mirren and Johnny- sweet and salty; and all the money in the world. However, you could say Cadence was cursed. A series of unfortunate events make you wonder what had she done; and why they were occurring. Some may blame the innocent, but this curse was not authentic. Cadence had somehow done all these things to herself. Karma was coming back for her with a sharpened blade. But we’re still unsure what she had done.

Cadence was the cause of the fatal fire that burned her one love Gat. In both “We were liars” and “I set fire to the rain” tragedy strikes and unplanned events take place, due to the torn relationship of two couples. “We were liars” and “I set fire to the rain” both contrast against each other as there are common symbols which have been created by mother nature. Mother nature has its beauties and wonders yet in some cases these outstanding creations are the painful representation of agony. The symbols, being the rain and fire, are both portrayed as a barrier between the couples and shows how the couple’s love slowly dies out- much like a flame. A common theme across both the novel and the song is this idea that love is not everlasting, you may not always be together as there are many obstacles that may intervene and could potentially break the love apart.

“Sometimes I wake up by the door, That heart you caught must be waiting for you”
The sentence "that heart you caught" is as if Adele is stating that hearts are just like fish in the ocean. "That heart you caught" while I still loved you; "That heart you caught" instead of mine. This line contrasts the love story of Gat and Cadence, when Gat falls for Raquel. The song and the story both represent a lover who has been hurt- a lover who thought their love meant more. When in reality, their love means nothing more than a fish hooked onto a bait.

“I set fire to the rain, watched it pour as I touched your face”
Cadence started a terrible fire, a fire that burned her one true love, a fire that turned him into ashes. Compared to the chorus of the song, it is as if Gat is the rain- once “Ambition and strong coffee”. Now dark, gloomy and grey, losing his vibrant colors.
“Well, it burned while I cried”
Clairmont was burning, Gat was trapped inside. He was inside this mess with no escape, no air to breathe- just endless halls of fiery flames. Cadence was alone on the island with no one to contact, and she cried. She cried for Gat. She cried for the loss of their love.
“‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name”
As Gat burned, it was as if the fire was his only way to communicate with Cadence now- it was his cry for help. It also held all of Cadence’s regrets. The moment she burned the house, she had all the power in the world. However, it slowly started to die out- like the fire eventually did. Cadence lost everything. The fire was hitting her hard.

“I threw us into the flames
When it fell, something died
'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time”
The fire was an interference, a person died and so did the love along with it. Secretly, Cadence knew inside that this was wrong. They should not be starting a fire in the most valued object on the island, and they should not be setting a fire when there are people inside. However, she was driven to keep the family together not knowing that there would be consequences to come along with it. Cadence secretly “knew that was the last time” they’d ever meet, ever kiss, ever hug, ever laugh, ever cry- ever be together.

In both “We were liars” and “I set fire to the rain” the writers show how roads are always bumpy and you will never have a clear path in a relationship; sometimes it lasts, sometimes it doesn’t. However we cannot let these intervening obstacles affect us- we cannot let them affect us in negative ways which make us go to the extremes.
“We cannot
We cannot
We will not”

source: ""Set Fire To The Rain" Lyrics." ADELE LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.