Love and Spiders

J. P. Devine’s account of a father’s love for his daughter (“Eeeeek!” Op-Ed, Aug. 12) becomes less appealing on closer examination. Devine says that he did not want to kill any of the spiders, but he did it anyway--out of love.

Does this mean that his daughter would not have been satisfied with anything ‘less’ than the spiders’ deaths? Would she not have given him hugs and kisses if he had simply taken them out of the house unharmed, thereby teaching her that mere aversion to a creature does not justify killing it?

After his daughter has grown and left, Devine does in fact exhibit such compassionate behavior, but it is somehow unsatisfying. He speaks enviously of another, younger Ivanhoe who will receive hugs and kisses as his reward. Devine looks forward to a day “like a poem”, when his daughter returns and calls upon him to kill again--out of love.

BILL BECKER

Woodland Hills