Initially I found “Swann’s Way” by Marcel Proust to be a slow and confusing read. It felt as if the sentences were just random words that were put together without meaning because so much seemed to be happening in the story right from the beginning. Eventually I started to get more invested and gain a deeper understanding for the storyline and that is when the reading became easier and felt less forced. Because of Proust’s extremely descriptive and detailed syntax I felt that I could better understand the protagonists emotions as they were described in quite a bit of detail throughout the book.

Marcel Proust uses the first person narrative in “Swann’s Way” which demonstrates a very personal and reflective perspective throughout the book. The character begins by describing a mix of memories and dreams, most of which are from the time he spent in Combray as a child. I found it interesting to read bout how he perceives both of his parents. It is very clear that he has a strong attachment to his mother however not his father. He feels close with his mother as she often acts as an emotional support person for him, making him feel comforted and loved. However this relationship harshly contrasts the relationship he has with his father. His father is almost the opposite of his mother, he is very demanding and harsh which creates an emotionally and physically draining relationship between them. A part of the disconnect that he feels with his father is because of the way that the father judges his relationship with his mom by thinking that goodnight kisses and emotional support will cause him to become less of an independent and strong man. This leaves a large disconnect between the father and son and causes resentment towards the father.

I find the connection that Marcel has with his mother to be very relatable. I think that it is very common for children and even adults to feel strongly connected to their mothers and for their mothers to provide a strong comforting feeling. Because this is so common I don’t blame Marcel for feeling resentment towards his father. In fact I think that his fathers judgments and overall personality warrant Marcel to feel resentment. At some point Marcel’s father was just a. child too, which means that he had also experienced comfort from his parents and did all of things that he so strongly disapproved of Marcel doing. It seems wildly unreasonable and un excusable for him to then critique his own son on things that are a normal part of growing up.

My Question for the class: Do you think that the desire for your child to grow up manly is an excuse for judgmental parenting and harsh rules? In other words, do you think that Marcel’s dad was a good father or was he too harsh and deserves Marcel’s resentment?