Norman Manea’s short novella called “The Trenchcoat” in the book “Compulsory Happiness” has a simple title that is straight to the point. It really is about a trenchcoat, one in specific which makes its mysterious appearance about halfway into the novella. Until then it’s just a ride through the dark. What I mean by that is that ever since the beginning of the book, it seems quite lost. As if the narrator themselves is trying to make sense of the scene, but is struggling to do so. Choppy sentences, weird phrase lengths, abrupt transitions, and random pleasantry exchanges all contribute to the confusion of the readers. This is exactly where I understood the importance of context because upon watching the lecture, I realized how necessary it was to have had some knowledge of the history of Romania, the author’s purpose behind the story, and what possible connections this specific novella might have held with other books like “The Overcoat”. Of course, there is no direct link, but drawing connections can help with the comprehension of the story’s time period and style. It was written in the late 1980s, during political unrest and execution of the former president of Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu, and his wife, which marked the end of the totalitarian regime in Romania.
In the lecture, it was mentioned how the author wanted to address some of the political issues, the people involved, places, and other parts but had to be very wary of the censor guidelines and adhere to them in order to get it published. I was wondering, what challenges must he have faced in trying to capture the true essence of the events while keeping the anonymity? The intertextual importance and symbolism of the trenchcoat can be interpreted in several ways, but I think it was mostly hinting at the concealment. Just like how the figures of authority were concealing knowledge from the public, the use of a trenchcoat is usually to cover up and blend into the shadows. The inability to reveal the secrets because of the apparent wrongfulness of it is displayed by the government by their mistrustful actions towards the people of Romania.
I found this book quite abrupt and having a lack of rhythm in the beginning but as I got through to the halfway mark, it seemed to clear up a bit because the objective was present: figuring out where this random trenchcoat came from. I would love to hear from the author himself about what his main motive was when writing this book and what he thinks our generation should take away from this book that was written a long time ago.
Daniel Choi
March 16, 2022 — 6:38 pm
I really like how you interpreted the trenchcoat as a “concealment”. I totally agree with you on this point, although I never thought of it as such until I read your blog. The parallel between the trenchcoat and the context of the story, in the theme of “concealment” is very interesting. Perhaps there’s also frustration that is caused by this “concealment”; readers/ characters in the book are more or less frustrated at this mysterious, unresolving trenchcoat; while in Romania, the censorship must have caused frustration among many other emotions.
– Daniel Choi
Ashvi Ivan
March 16, 2022 — 9:27 pm
Hey! You make some great points on what the trenchcoat could symbolize. I recall reading a specific part where one of the characters aggressively complains about how out of place the trench coat looked because it looked so bland against the otherwise elegant and put-together look. This was very odd to read because, despite the bland looks of the coat, the coat becomes central and stands out.
Mai
March 17, 2022 — 7:55 am
Hi Vindushi,
Really enjoyed your post and I think the book had a similar impact on me as it did on you. I like that you link the trenchcoat to concealment – how public figures were concealing their actions and motives and I would add to that how people concealed their true thoughts and feelings. Very excited to hear our questions answered by Manea!