Part one of Combray was really engaging and got me really invested in the mind and history of the protagonist. His descriptions and explanations of what goes on during the sleep process are very spot on, and I can relate with some of them for sure. I always find myself reminiscing over the past, and enjoying the memories of my childhood. All these thoughts especially happen at night, and the mind becomes more awake than drowsy. With the Narrator, he clearly remembers his strong connection with his mother and always wanting to be kissed goodnight, but also very anxious that his parents would cast him away.
The theme of interaction and relationships is quite evident. The protagonist’s connection with his mother seems very strong but very one-sided. The mother never really seems fully invested with her child but does have the duties of nurturing and taking care of him. However, the narrator’s father does not interact with his kid whatsoever. When he saw his son being restless during nighttime he told his wife to give him peace of mind. It reminds me of the traditional household family where the mother takes care of the kid, while the father probably makes the income. Moreover, the character of the grandmother is very conservative and very hypocritical, especially in her observations of M.Swann. At first, she was very critical of M.Swanns character due to him hanging around rich slobs, but after his most recent visit, the grandmother ended up praising him at the end. The narrator’s entire family is very loving of Swann and their dynamic seems very natural. The most intriguing relationship has to be between Swann and the Narrators grandfather. It is very wholesome to see this relationship transpire. The grandpa holds him in very high regard and feels sympathy towards Swann as his wife passed away.
Another theme that has been shown subtly is the concept of loss and fear. Swann losing his wife is one example, but the narrator fearing that he might lose his family if he doesn’t behave is another one. It kinda seems like both their lives are eerily similar already, and in part two we’ll find out more about the connections between Swann and the narrator. It may look like the prototypical family, but in hindsight, there might be dysfunction happening behind the scenes. The earlier imagery that the narrator envisioned in his dreams feels like a sign for bad things to come in part two of Proust.
My question of the week is what kind of weird dreams have yall had about the past have been brought up lately?
-Xyrus aka JohnRamos
4 Comments
I liked your post. A lot of books are “dated” by the traditional aspects of their content (family which you touched on). Do you think that these traditional elements of history add to or take away from classic literature like this?
I would say take away because this traditional family cliche has been constantly recycled in books all the time. There has to be other ways to describe the classic lit age without relying on the “perfect family” concept
Hi, I really enjoyed your post!
I also felt like the novel highlighted the traditional gender roles associated with being a mother vs. Being a father.
I liked what you wrote in the beginning about relating to the main characters description of sleep and dreams because I also really related to their sentiments. Especially when he was talking about waking up and not knowing where he was. I sometimes sleep very heavily and experience that feeling haha.
As to your question, I’ve recently been dreaming about being sent back to high school even though it’s been three years since I graduated. Although this doesn’t have the same themes as typical horror I’m sure you can imagine why I find it terrifying.
oh 100%, every time i dream I always get tripped out because I thought it was real haha.
Oh i can second high school being horror-like! my high school experience wasn’t the best… haha good thing theres no actual reverse button for high school cause i would never go back again