To be honest, I think this is one of the books so far that I actually did not particularly enjoy reading. I just could not get over the fact that the age gap between the two characters was 12 years. There was a lingering discomfort and I really could not get myself to immerse myself into the plot as much as other books have.
Something I found ironic is how the text describes “she’s become just something you write without difficulty, cursive writing” (29). While cursive may be easier once learned, I genuinely think it is more difficult than standard letters.
Another potentially significant theme I noticed was photographs and beauty. This is supported by “I don’t know who took the photo with the despair” (31). We can also refer to page 95 for more references to photos. Additionally, on page 33, I thought that “she asks him what he is” was such a peculiar, strange, and even inappropriate way to ask someone’s ethnicity?
“She says, I’d rather you didn’t love me. But if you do, I’d like you to do as you usually do with women” (37). This part of the book made me wonder if she does not want to be treated differently just because she is younger. Perhaps, his hesitancy is also because of their age gap?
Furthermore, they have different races, social class, and age. “Chinese is a language that’s shouted the way I always imagine desert languages are, it’s a language that’s incredibly foreign” (41). This emphasizes how different the two really are. In a way, I guess their relationship is considered unacceptable in the society they live in.
The difference is also emphasized by “he says he went to study at a business school in Paris, he tells the truth at last, says he didn’t do any work and his father stopped his allowance, sent him his return ticket, and he had to leave” (49-50). It seems like his family has the means to send their kid abroad. This reminded me of sending the eldest son to study accounting and inherit the family business-type trope.
I would like to leave off with two quotes that stood out to me:
- “Never a hello, a good evening, a happy New Year. Never a thank you. Never any talk. Never any need to talk. Everything always silent, distant” (54).
- “I think I’m beginning to see my life. I think I can already say, I have a vague desire to die” (103).
Question: What importance does the man’s wealth have in their relationship? Is this why the girl is staying interested? After all, “she listened, watching for anything to do with his wealth, for indications as to how many millions he had” (34).
2 replies on “Duras – I’m Sorry What?!”
“This emphasizes how different the two really are.” Their sentimental relationship would perhaps be highly improbable if it occurred in another context. What engages me is the country’s overwhelming colonial history and how it structures everything that happens in the plot, even—or I would say, especially—because the narrator doesn’t dwell on all the “real” historical events, and allows us to reconstruct that weight through the events that unfold in the fiction.
To the question, I would say money definitely has a role in the relationship. But it is more about just being greedy about the money, I think it is more about her survival instinct. Also, money probably is not the only reason she chose to be with him, but it exists.