(This article discusses the contention that the form in which an autobiography is written affects the way in which the self is understood).
1. Images Duras uses in The Lover and How They Relate to the Identity She Creates for Herself:
The writer of the work “L’Amant” or “The Lover”, Marguerite Duras was born in Vietnam during the World War II era. L’Amant, by the author’s own admission is a novel written as an autobiographical work, in which Duras herself serves as the character around which the story revolves. Duras’ work, “L’Amant” or ‘The Lover’ published in 1984 is the second book of a trilogy, the first being ‘Barrage contre le Pacifique’ (1950) and the last ‘L'Amant de la Chine du Nord’(1991). All three were published in French, the language of colonist Vietnam . At that time the issue of gender roles and rights had not been given due status, and Marguerite and the other woman in her social strata were at the crossroads when it came to the state of the Orientalist discussions on pro-colonial or anti-colonial, pro-feminist or anti-feminist stance.
In the book, Marguerite’s character is the one around which the story revolves. The story is told through her eyes, as a member of the colonized class. Marguerite’s life was dominated by an older brother and a mother’s behaviour bordering on madness. However the main theme of the story (as indicated by the title of the work) is the relationship she experiences around the age of 15 years, with a Chinese man older and wealthier than she is.
Duras believes in the use of metaphor and imagery
to retain the reader’s interest in her work.
Her characters and descriptions of the times and
place in which the story takes place, make the
story and its events seem very real. Images Duras
has used in the book are as follows:
Her older brother is a spoiled brat, using others for his own interests. Thus he is symbolic of the colonial regime. His ‘addiction’ could in fact refer to the addiction for power of the regime. He is supported by his mother, who has a soft spot for him, though she domineers over the other siblings. This could refer to the local supporters of the regime, who accepted and became a part of it because it gave them power and they could escape the wrath of the regime against its dissidents. As they say, if you can’t beat them, join them. People who did not join their ranks were oppressed and treated with disdain, much as the mothers treatment of the other siblings in the family. The brother is given to tantrums and outbursts and his behaviour is unpredictable. Much like the powerful in the regime. He even uses his sister, accepting her prostitution as a means to serve his own ends.
Her mother is a domineering person who makes life difficult for her and her brother. Duras’ character in the novel is thus forced to live a pitiful existence, but she does so with
strength and gets over her feelings of helplessness
and being used. She turns the tables on her lover,
being the stronger character in the relationship.
Her use of the Hat in her meetings with her Chinese
lover are a means of saying that she is the stronger
masculine role. Duras also uses the Mekong river
to indicate the flow of life. The crossing of
the river is alluded to a rite of passage, becoming
a woman responsible for her family’s upkeep
and continuity. Her helplessness and static position
is indicated by there being one long hot humid
summer, and no other weather change. In the end
though, Marguerite’s character perseveres
and dominates, she is the centre of the novel,
though she loses her respect and regard in the
society, she is beyond the need for acceptance.
She has come into her own. (605 words)
2. Duras insists that we pay attention to the ways in which this story is being told and that these techniques are themselves every bit as important as the story they convey:
Marguerite Duras’ method of writing the postmodern feminist novel involves the use of metaphor, imagery and fragmented storytelling of the important events of her life in those times. Her way of writing is to repeat the events and circumstances in many ways and at many times throughout the book. Through this manner, she gives the readers a clear idea of the life and times of the French colonial rule, the atmosphere of oppression and duplicity, the drunkenness that power can bring, the way it can be utilized and abused to suit the power brokers own interests. This is both in the outside environment of the changing political scenario, as well as within the bounds of her own family. Though she paints a picture of the oppressed, she triumphs through the novel through her strength of character and resilience. The images conveyed in the book are realistic and not to be forgotten. Duras wants to get into the mind of her reader, giving them a psychological profile of the characters as the story unfolds, so that they understand their backgrounds and behaviours in the light of the story being told. This to the author is every bit as important as the story being told. (203 words)
3. ‘Duras refuses to allow us to read her text as simply the story of her development: there is no attempt whatsoever to tell the story of her life in its entirety, rather a decisive fragment of this life is selected and narrated in a way that highlights the spirits as well as the continuities, in the developing self’.
The character that Duras is playing in the novel
“L’Amant” or “The Lover”
is a fragmented autobiography; the novel is not
an autobiography in the traditional sense. We
are not made to go through the writer’s
or character’s entire life up to a certain
point. We are only brought into the novel and
given details of the character’s life and
circumstances as the author deems fit. Thus it
is an autobiography for the self to please the
self and make her the central character. Duras
only highlights the points, visions and circumstances
she wants to make the reader aware of, as it aids
in the development of her story and puts her character
in the limelight. She wants to show the readers
how she has overcome the difficulties, trials
and tribulations she has been put through- yet
how she has learned from them and how the events
have made her stronger. (151 words)
4. Duras consistently is interested in the question of what it means to be a woman, and has a powerful if often troubling vision of what this might entail. How can this be related to the way that the self is understood?
Duras’ depiction of a woman in the colonial society of Post World War II French Indochina is as a character fraught with uncertainty and apprehension. The traditional female, even in high class families of that time, had to be subservient to the wishes of their husbands or parents. To be a feminist or anti-colonial was to be a radical. Like a fly caught in a spider’s web, she is caught within the boundaries of the traditionalist role- serving her family silently and bearing all the shame and hatred inside. She is the saviour of her family, helping them live through difficult times. Her state of helplessness and despair is reflected in the novel, and seeing the future as one long process of being the sacrificial lamb, she abhors what the future appears to hold. We cannot help but sympathize with her. (141 words)
5. Duras is very repetitive: is this a traumatic approach or therapeutic? And how is this related to the way that the self is understood? What is the style of the narrative? Can Duras tell the story of herself or does she refuse to tell it?
No doubt, Marguerite Duras’ style of writing “L’Amant” or “The Lover” is strongly repetitive. The author has made a purposeful use of this technique, to instill feelings in the minds of her readers, and make them feel part of the trauma she felt while living in these difficult times. The effect is largely traumatic, as again and again the author’s description of the characters and the events that take place evoke feelings of anger and hatred for the oppressors, and a feeling of sympathy and concern for the oppressed. It must be noted that Duras gives us only a fragmented picture of herself throughout the book- she is out to paint herself as the central character around which the story evolves. She tells us only what she wants to, narrating those events in her life which have contributed to make her a stronger person, triumphing through the resentment she feels and the anger of being used to suit others’ purposes. Duras does not tell her story in totality- she refuses to tell it.(173 words)
Duras’ references throughout the book to the crossing of the Mekong river. Is this seen as her rites of passage?
Yes, in the book, Duras’ references to the Mekong river definitely refer to her crossing over from time to time. These are her rites of passage. She goes to her Chinese lover’s place in Cholon, a place likened to a wild forest and its inhabitants described as dogs. In terms of the rites of passage, she has definitely grown up now, as she crosses the river to go out into the cruel world to please her lover’s desires, and make ends meet for her family. She has become a woman responsible for her family’s upkeep and continuity. So every time she crosses the Mekong river, she takes upon this role. (110 words)
Total: 1383 Words |