"This evening I think about myself. I've never met a woman more cowardly than I am. I go over in my mind other women who are waiting like me- no, one is as cowardly as that." (236)
From The War by Marguerite Duras
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| Marguerite Duras |
Marguerite Duras speaks of her experience during WWII and discusses her search for her husband. She does end up finding Robert L. but in terrible condition. As he was recovering from his near-death experience from starvation, Duras's anxieties do not subside after the trauma she had seen around her, as she did print out information about departees. The fear of losing her loved one begins to eat at her which does end up taking a toll on her health.
I believe Marguerite knew what was going to happen to the men and the inhumane treatment they got, leaving her to believe there is no way he could be alive still. Having that inside knowledge of knowing what was going to happen must have made it much worse, as she had to begin grieving her husband before she even knew if he was even dead or alive yet. From reading this memoir, she seemed to have been aware that what was happening was wrong, but due to the war and the lack of power she had been a woman, she must have been criticized for showing any emotion.
I think that you do a great job of demonstrating the fear, loss, and over all anxiety of the text. I love how you show Marguerite has Pstd and goes through a lot with the knowledge she has. I think it also shows how sometimes it is better not knowing rather than knowing something. You touched on how showing emotion was looked down upon I think that was great because she definitely was an woman in general were looked down upon in all regards.
ReplyDeleteI thought this analysis of her excerpt was very intelligent and you demonstrated key characteristics Marguerite displayed. She had to grieve the death of her husband (like you said) before she even knew if he was alive or dead - but also when he was with her because he was a dead man walking. I cannot fathom the toll this took on her and how dark her mental space must have been. Luckily Robert persevered and survived, but I cannot imagine which scenario is better or worse. She was such a fighter int his chapter and her actions were truly inspiring to those around her because throughout everything, she stood strong.
ReplyDeleteI think you are correct, Marguerite probably did know in general what happened to Robert L since war is always a tragedy, however I do think that seeing it is a totally different story. In some ways Marguerite could have been better off if Robert L died because seeing him in that way took a toll on her probably more than his death would have. Regardless, Marguerite struggled a lot during this war and it is absolutely representative of most women during this time.
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