"Nostalgia- that most lyrical of feelings- crystallizes around these images like amber. Arrested within it, the house, the past, is clear, vivid, made more beautiful by the medium in which it is held and by its stillness" (394).
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| Eva Hoffman |
From The Norton Book of Woman's Lives by Phyllis Ross
Lost in Translation, by Eva Hoffman, dives into the challenges she dealt with when she was faced with differences in language and culture. After leaving Poland, Eva was only around English people from this point on, which in turn meant she had to grow accustomed to the English language and slang. Eva, having such a strong passion for the Polish culture and language, feels as though her "native tongue" (387) is gone and feels as if she doesn't "really exist" (389). With such a culture shift, Eva needed to adapt on the outside as well. She seems to be more on the high-maintenance side when it comes to her looks, which brings her to give herself a makeover and make sure she keeps a smile on her face so she would blend in more. As Eva spends more and more time in Vancouver, she begins to transform herself into an independent and confident woman and learns to articulate her words in a new and mature way.
I like your interpretation of Eva and her story. I did feel too that she cared a lot ab how she looked and was perceived by other people. But it was also inspiring how passionate she was about languages and adapting to a new one. Its interesting how she felt like she didn't really exist because she felt like her native tongue was gone.
ReplyDeleteYou summarized Eva Hoffman's struggle very well and articled how it affected her at a very deep level. You compared Eva's new and unique environment with her and her ability to adapt and and acclimate to the new language and culture. Despite her circumstances she was remarkable at persevering.
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