The Lover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Lover - Essay Example The backdrop of the story is set in Indochina during Marguerite’s childhood in the prewar period. The protagonist of this thrilling novel, Marguerite Duras, who also happens to be the author, unfolds in simple yet luminous prose, the tale of life, as lived on the borders of Saigon during the days of France’s colonial empire. The narrative focuses on the intricate and passionate relationship shared between two outcasts and their tumultuous love affair. Marguerite Duras’s scintillating novel is written straight from her heart and this is what makes reading it, all the more worthwhile. The author Brecht's Galileo (1940) uses a very emphatic quote that states – â€Å"Truth is the daughter of time, not authority† and in this essay we are going to examine different incidents in the life of Duras and see how they relate to the above quote. The aging author reminisces about the past and the impoverished life she had led with her mother and her belligerent b rothers when they resided in Saigon. The style used for her narrative is like that of a memoir as she unravels the harsh realities of her colonial existence of the 1930’s in French Indochina. During her childhood and even as a teenager, Duras had to face the harsh realities of life while co-existing with her â€Å"beggar family†. ... The trick works for her and she feels much happier when dressed in this fashion. â€Å"The Lovers† (1984) by Duras is a postmodern dreamy fantasy that helps her escape from the wretchedness of her life. This teenaged French girl tries to make good her escape from her demented mother whose life is steeped in utter despair, depression and jealousy. In a twist of fate, the young girl of fifteen happens to meet a Chinese millionaire, a financier who was 12 years her senior. This chance meeting took place as they happened to cross the Mekong River one day. The girl goes all out to surrender and lose herself in his wealth and passion in the hope that her family would be provided for. The millionaire, who though much older to her has traveled across the world and hence has an impeccable refinement about him. Describing him in her first glimpse she states – â€Å"Inside the limousine there’s a very elegant man looking at me. He’s not a white man. He’s wear ing European clothes – the light tussore suit of Saigon bankers. He’s looking at me†. (Duras, 17) Even though this teenager is surrounded and steeped in all that is cheap and humiliating, yet, her strength of character is poignantly etched by the author to be one of strength and great resilience. The protagonists strength of character is one of the most remarkable and memorable aspects of the novel. The courage she exhibits when dealing with matters relating to her demented mother is highly commendable. One of the clear incidents that portray her amazing capacity to help and love those who are weaker than herself can be seen when she interacts with her own mother. For example, when her daughter dresses in an interesting fashion, the bitterness