I enjoyed reading the first part of Proust's book. The intricate detail in every scenery and memory was breathtaking and truly brought me to experience those feelings. He described many feelings I have felt before and ones I never knew how to put into words. One that stuck with me was the feeling and the difference between sleeping in summer to sleeping in your bed in winter. The particular things we long for and how each feeling is connected to physical material. This could be as simple as the corner of the pillow or the window open. My favourite part of the text was the first couple of opening lines, where Proust describes falling asleep and being so tired that his candle was still lit. He described the feeling of your eyes closing so quickly that you don't have time to even think about it and say to yourself that you are falling asleep. I struggle with horrible insomnia, and specific material things help me sleep and comfort me. When Proust described all these feelings about sleep, it connected with me, and I felt a sense of relief to know that the feelings I think can be expressed into words because I have always struggled to explain them to others. Some parts confused me because Proust would go into outstanding detail about feelings from his childhood that did not make sense to me. Overall the story he told of his childhood home was fascinating because he brought into play the dynamics of his family and how each person affected how he felt. I was very intrigued by the story about him longing to kiss his mother. The anxiety and the rush of being afraid and taking a risk himself by interrupting her from something important made me feel like I was there in the room, feeling the same way he did. He described the longing for someone we love perfectly, and I can relate to it, which will make me hold this story at heart forever. Proust ties the first chapter in so nicely by describing how his tea and any taste or smell can trigger a memory. I have often had a particular food or smell that I haven't come across since I was a child that has triggered a memory. This memory almost feels unreal because it takes a little of your mind to dig deep and remember. His reflection on figuring out what memory the tea was brought up was authentic. Things don't just come in life, we have to find a meaning behind it; not everything is black and white. My favourite line from this chapter is comparing taste and smell to souls because they last forever. I highly recommend reading this piece of outstanding literature, and I am super excited to read the next part and dive deeper into Proust's mind and a cup of tea.
My question is: Why is Proust so attached to his mother and why is this image of a child needed there mothers comfort so bashed on?
Hey Alyssa, I have also had a few times when I struggled to fall asleep and I enjoyed reading how Proust described it, as I feel some parts of it relate to how I feel. I think perhaps why Proust seems to be extremely attached to his mother is due to his insecurities, which causes him to latch on to her more. As his father does not seem to be affectionate towards him, whereas his mother may give him a kiss before bed. Thus, he will be more drawn towards the parent who does express some affection to him. I also find it confusing why the idea of a mother comforting her own child is frowned upon. Perhaps some people find that it may contribute to children being more dependent on their mothers, instead of being independent individuals.
ReplyDelete-Tiffany Zheng
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteYou pose quite an interesting question. As a child who was terribly shy around outsiders, I also used to be very attached to my mother. In particular, I remember many family gatherings where I was not familiar with anyone and would basically stay in my mother's shadow. However, I was never scolded for this like the narrator was by his father, and I eventually grew out of that phase on my own. Perhaps it's a subjective element like nature versus nurture parenting. Another possibility is that since the narrator is a male, he has to live up to the masculine standard - being a "mommy's boy" could have threatened his masculinity. I think it is quite likely that such standards were heavily prevalent during this time period and that Proust was representing so in his writing.
- Aliyah Khan
Hey Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI think the way you describe how you relate to the text is really amazing. In my opinion the relationship between the reader and the story is one of the most important and it's really interesting to see how other people have related to the text in different ways from me. To try and answer your question, it felt like Proust was so attached to his mother because she was his one truly safe space/person. Seemingly he trusted her with anything and everything and this caused his relationship with her to become something he depended on. I think this image of a "mamas boy" is bashed on mainly due to the patriachy. To be attached to a woman too much, or to depend on a woman such as your mother can be perceived as weak in a society where women are still not perceived as equals to men, especially during the time of this novel. Furthermore, in individual centred and often capitalist societies such as the one Proust grew up, your aim in life is to become self-sufficient. It is possible that being a mamas boy was also frowned on because it was seen as a weakness of not being able to be this ideal of self-sufficiency.
- Aquila Underwood
I like how you point out the almost randomness of the childhood flashbacks, and how they do seem to be confusing at first. The way they are written can be hard to decipher, but more than that the reader is left wondering how these stories will tie together, how they will turn into plot. I think it can be enjoyable to not know why a certain scene is happening, or why the flashback to that certain moment in time, because you are left to wonder and contemplate, and wont find out until later how things ultimately tie together.
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