After reading Annie Ernaux's "Simple Passion" I came to a conclusion about the essence of life and living. We have seen countless examples of desire consuming a person's life; everything from their eating habits to the way that they think. It's clear that being the in state of "desire" is being in the state of a completely different mind-set, one that we have little to no control over.
This is evident in "Simple Passion" Ernaux explains that "A" took over her life. I believe that one quote sums all of this up, "After that passage, the rest of the book returned to being what everything else had been to me for the past year - a means of filling in time between two meetings."
"A means of filling in time between two meetings." This line stuck with me, I re-read it over a few times to fully grasp the intensity of it. This woman has been completely engulfed in her desire for "A" that nothing else even has meaning to her anymore. Her family, friends, work, hobbies, interests, nothing mattered or satisfied her life. Besides having a poor essence of life, this mind-set can also lead to serious problems in the future. If someone is this displeased in their world and obsessed with only one factor (one that most likely they cannot have, hence them being obsessed with having it in the first place) then it can lead to depression or suicide.
Before "A" we are led to believe that Ernaux had lived a normal life. She was happy when she was supposed to be and sad when she was supposed to be. Her past was as real as life should be. There was no obsession and she had control over herself. After "A" came into the picture she lost this control. All she did was think about him and desire him, to an unhealthy level that consumed her entirety.
So what does this mean for the future? How does something like this play out? What if a person only believes in one thing and then they are told they cannot have it? What else would there be to live for? It's interesting how our mind has the ability to betray us in this way.
No comments:
Post a Comment