For this weeks reading I read Bonjour Tristesse by Sagan, Françoise. The text was an easy and enjoyable read. The narrator Cecile was an intriguing narrator I was constantly hooked into what she would do or say. She was unpredictable. Her lifestyle of living in the moment caused her many problems because she put no thought into how her actions would effect her future. This is where Anne would have brought a positive influence into the 'live for now' dynamic Cecile had with her father. I found it crazy how on page 25 Cecile's father said why should Cecile get her diploma "I never got any diploma and I manage to live very well. . . . My daughter will always have a man to take care of her." This explains a lot about the relationship between Cecile and her dad because he doesn't expect anything of Cecile and this reinforces her carelessness about her life.
Cecile's relationship with her father also affected her relationship and view of men in general. This can be seen when Cecile says "I much preferred my father's friends, men of forty, who spoke to me courteously and tenderly treated me with the gentleness of a father - or lover" (21). However I did not think Cecile's relationship with her father was as bad as some of the other readings, like Agostino, but the way he raised her brought up all sorts of other problems. Also it contributed to how stubborn she was when it came to her father's engagement to Anne. Anne valued all the things that Cecile could not stand. Anne came in the way of the life that Cecile built with her father and she was too stubborn to accept help until it was too late. Anne was the only person who held Cecile accountable especially when it came to her education. If Cecile could have embraced Anne into their family it would have benefited her to have this respectable role mode in her life, but instead she was left with an incredible sadness and no improvement to her lifestyle.
I thought this book gave an interesting perspective on this young girl's life and how the choices she made could effect the lives of the people around her. This read held my interest from beginning to the end. I also enjoyed getting to see the dynamics of a blended family and the relationship between a daughter and her perspective step-mother.
My question for the class is How would Cecile be different if her father raised her with more important morals?
"but the way he raised her brought up all sorts of other problems"...
ReplyDeleteBut we should acknowledge that he did not in fact raise his daughter, did he? Although we get only limited information, we're told that Cecile in fact spent ten years attending a convent school. What do we make of this (if anything at all)?
Hello!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you bring up the idea of morals. I don't know if I would say that Cécile has grown up with "bad" morals, but I do think that she has learned to place very little value on anything that she can't enjoy. Considering that Cécile was in a boarding school and away from her father for so long (as mentioned in the comment above), I wonder whether she might be influenced more by internal issues than by external ones.
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ReplyDeleteHi Diya!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of Cecile's relationship with her father, I agree that her father created an environment where Cecile could continue to partake in her frivolous lifestyle. Cecile puts importance on what her father thinks, so I think if he was more disciplined with his own life and future these morals would transfer to how Cecile lives.