Characters

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

Father

At the heart of Ernaux’s introspective journey lies her father, the catalyst for memories she can never forget. A single storm of rage saw him threaten her mother's life, a moment so piercing it seared itself into her recollections. This violent episode stood in stark defiance of the church’s doctrines, clashing with societal and familial mores. As far as Ernaux knows, the secret of this dark family affair remained buried within their walls, never to be uttered. The assault left Ernaux isolated, a silent witness to the fracture in her family.

Despite this, Ernaux remembers her father as a laborious man, tender in his interactions with her. A cherished photograph captures them on a pilgrimage to Lourdes—one of the few tangible remnants of her childhood. Her father, unlettered and provincial, often became a source of embarrassment to Ernaux beyond their familiar neighborhood, struggling to navigate the sophisticated cityscape. However, in their hometown, he thrived, a respected figure thanks to his modest success. There, he lavished his daughter with the privilege of a private education, revered in their small community.

Mother

Ernaux shares fewer anecdotes of her mother, painting her as both victim and provocateur. While acknowledging her mother's fiery temperament, which sparked frequent parental disputes and perhaps the ominous threat from her father, Ernaux also depicts her as the family’s disciplinarian. Her mother insisted on diligence in chores and academics, guiding Ernaux's path with a firm hand. Despite this sternness, it was her mother who whisked Ernaux away to the city each year to procure luxuries unavailable in their town. These urban escapades were tinged with excitement and underscored by her mother's unease, acutely aware of her anonymity amidst strangers, unlike the familiar web of their home community.

Religiously inclined, Ernaux’s mother practiced her faith with pragmatic purpose. Her church visits were less about spiritual enlightenment and more about securing social ascent and personal refinement.

Narrator

In this narrative, Ernaux stands as the voice recounting the pivotal day in 1952 when her father’s fury manifested in a chilling threat against her mother. With candor, she endeavors to unravel the incident four decades later, revisiting her childhood to comprehend the roots of her father's anger, her mother's provocations, and her own part in the unfolding drama. Ernaux meticulously reconstructs the circumstances leading to that explosive moment and the emotional aftermath that shadowed her life.

Through this exploration, Ernaux offers a lens into the social fabric of her provincial French town, still reeling from the scars of World War II. It was a period of rebuilding, and Ernaux’s generation aspired to craft a fresh future, longing to escape the entanglements of entrenched social hierarchies and the grip of patriarchal and religious dictates.

Old photographs, microfiche clippings, and childhood mementos serve as Ernaux’s tools to unlock memories of that turbulent year. Yet, she often confronts disappointment as these relics yield no straightforward links to her recollections. She ponders, with a child's bewilderment, the absence of any mention in newspapers of her father’s threat—an event so seismic in her memory, yet invisibly woven into her town’s façade. Ernaux observes that conformity was the unspoken aspiration, yet the incident shattered this illusion, marking her with an indelible shame that lingered into adulthood, a burden she has found no solace or explanation to lift.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Previous

Themes

Next

Critical Essays

Loading...