Blog #13

The War / Marguerite Duras

By- Ava Daniels

"'Listen carefully. Robert is alive. Stay calm'" (237)

The War by Marguerite Duras is about her life during World War 2 and what she had to go through during the search of her husband who was sent to a concentration camp. I wanted to highlight the quote above because I feel as if it is one of the many climaxes throughout this excerpt. In the quote, Marguerite is informed that her husband, Robert, is alive after giving up the search for him. Although he was alive, his condition was far from OK. Later in the passage, she goes into detail to describe his condition. This also can be considered a climax in this excerpt because the detail Duras goes into is very descriptive and the imagery used is detailed enough so the readers can paint the picture of the condition that Robert was in after being sent home post-war. "Six or seven times a day we gave him gruel. Just a teaspoon nearly choked him...the skin was raw..." (241). Duras goes on to talk about how everything internal such as nerves, bones, and other internal body parts could be seen. I think that this excerpt really points out how bad the Nazis treated people in concentration camps. I also think that although it can be, and is, very disturbing for some to read, it is important to know the extent of the torture and what happened. 

Comments

Freddie Allen III said…
I agree this can be very disturbing for some to read. I think that it's really important though. The question that I had was what made it worth it to keep him alive if he was suffering so bad. It felt like he was at the condition where it probably would've been better off for him and their family if that would've just been the end for him.
February 20, 2023 at 7:21 AM
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