The Lover Young Duras

The Lover
The Lover is an autobiographical novel taking place in Indochina during the 1930’s when Indochina was a French colony. Duras saw her life during this time as an existential rebel figure living in an absurd world. In order to find her purpose in life, she takes risks by breaking boundaries. She is forced to take risks because she is trapped in a world limiting her opportunities to experiences of life and culture.
The young Duras was in an absurd world, living with a dysfunctional family and separated from society. The absurd world began after the death of her father. Her mother decided to remain in Indochina to provide a better life for her children. In order to survive in the colonies, she invests in a rice plantation. However,
local French officials sold her a plantation incapable of growing crops due to salt water. Taking the matter into court, the mother is humiliated mainly because she is female. In result, the family became dysfunctional and lives in near poverty. The older brother is pathological, aggressive, and violent addicted to opium. The younger brother is weak and timid. The mother becomes a burnt out case, teaching the low native class.
Due to the family situation, the young Duras lives in a boardinghouse with the natives during school nights. She is separated from her classmates for living with the natives. The classmates look down upon her and does not accept her. European society is completely cut off from her. With racial divisions in the colonies, Asian society is cut off from her as well.
With limited experience of society and her dysfunction family, she opens herself to risks to find purpose. As a young women, she is mature and sophisticated than most women of her age. She dresses different than other women. Her uniform and men’s hat makes her whole and complete. It is her symbol of rebellion. With the goal of becoming a writer, she seeks experience. It is the mandate of the writer to seek experience. The young Duras becomes a rebel out of necessity in order to find her own purpose.
The love relationship between the young Duras and the Chinese lover initiated for various reasons.
The Chinese lover took interest in the young Duras as she was a young pretty French women. Racial divisions cut off his access to European society resulting in the desire to develop a bond with European society. Unconsciously, the Chinese lover sought to replace the absent mother figure in his life. In addition, the upcoming arranged marriage to a Chinese women whom he never met and the lack of intimacy of previous affairs led him to the need for intimacy before his marriage. To satisfy his desires, he pursues a relationship with the young Dura. In a similar way, the young Dura saw the Chinese lover as a mature, wealthy and good looking Chinese man. Being cut off from Asian society due to racial divisions, the young Duras desired to bond with Asian society. Living in near poverty, she desired to experience wealth. Unconsciously, the young Dura sought to replace the absent adult male figure in her life. In order to experience the culture, the young Dura initiates a relationship with the Chinese
lover. A genuine love relationship was developed between the young Duras and the Chinese Lover. The young Duras and the Chinese Lover first met aboard a native boat crossing the Mekong River to Saigon. The young Duras is standing on the railing wearing her man’s hat. The Chinese Lover is in his black automobile aboard the boat notices the young Duras. He gets out of his car and approaches her. Nervously, he offers a cigarette to the young Duras in which she declines. Noticing her beauty and unusual style, he compliments her saying “I like your hat, its original, a man’s hat on young girl, and you’re pretty”. The young Duras takes interest in him after finding out he is Chinese and wealthy. The Chinese Lover offers to drive her to Saigon in which she accepts. During the drive to Saigon, after a brief conversation where the young Dura claims she is 17, the Chinese Lover slowly approaches to hold the young Duras hand in which she accepts. It is clear there is mutual attraction between the two. Arriving at the boardinghouse, the Chinese Lover has placed his hands on the young Duras’s thighs. They shared a brief physical intimacy with each other. The young Dura leaves the car and enters the boardinghouse. The next day, as she heads to school, she sees the Chinese Lover parked across the street. She walks over and gives a romantic kiss on the rear window of the car before entering the school to emphasize their mutual attraction. The next day, the Chinese Lover brings her to the bachelor’s flat where people bring their mistresses to. The Chinese Lover openly states that he is afraid of loving her because he knows their relationship will not last due to his arraigned marriage. The young Duras takes the initiative and breaks the double standard by initiating the relationship with the Chinese Lover. They remove the clothes off each other and make love, breaking the taboo which prohibits a relationship between Asians and Europeans.
After their first sexual experience, the Chinese Lover brings the young Duras to an expensive restaurant for dinner.
While behaving like a teenager, the young Duras talks about how angered her family would be if they found out she was with a “Chinaman”. She continues and asks him if she can find a husband after she lost her virginity to him. After being called “Chinaman”, a derogatory term, he feels humiliated and retaliates in a harsh manner. He states that “It’s no longer possible after that, that dishonor, because I’m Chinese”, that it is impossible to be married now and that his ethnicity is superior than Europeans. The young Dura returns to the boardinghouse for the night seeming unsure of their
relationship.
The following day after school, the young Dura is driven to the bachelor’s flat where the Chinese Lover is waiting for her.Upon arriving at the flat, the Chinese Lover initiates their second sexual encounter with an aggressive approach. They begin making love right on the doorstep floor. It appears the racial conflict that appeared during the dinner only strengthen their bond together. The next day, they make love for the third time in bed. It is their most intense and passionate sexual encounter they had with each other.
The Chinese Lover invites the young Duras’s family out to dinner at a high class restaurant. The Chinese Lover greets the mother and two brothers but they simply ignore him. As they settle down around a table, the older brother purposely orders expensive alcohol beverages. The Chinese Lover talks about his personal background but he is simply ignored. The family complete ignores his existence while scarfing food down their throats. The young Duras cannot acknowledge his existence, “that I’m with him for the money, that I can’t love him. This because he’s Chinese, because he’s not white”. It is considered a racial taboo for a European women to have a sexual relationship with Chinese man.