Student Blogs

Cecile is a young girl who spends most of her time accompanied by her father, who is a widow. Her father finds happiness through short-lived relationships with women that never seem to last too long or be too serious. Beginning their vacation by the ocean, they are accompanied by Elsa, a young woman who is Cecile's father's Raymond's current interest. Cecile has mixed feelings about Elsa, but I sense that she knew it wouldn't last. However, not long after they are joined by Anne, an old friend of Cecile’s mom. The four of them live in the beachside house, where Elsa and Raymond share a bedroom. But that doesn't last. To keep it brief, it does not take long for Raymond’s attention to shift towards Anne instead. Anne is a beautiful, elegant woman and radiates happiness, and is also closer in age to Raymond. 

Although Cecile really enjoyed Anne’s presence initially, her admiration for her slowly shifts to hatred as she takes more of a ‘motherly’ role towards Cecile. Cecile is not used to an authoritative figure telling her what to do. Anne expresses the importance for Cecile to study for her Philosophy exam, but she doesn't care much for it. This brings out a side of her that is not so admirable. Her mission is to separate her father from Anne thinking this will be what's best, she even claims “Already, I was sorry for Anne, as if I was certain that I would conquer her” (54). This situation reminds me of one similar to that of many of my friends' experiences with their stepmoms in high school. I can sympathize that Cecile is not welcoming to her as it disturbs her current simple life with her Dad, yet, I also understand that this is an overall positive relationship for Raymond and even Cecile. 

Cecile’s sole purpose is to split her relationships father, and will really go to any measure to achieve that. I was shocked when I read that she would use Cyril and Elsa in hopes to make her father jealous. Although she was never super interested in Cyril, it was still an interesting choice, yet also clever. It was strange to me that she continued to progress with her plan even though for the most part Anne’s presence didn't seem to bother her too much. Not only was Raymond happy, but Cecile seemed to sometimes enjoy her as well. All that for Cecile’s plan to eventually work out… and in turn creates an outcome she will even regret. 

Question: Are Cecile’s negative feelings towards Anne valid? Should her father have been more sensitive towards Anne becoming such a large part of their life?

Cecile is a young girl who spends most of her time accompanied by her father, who is a widow. Her father finds happiness through short-lived relationships with women that never seem to last too long or be too serious. Beginning their vacation by the ocean, they are accompanied by Elsa, a young woman who is Cecile's father's Raymond's current interest. Cecile has mixed feelings about Elsa, but I sense that she knew it wouldn't last. However, not long after they are joined by Anne, an old friend of Cecile’s mom. The four of them live in the beachside house, where Elsa and Raymond share a bedroom. But that doesn't last. To keep it brief, it does not take long for Raymond’s attention to shift towards Anne instead. Anne is a beautiful, elegant woman and radiates happiness, and is also closer in age to Raymond. 

Although Cecile really enjoyed Anne’s presence initially, her admiration for her slowly shifts to hatred as she takes more of a ‘motherly’ role towards Cecile. Cecile is not used to an authoritative figure telling her what to do. Anne expresses the importance for Cecile to study for her Philosophy exam, but she doesn't care much for it. This brings out a side of her that is not so admirable. Her mission is to separate her father from Anne thinking this will be what's best, she even claims “Already, I was sorry for Anne, as if I was certain that I would conquer her” (54). This situation reminds me of one similar to that of many of my friends' experiences with their stepmoms in high school. I can sympathize that Cecile is not welcoming to her as it disturbs her current simple life with her Dad, yet, I also understand that this is an overall positive relationship for Raymond and even Cecile. 

Cecile’s sole purpose is to split her relationships father, and will really go to any measure to achieve that. I was shocked when I read that she would use Cyril and Elsa in hopes to make her father jealous. Although she was never super interested in Cyril, it was still an interesting choice, yet also clever. It was strange to me that she continued to progress with her plan even though for the most part Anne’s presence didn't seem to bother her too much. Not only was Raymond happy, but Cecile seemed to sometimes enjoy her as well. All that for Cecile’s plan to eventually work out… and in turn creates an outcome she will even regret. 

Question: Are Cecile’s negative feelings towards Anne valid? Should her father have been more sensitive towards Anne becoming such a large part of their life?

At the beginning of the novel, it mentioned how the protagonist’s mother has passed away for fifteen years and her dad seems to have many relationships after that, as “he was young for his age, full of vitality and possibilities” (p3). It even took her “longer to realize that it was a different one every six month” (p3) when her dad told her he was living with someone. 

When Cecile saw Cyril, a university student, she mentioned how she “does not care for younger people, but much preferred [her] father’s friends, men of forty, who to me with courtesy and tenderness and treated her with the gentleness of a father or a lover”(p5). The fact that she is into older guys around her dad’s age made me wonder if it is because she longed for fatherly love or if it is because her dad is the ‘only one’ she has. Which caused her to want to date guys around her dad’s age because of their ‘father figure’. This also explains what Cecile meant when she said she knew Elsa “would not get into our way” (p4). She seems to be able to accept Elsa because Elsa would not get into her relationships with her dad.

My questions for the class are:  As Anne felt she had some responsibility for Cecile, she told Cecile thatshe should not see Cyril again. Do you think Anne has the right to interfere with Cecile’s relationship or

life? Another of my questions is: Do you think the reason ‘being afraid of losing normal life’ justify

Cecile’s plan and what she had done to others?