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The Paris Hours


One day in the City of Light. One night in search of lost time.
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Jean-Paul understood that "it was the ferocity of [his grandfather's] love for him that had prompted such severe retribution." Does that make sense to you?

Created: 05/19/20

Replies: 4

Posted May. 19, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Jean-Paul understood that "it was the ferocity of [his grandfather's] love for him that had prompted such severe retribution." Does that make sense to you?

Jean-Paul remembers one of his grandfather's beatings during his childhood, after he catches him throwing pebbles at swans. He reflects on the severity of the punishment: "It was only after Elodie was born that Jean-Paul understood that it was the ferocity of the old man's love for him that had prompted such severe retribution. Love like that raises the stakes." Does that make sense to you? Are there other instances in this novel where love and cruelty are connected in surprising ways?


Posted May. 26, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
gerrieb

Join Date: 09/03/19

Posts: 208

RE: Jean-Paul understood that

Yes. It makes perfect sense to me. It is sort of the "to whom much is given much is expected" adage. If you love someone so much, you see the good in them, the potential for good, and the promise of good, you usually have invested in them, with your time, energy and love. So that deep love creates a deep expectation. Regarding the instances of cruelty and love in the novel, the most obvious instance is Brataille and his " love" for Thérèse. Was it cruel for Souren's mother to send him away from her to save his life? She sent him off into the unknown in legitimate fear of the known. Camille and her husband kept a child not their own to "love," while committing an unspeakable cruelty to her and her remaining family. Proust was very fond of Camille and yet, it was somewhat cruel of him AND her to limit her family life so much with her devotion to him. There is Guillaume and his "love" for Suzanne. He doesn't respect her wishes and he stalks her for years due to his professed "love" which is more obsession. While we aren't told she knows of his stalking - it still would be distressing, to say the least, to have an unrequited love following you for years. Unfortunately, love and cruelty do often go hand in hand and it is often only one person in the relationship who experiences the cruelty that the other hands out under the guise of "love".


Posted Jun. 03, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Muse48

Join Date: 12/27/18

Posts: 20

Love and Cruelty

There was a day when striking a child was acceptable, even expected. Those days are gone. However, I have literally felt the kind of "love" and "fear" exhibited by the grandfather. Some children grow up to understand that kind of love. Too often, they do not. They think of it as abuse and hurt.


Posted Jun. 08, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
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patriciag

Join Date: 07/11/14

Posts: 69

Sometimes love hurts

I think gerrieb does an excellent job of summarizing how each character is affected by "tough love." Anyone who is a parent knows that sometimes decisions are hard (may even seem cruel) when the main intent is to protect,save, or teach the child. Life lessons can be painful, difficult--but can also be the turning point in a child's life--sometimes only recognized years later.


Posted Jun. 09, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
swchis39

Join Date: 09/26/12

Posts: 172

RE: Jean-Paul understoods that "it was the ferocity of [his grandfather's] love for him that had prompted such severe retribution." Does that make sense to you?spare the rod and spoil the child

While this was thought of as a way to bring up children in the past it is no longer acceptable. At the time it was thought to be a way to properly teach children right from wrong, done in love by some.


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