Giovanni's Room #1
There are some interesting passages about being American (as opposed to being French, Italian, etc.); what relation do they have to the main themes of the novel?
Interesting passages about being American:
- "'You are an American?' he asked at last. 'Yes,' I said. 'From New York.' 'Ah! I am told that New York is very beautiful. Is it more beautiful than Paris?' 'Oh, no,' I said, 'no city is more beautiful than Paris -' 'It seems the very suggestion that one could be is enough to make you very angry,' grinned Giovanni." (29)
- "'Paris is old, is many centuries. You feel, in Paris, all the time gone by. That isn't what you feel in New York -' He was smiling. I stopped. 'What do you feel in New York?' he asked. 'Perhaps you feel,' I told him, 'all the time to come. There's such power there, everything is in such movement.'" (29)
- "'I don't believe in this nonsense about time. Time is just common, it's like water for a fish.'" (31)
- "'In my country [...] the little fish seem to have gotten together and are nibbling at the body of the whale.' 'That will not make them whales [...]. The only result of all that nibbling will be that there will no longer be any grandeur anywhere, not even at the bottom of the sea.'" (31)
- "'Measure!' cried Giovanni, 'ah, these people and their measure! They measure the gram, the centimetre, these people, and they keep piling all the little scraps they save, one on top of the other, year in and year out, all in the stocking or under the bed - and what do they get out of all this measure? A country which is falling to pieces, measure by measure, before their eyes. Measure. I do not like to offend your ears by saying all the things I am sure these people measure before they permit themselves any act whatever.'" (32)
- "'Why is it better to be late than early? People are always saying, we must wait, we must wait. What are they waiting for?'" (33)
Main themes of the novel (thus far):
- Sexuality/Sexual Identity
- What Separates/Divides Us (whether that be sexuality, geography, etc.)
- Masculinity
- Guilt/Regret
- Decisions
Relation:
In Giovanni's Room, there are some interesting passages about being American, Italian, and French. These passages are particularly interesting because they are so closely tied with the greater theme/motif of identity and finding one's true self. In this novel, it appears that the American identity is not desirable, especially not for David. This can be learned through the portrayal of the different characters: his father, American, is an alcoholic and someone who David has trouble respecting; Jacques, American, is unattractive and has no appealing personality traits either; Giovanni, Italian, is an attractive young man with a great personality. David wishes to identify as anything other than American because he does not want to be associated with the likes of his drunk father or nasty associate Jacques -- this explains why David is so fond of the beauty of Paris in relation to New York. In the passages above, it seems as though Giovanni is attempting to help David find/construct his identity based on his feelings about beauty, time, measurements, etc.
Interesting passages about being American:
- "'You are an American?' he asked at last. 'Yes,' I said. 'From New York.' 'Ah! I am told that New York is very beautiful. Is it more beautiful than Paris?' 'Oh, no,' I said, 'no city is more beautiful than Paris -' 'It seems the very suggestion that one could be is enough to make you very angry,' grinned Giovanni." (29)
- "'Paris is old, is many centuries. You feel, in Paris, all the time gone by. That isn't what you feel in New York -' He was smiling. I stopped. 'What do you feel in New York?' he asked. 'Perhaps you feel,' I told him, 'all the time to come. There's such power there, everything is in such movement.'" (29)
- "'I don't believe in this nonsense about time. Time is just common, it's like water for a fish.'" (31)
- "'In my country [...] the little fish seem to have gotten together and are nibbling at the body of the whale.' 'That will not make them whales [...]. The only result of all that nibbling will be that there will no longer be any grandeur anywhere, not even at the bottom of the sea.'" (31)
- "'Measure!' cried Giovanni, 'ah, these people and their measure! They measure the gram, the centimetre, these people, and they keep piling all the little scraps they save, one on top of the other, year in and year out, all in the stocking or under the bed - and what do they get out of all this measure? A country which is falling to pieces, measure by measure, before their eyes. Measure. I do not like to offend your ears by saying all the things I am sure these people measure before they permit themselves any act whatever.'" (32)
- "'Why is it better to be late than early? People are always saying, we must wait, we must wait. What are they waiting for?'" (33)
Main themes of the novel (thus far):
- Sexuality/Sexual Identity
- What Separates/Divides Us (whether that be sexuality, geography, etc.)
- Masculinity
- Guilt/Regret
- Decisions
Relation:
In Giovanni's Room, there are some interesting passages about being American, Italian, and French. These passages are particularly interesting because they are so closely tied with the greater theme/motif of identity and finding one's true self. In this novel, it appears that the American identity is not desirable, especially not for David. This can be learned through the portrayal of the different characters: his father, American, is an alcoholic and someone who David has trouble respecting; Jacques, American, is unattractive and has no appealing personality traits either; Giovanni, Italian, is an attractive young man with a great personality. David wishes to identify as anything other than American because he does not want to be associated with the likes of his drunk father or nasty associate Jacques -- this explains why David is so fond of the beauty of Paris in relation to New York. In the passages above, it seems as though Giovanni is attempting to help David find/construct his identity based on his feelings about beauty, time, measurements, etc.
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