The Role of Repetition and Habit in Prousts Combray in Relation to Another Novel - Essay Example

English 9 January The role of repetition and habit in Proust's 'Combray' in relation to another novel Introduction Modernismin literature was a literary revolution that was brought about in the beginning of the 20 century when the writers began to revolt against the idealistic notions that were an integral part of the Victorian literature. According to john Carey’s (2006) perspective of Victorian literature and the modernist movement ‘The intellectuals could not, of course, actually prevent the masses from attaining literacy. But they could prevent them reading literature by making it too difficult for them to understand and this is what they did. The early twentieth century saw a determined effort, on the part of the European intelligentsia, to exclude the masses from culture. In England this movement has become known as modernism.’ In this era the modernist writers initiated the trend of depicting the darker or the true picture of life i.e. the brutality and harshness of life. Some of the major thematic concerns of modernist literature include self identity, the relationship of an individual with his history or past and projection of an individual’s inner conflict i.e. the tug of war between the conscious and the sub-conscious mind. In order to be able to do justice to these themes modernist writers makes use of various aspects of human nature such as habit and repetition to highlight these themes in their works. 2. Combray by Proust The novel is in first person narrative. This first section of the novel ‘The Way by Swann's’ is a walk down the memory lane where the protagonist tells the readers about his childhood days in Combray and the people that surrounded him and the manner in which the absence or presence affected him and made him the man he has become. A lot of major themes and characters are introduced to the readers in this first part of the novel. This part of the novel basically focuses on the people surrounding the protagonist and the manner in which those people influence him and ultimately result in making him the man or individual that he becomes. 2.1. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce  This novel is also depicted in first person narrative and just like the former novel it is also a journey of self discovery where the protagonist states the story of his life and the circumstances of his life that made him an individual rather than a replica of his father. The novel is about a boy named Stephen who is surrounded by the people of the modern world who are struggling to bring about a change however they are still unable to do so as their bonds with their heritage and old norms are very strong. However through this novel Joyce reiterates his point of view that in order to bring about a change one has to start struggling on an individual level first. Moreover a human being has the capacity to make impossible possible. 3. Repetition and Habit Repetition and habit are two aspects of human psychology that project monotony of human life. similarly in modern literature the writers use these themes not only to reflect on the inner turmoil of human mind where it is trying to free itself from the shackles of the stereotypical norms but also help in explaining the role of stream of consciousness and its impact on human life in the modern novels. Writers like Proust and James Joyce are observed to be using repetition and habit in their individual unique manner of depiction. In both the novels In Search of Lost Time the Way by Swann's by Proust and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce it is observed that writers use repetition and habit as a tool to reflect upon the confused state of human mind where human existence is like a pendulum and he oscillates between the old norms of the society which are drilled in him since the day he was born and the new trends which he desire to follow to become a modern man. 4. Proust’s writing Technique In Combray Proust’s depiction of habit and repetition is evident in the manner he which weaves the web of words. For example in the very beginning he says, ‘…we arrived their every year…’ also ‘…we used to stay with…’ in both the quoted examples the words like ‘every’ and ‘used’ have a tone of finality to it and hence connote habit or repetition of the same action. 4.1. Theme of Habit and Human Deterioration In the novel Proust also makes use of theme of habit to depict human decay and deterioration as observed in the case of aunt Leonie. It is stated in the text, ‘since her husband’s (my uncle Octave’s) death, had gradually declined to leave, first Combray, then her house in Combray, then her bedroom, and finally her bed; and who now never ’came down,’ but lay perpetually in an indefinite condition of grief, physical exhaustion, illness, obsessions…’ this quote can be interpreted in terms that when a human being is accustomed to another individual’s existence around him and when that individual dies or leaves it is very difficult for the former individual to start his life a new and hence it eventually results in his deterioration as is also true in case of aunt Leonie. So in other words aunt Leonie was in the habit of having her husband around however when he died she was never able to recover from his loss and through this example Proust wants to make his readers realize that it is not easy to leave ones habits or try to change them as they are jut like a second existence to an individual. 4.2. Role of Human Psyche in Development of a Habit It is stated in the novel, ‘She never spoke save in low tones, because she believed that there was something broken in her head and floating loose there, which she might displace by talking too loud…’ this comment presents the readers with a totally new and diverse idea i.e. at times the reason that a person is unable to let go of his habits is that there are various psychological reasons associated with a particular habit as also observed in the case of the aunt who speaks in a low voice because of her belief that she has something broken in her head. It is also stated in the novel, ‘We try to discover in things, endeared to us on that account, the spiritual glamour which we ourselves have cast upon them; we are disillusioned, and learn that they are in themselves barren and devoid of the charm which they owed, in our minds, to the association of certain ideas; sometimes we mobilize all our spiritual forces in a glittering array so as to influence and subjugate other human beings who, as we very well know, are situated outside ourselves, where we can never reach them.’ This comment can also be interpreted as an explanation of the manner in which human mind and heart adopts a certain habit which he can not let go of because he is scared although it would not matter much if he did so but since human mind has its own will normally people do not desire to change their habits. Hence it is observed that human psychology plays an important role in the adaptation of all the human habits. Then again in the case of Francoise the maid it is observed that, ‘Francoise was still mourning for her parents who had been dead for years’. Although her mourning is symbolic of her grief for her parents’ loss however it can also be interpreted as an acquired habit because normally when a person dies his loved ones mourn for some time and eventually accept the deceased’s absence. However in Francoise’s case her mourning that she has been doing for years is just because she has become accustomed to it and because in her mind she cannot let go. 4.3. Familiarity and Habit Habit can also be interpreted in terms of an individual’s comfort zone and anything that has a tendency to disrupt his comfort is not acceptable to the individual. As observed from the comment about Francoise where it is stated, ‘she went off disturbed that anyone should be caring about her.’ Hence it shows that if anything out of the ordinary happens is not easily accepted even if it is just a gesture of kindness. Proust also uses religion to depict habit in terms of familiarity of an individual with religion as also stated in the text, ‘The Church! A dear familiar friend’. Hence one of the reasons that people believe in religion can be because it provides them with the security of knowing that it adds up some semblance of stability in their life so they are in the habit of going to the church regularly as well as praying to their maker. 4.4. Old Norms and Habit This novel was written in a time when literature was undergoing a transformation from Victorian stereotypical and idealistic view of life to the new and modern perspective. In this era of transformation the ideas presented by the writers appear to be oscillating between the old values and the new point of view and at the same time reflects the generation gap. Proust uses this generation gap of the mind set of the old and the new generation to further enlighten his readers about the role of habit in an individual’s life. It is mentioned in the text, ‘My grandmother alone found fault with him for speaking a little too well, a little too much like a book, for not using a vocabulary as natural as his loosely knotted Lavalliere neckties, his short, straight, almost school boyish coat. She was astonished, too, at the furious invective which he was always launching at the aristocracy, at fashionable life, and ’snobbishness’–"undoubtedly.’ The statement that ‘my grandmother alone found fault with him’ reiterates that for older people it is very difficult to adapt new trends as they feel out of place if drastic changes occur in their life since they are in the habit of living by the old standards of life. Hence the grandmother is the symbolic representation of the stereotypical norms of the Victorian era while the protagonist is the new man who is excited to adapt new trends. Proust uses theme of habit to explain the reason for the uncomfortable conduct of the old when confronted with modernism as also observed from the statement, ‘Worldly ambition was a thing which my grandmother was so little capable of feeling, or indeed of understanding, that it seemed to her futile to apply so much heat to its condemnation.’ 4.5. Importance of Habit In the novel Proust makes it clear to the readers that if certain habits or ways are not followed it is possible that an individual might have to pay the price otherwise. As stated in the text, ‘And if we went to see him on certain days only, that was because on the other days ladies might come whom his family could not very well have met. At times one has to do pay the price if try to break the pattern.’ This stands true because when the protagonist goes to see his uncle unexpectedly it not only causes embarrassment for his uncle but also results in the permanent separation between his father’s family and his uncle. 4.6. Habit and Change Proust presents his readers with a very diverse explanation of mechanism of the process of changing a habit. He states in the novel, ‘It is the same in life; the heart changes, and that is our worst misfortune; but we learn of it only from reading or by imagination; for in reality its alteration, like that of certain natural phenomena, is so gradual that, even if we are able to distinguish, successively, each of its different states, we are still spared the actual sensation of change.’ This comment shows that it is not easy to change a habit as it is a gradual process and it takes time for an individual to deal with new changes however it is not impossible to bring about a change. This explanation is also applicable on the mental state of the modern man who is stuck between two very different perspectives of life. However ultimately he is able to bring about a good change. Moreover this again explains the psychology of older people as for them even this gradual change is very difficult to accept because they are programmed in a manner that does not allows them to venture out of their comfort zone and a major factor in this is their age. Yet on the other hand it is also stated in the novel, ‘And I have no doubt that then–just as a desire to have her potatoes served with bechamel sauce, for a change, would be formed, ultimately, from the pleasure she found in the daily reappearance of those mashed potatoes of which she was never ’tired’–she would extract from the accumulation of those monotonous days (on which she so much depended) a keen expectation of some domestic cataclysm, instantaneous in its happening, but violent enough to compel her to put into effect, once for all, one of those changes which she knew would be beneficial to her health, but to which she could never make up her mind without some such stimulus.’ Hence it is observed that Proust very tactfully presents the readers with the two extremes where a change is possible and yet impossible depending solely on the will of an individual. 5. Use of Repetition by Proust and Joyce Proust depicts in the text, ‘each new character is merely a metamorphosis from something older’. This comment explains the cycle of repetition in life i.e. every new change is actually repetition of the same thing with slight variation on the original theme may it be evolution and advancement of new man or development of a new norms. Every new change is brought about on the expense of older believes and values. However it depends on the people to interpret it as a new change or indirect repetition of same concepts. Moreover the whole depiction of Combray episode in the novel in the form of a walk down the memory lane can also be interpreted in terms of repetition because the author is relaying information to the readers that the protagonist has already lived through. As J. Hillis Miller also says about Virginia Wooolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, ‘storytelling for Woolf is the repetition of the past in memory, both in the memory of characters and the memory of the narrator. Mrs. Dalloway is a brilliant exploration of the functioning of memory as a form of repetition.’ Hence it is also observed that Joyce also uses a similar technique of repetition in his novel in order to reiterate the journey of Stephen’s self discovery and progress to become a better man. It is also stated in the novel Combray, ‘ 5.1. Repetition and Dreams Generally it is believed that dreams result when the sub-conscious of the human mind takes over. In doing so it brings in the fore front the thoughts of an individual in other words dreams put the thoughts of a person in to action. Dreams are also perceived as human ambition or desires that one aims to achieve. Both the interpretations can be linked with repetition because in both the cases the individual gets a chance to be able to live and experience things that he had always desired or yearned for even if it is for a short time as in the case of dreaming when one sleeps. A similar idea is also presented by Proust in his novel where it is mentioned, ‘And since there was always lurking in my mind the dream of a woman who would enrich me with her love, that dream in those two summers used to be quickened with the freshness and coolness of running water…’ hence the protagonist’s dream can be interpreted as a repetition of same wish of fulfilling this desire one day. 6. Stream of Consciousness Stream of consciousness is defined as the process of imagination in which one thought leads to another totally different thought moreover it is not necessary that one thought should be in coherence with the next. Hence it is a distorted process of thought formation symbolic of an individual. Stream of consciousness is one of the major thematic concerns of the writers of modern literature because it is reflective of the disillusionment, chaos and confusion that had surrounded the people of modernist’s era since they were in the process of transformation and it was difficult for them to deal with this change. 6.1. Stream of Consciousness and habit Stream of consciousness can also be interpreted in terms of escape from the present and this escape was common for almost every individual of the modern era so it can be said that this escape was a habit of the people of the time or the characters of the novel as they had no control over this habit. Moreover since in both the novels ‘A portrait of an artist as a young man’ and ‘Combray’ the characters are observed to be losing their attention from the actual action of the novel quiet frequently so it can be interpreted as a form of habit. 6.2. Proust’s Depiction of Stream of Consciousness There are various instances in the novel where the protagonist’s attention drifts away and he begins to explain in detail other things. As observed from the example, ‘she would ask instead for her ’tisane,’ and it would be my duty to shake out… plate the amount of lime-blossom required…The drying of the stems had twisted them into a fantastic trellis, in whose intervals the pale flowers opened, as though a painter had arranged them there, grouping them in the most decorative poses. The leaves, which had lost or altered their own appearance… as though the transparent wings of flies or the blank sides of labels or the petals of roses had been collected and pounded, or interwoven as birds weave the material for their nests…’ also, ‘our church at Combray… black, and full of holes as a cullender, was worn out of shape and deeply furrowed at the sides…, to carve ruts in it like those made by cart-wheels upon stone gate-posts against which they are driven every day. Its memorial stones, beneath which the noble dust of the Abbots of Combray, who were buried there, furnished the choir with a sort of spiritual pavement, were themselves no longer hard and lifeless matter, for time had softened and sweetened them, and had made them melt like honey and flow beyond their proper margins…’ both the excerpts show the protagonist’s tendency to be strayed from the original thing. 6.3. Joyce’s Depiction of Stream of Consciousness Joyce states in the text, ‘the fellows all were silent…He thought of the dark silent sacristy… It was not the chapel but still you had to speak under your breath. It was a holy place… the evening of the Procession to the little altar in the wood. A strange and holy place. The boy that held the censer had swung it lifted by the middle chain to keep the coals lighting. That was called charcoal: and it had burned quietly as the fellow had swung it gently and had given off a weak sour smell.’ Although both the writers use the theme of stream of consciousness in their novels however the manner in which they make use of words to depict this is totally different. Joyce’s character Stephen has an abrupt manner in which one thing leads to another at a fast pace. While on the other hand Proust’s depiction seems like a thorough explanation of various things although those description appear to be irrelevant to the readers. Hence this frequent wandering of attention is like a habit and the writers use theme of habit as a toll to project stream of consciousness in their respective novels. 7. Conclusion Habit and repetition play an important role in the depiction of a novel because they help in illustrating and projecting the monotony of life. It also helps in unveiling the psychology of various age groups of human beings since each age group has a different perspective and behavior towards a new change. These themes also explore the relation of memory, habit and repetition as Marius Burning states, ‘the laws of memory are subject to more general laws of habit… breathing is habit. Life is habit. Or rather life is a succession of habits, since the individual is succession of individuals.’ References Burning, M., 1998. Beckett versus Beckett. Amsterdam: Editions Rodopi B.V.  Carey, J., 2002. The intellectuals and the masses. California: Academy Chicago. Joyce, J., 2004. A portrait of an artist as a young man. New York: Barnes & Nobel Books. Miller, J. Hillis, 1982. Fiction and repetition: seven English novels. New York: Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data. Proust, Marcel. Authorama. Authorama: public domain books. Web. 9 January 2011.   Read More