Introduction
This novel, entitled “Leaving Home” provides the reader with a feeling of loneliness and devastation by portraying in detail the process of dream discouragement accompanied by desire deprivation. The protagonist of the novel – Emma Roberts is on the very edge of deciding to leave home, and she is feeling disturbingly emotional. The young girl expects her life to be perfectly symmetrical, constantly following a certain pattern. With this feeling, she heads off to Paris in order to study 17th– century garden design. She has no intent for radical changes, however inside she has a hope that her life pattern will somehow bring relief from her despondent mother, embodied by an old widow living in London. She has dreams that she will be led away to do something more pleasant and concurrently realizes that nothing like this would happen. Living in Paris, the protagonist forgets her doubtful friendship with another woman Françoise, who had a destiny resembling her own in terms of her mother, however being the total opposite in terms of secularity and sexuality. Françoise’s fate is also mapped out by her mother, as she is being insisted to marry a rich man so that her family would be able to keep their residence. Instead of following her mother’s regulations, Françoise has a desire to run away with her lover to America. At the same time, Emma fails to get rid of her discouraging thoughts and ends up returning to London with ruined dreams to live in a humble London flat, just like her mother.
Main body
The character of Françoise appears to be vivifying and widens the reader’s areas of thought. Especially useful are her falsehood and skillful tricks. These can be analyzed and be astonished by, even if the reader does not approve of such a way of life. It is hard not to notice that the characters of Anita Brookner are far from being ostentatious however their lives are still incredibly exquisite. They do their shopping in fancy places, own property in Chelsea or in France. Emma is so wealthy that she can afford to live in London while having a hotel room in Paris, as well as purchase a flat, being able to pay the whole amount. It is obvious that at this level of finances the characters are able to segregate from everyday worries and gain complete seclusion. As a result, the protagonist of this novel is able to arrange her life into a placid, but dull and joyless existence where she would meet as few people as possible, and even those she met with, would be avoided by her as much as it is possible. Having become the victim of their own integrity and honesty Emma allows Françoise to encroach on her hotel room in Paris. By doing so Emma puts herself in the situation of discomfort, as now she is too embarrassed to object, afraid of a dispute with flamboyant Françoise.
Anita Brookner’s characters live in a prudent and frazzled world that is built on a horrible combination of social norms and fragility. The major themes of this novel include women’s place in society, impulsions against principles, as well as the influence of a mother upon her daughter. Although these themes are ponderable, the portrayed characters seem to me shallow-hearted and generally unreal. Their behavior is too abrupt and dialogues are too official, and this makes it hard to consciously picture such characters. Nevertheless, the above statement maybe the idea of the whole novel – the fact that a certain category of people has lost connections with each other and society. These people are scared and lonely, and the author attempts to demonstrate this negative side of human nature.
In conclusion, it could be said that the moral teaching of this novel may be that there is no other home, once the first one has been left. Emma’s study of the French garden design is in a way symbolic of being unable to fully possess something foreign that is not one’s own. It seems as though through this example the author is stating her dark vision that it is impracticable trying to adapt to a foreign country, especially for a woman.
Conclusion
This novel seems to be autobiographical to the writer, as it has a lot of insight into the women’s mind, as well as is written in a much bitterer manner concerning women than other novels dealing with this theme. Furthermore, Anita Brookner’s writing style is very authentic, as it seems to me that she herself adheres to a certain class of women with a specific mental disposition. The setting and atmosphere are presented by means of the author’s elegant prose with a significant touch of professional quality. However, the plot develops very sluggishly, very few events happen, and are sometimes reversed later on in the story, therefore by some readers the novel might be considered anti-romance. Nevertheless, the plot is based mostly on the character’s emotions that delicately create a uniquely aesthetic atmosphere.
Works Cited
Brookner, Anita. Leaving Home. Vintage, 2007