La Vie Devant Soi- Romain Gary. Is this novel bogus and counterfeit? It deals
with very adult themes- prostitution and euthanasia- but through the eyes of a
child ...
La Vie Devant Soi- Romain Gary Is this novel bogus and counterfeit? It deals with very adult themesprostitution and euthanasia- but through the eyes of a child, Momo. This contrast between adult concepts and a child's perspective is unsettling. The book perhaps glamourises prostitution. Madame Rosa, the former whore, now elderly, who looks after the children of prostitutes, seems saintly. The transvestite neighbour, Madame Lola, also appears friendly and generous; Madame Lola gives food and money to the hard up Madame Rosa and Momo. The reality of prostitution is far grubbier-selfishness, thieving, lying, distrust and violence. It is the tendency of the male to romanticise the whore. The story is set in the multi-racial enclave of Belleville. It shows a ghetto world where Arabs, blacks and Jews are united by their poverty. The bitter actuality of bigotry and prejudice is skipped over in an almost saccharine way. The worst moral flaw of the novel is its approach to euthanasia. Madame Rosa is old and ill. She is scared of dying in hospital, like a pathetic vegetable. She prefers to die in her away...in The basement, hidden away with Momo... Surely the plot involves the dangerous 'sanctification' of euthanasia. It is wrong to end life accordingly to one's own will, not God's will. Euthanasia is killing, not kindness. To make euthanasia appear touching, even innocent, is fraudulent. Is this book a candy floss confection meant to dazzle-and trick-the reader?
