Week9：The Lover --regretful adolescent love？

This week I read the book "The Lover". When I heard the name of the book, I was thinking if it was a happy ending, but actually not... But this is also very realistic, because life is often full of regrets, and regrets about love account for part of it. It is really lucky to meet a lover who can stay with you for a lifetime.

This novel tells the love story between a 15-year-old impoverished French girl and a 27-year-old wealthy Chinese man. The book was written by the author Marguerite Duras based on her own experiences, and it unfolds entirely from the perspective of the female protagonist. Therefore, I believe Marguerite Duras inserted herself into the female lead, thus achieving this classic novel. The love between the girl and the man at the beginning is not pure, because initially, the girl is attracted to the man's wealth. Due to her mother and brother's circumstances, she needs money, and at the same time, she also needs someone to give her love, which this wealthy man can provide. Additionally, during adolescence, the girl may not truly understand what love is. I think she perhaps only realizes she loves this Chinese man when they are forced to part ways, or maybe it's because many years later, the man calls her in Paris and tells her he has loved her all these years. Because of the severe racial discrimination at the time, the union between white and yellow races was not accepted, which ultimately led to their separation. The man ended up marrying a Chinese woman arranged by his family. I found out from researching the background of this book that the author was already 71 years old when she wrote it, and it was truly because of this man's phone call that Marguerite Duras wrote this novel.

But I actually can't agree with that phone call. This man came to France with his wife and then called Marguerite Duras to express his love. Yet, his wife had been living with him for so long, while he harbored a deep love for another woman. I truly feel sorry for this wife. Moreover, in my view, this man is cowardly. They separated because he didn't dare to defy his father and couldn't bear to give up his current wealth. So, he loved the girl, but he loved money more. Therefore, in my opinion, this love story is mixed with many things. That's why I say this relationship isn't pure, because perhaps to others, their separation is regrettable, it's forced, but in reality, neither of them firmly chose each other. They both gave up on this relationship because of other factors.

But Marguerite Duras wrote this novel at the age of 71, indicating that this relationship had always been unforgettable in her heart. When we were young, people and things around us changed rapidly, but as we grew older, we gradually understood some of the things we experienced back then. We also discovered that certain events from the past had been hidden in our hearts all along. The man's phone call was precisely what awakened the deep memories in Marguerite Duras' heart.

Question: Is there anything unforgettable about your adolescence? What do you think of the relationship between the two people in the novel?