I'm really excited to see The Time Traveler's Wife. I haven't read the book, but just the unique idea of the movie alone (it was written by the author as a "metaphor for her own failed relationships") is enough to interest me. A lot of the other themes it's supposed to cover are parallel to my own ideas about love. Among them are the ideas of "the faithful woman," and "the idea of feeling that you've known someone your whole life" --as the main character's love interest time travels and appears to her several times in her childhood.You can see why I would be drawn to it, as predestination is something I've always believed in being a Muslim. In the tenth grade, I wrote a journal entry on soulmates and how everybody has one- an entry upon which my teacher Ms. Evans scribbled: "You know Jasmin, some people never find their soulmates." I decided to ignore Ms. Evans' comment, because I decided that it wasn't true. Maybe not everyone gets to be with their soulmates, but surely everyone finds one!
All of this thinking about soulmates also reminded me of Devdas, because of the similarities it shares with The Time Traveler's Wife. And I'm not talking about Bollywood Shahrukh-Aishwarya Devdas, but the original Bengali Devdas my mother read as a child. Devdas isn't just another story of lovers that aren't meant to be. It's also a strong commentary on Bengali social customs of the 1900's, with some "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" thrown in. Sadly, 100 years later, social customs are enough to keep people apart in the present day.
Quick summary for those unfamiliar with it (I've seen three movie versions of this):
Paro and Devdas are childhood friends, grow up to love each other, but Devdas' mother won't let him marry her because her family is poor. Devdas chooses not to defend her and instead runs away from the situation. Paro's mother sets her up with an even richer man, and upon hearing this, Devdas returns to try and convince Paro to come back to him. Paro refuses to take him back in spite, but makes him promise to return to her before his death.
Paro is not happy with her husband as he is a depressed widower that is uninterested in her. Devdas becomes a miserable drunkard and his health deteriorates. He meets another woman (a courtesan, in fact), but he never gets over Paro. When he feels that his death is approaching, he goes to Paro's home to keep his promise, but dies at her doorstep. Paro's in-laws do not allow her to see him (another example of societal customs).
Yeah, really depressing stuff- both of these movies. Even the trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife makes me want to cry. Also, saw Public Enemies today, which is another movie that depicts a woman who spends her life waiting for a man. I guess all of these movies/stories made me realize just how common the situation is.
As for the title of this post- the story of Penelope in Ancient Greek literature has been brought up in comparison to The Time Traveler's Wife. Read why here.
*Fun Fact: The first stuffed animal I ever owned was a pink bear in a pink skirt with a heart-shaped nose. My parents didn't buy her. I saw her at a relative's house and cried to have her until they gave her to me. I named her Penelope after The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. I promised her I'd never lose her, but I did.
love your posts. true faithfullness is a beautiful thing, as is the whole soulmate concept. i agree with you, screw Ms. Evans, I believe there are people that find eachother after all the twists and turns that life brings them. And as dark and lonely as it can get, its all a process of right timing as well and with patience and presistence, things only click when life syncs up. but of course what do i know? i havn't had that yet. its all just theory. I enjoyed Benjamin Buttons for it's whole true love/soulmate through the test of time concept (not my favorite movie but aspects were really quite nice).
ReplyDeletei'm also looking forward to seeing this movie, but perhaps the extra hidden incentive of rachel mclovely adams.
as for penelope i remember a poem about her that we read in a poetry class i took at bentley "world as a meditation" by wallace stevens, about her eternal wait and eternal dedication to her love and how through that everything in life reminded her of him.
and devdas, i wouldn't wish that fate on my worstest of enemies.
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ReplyDeleteJazzyyy,
ReplyDeleteI read this book back in 2004 and at the time,I was 16 and a lot more naive. However, as I think back on this book(since it's getting so much buzz now due to the movie), completely like you, I realize how much it relates to my own ideas of love. Ever since my first year in highschool, I always write down one quote that leaves me in awe in a book and as I look back on it, the quote I wrote down for this book was, "He is coming, and I am here." I don't exactly remember why it left such an impression on me yet, if I analyze this quote now, it's overwhelming.
This whole idea of the amount of patience, sacrifice and pain often times women need to endure with no light at the end of the tunnel is a familar yet, unfamiliar concept. I would highly recommend not watching the movie before reading the book; the book is overflowing with deep metaphors that I'm so afraid will get lost in the movie.