The War / Marguerite Duras

 Word Count: 203

Parker Greene

From The War / Marguerite Duras

" The fight with death started very soon. …but there was still life in him, scarcely more than a splinter, but a splinter just the same. Death unleashed its attack. …his heart vibrated like a violin string. …Death deals cruel knocks, but the heart is deaf. …" (pg. 241)

I really like this quote because it has such a strong emotional weight attached to the words. While also being able to carry so much imagery allowing the reader to paint their own picture. I can not imagine the pain that she endured during her time in prison waiting to find her husband. Marguerite Duras was looking for her husband at every waking moment, going to ask around for any information on new convicts. This must have been very tiring for Marguerite, worrying about her husband and then once finding him having to see him so close to death. Marguerite Duras shows so much emotion throughout this entire quote being very vivid with her choice of words to convey the scene. She talks about how he is holding on to being alive by the tiniest margin by comparing it to a splinter as for it's size.