Comfort in the Unfamiliar – Writing, Identity, & Queer Studies

In the passage on page 180 the narrator says, “I decided to try out the cafe, out of masochism, out of habit, out of hope. I thought it might comfort me, although I noticed how little comfort was to be got from familiar things,” (Winterson).

This might be a stretch to what the author is trying to say but, I think this greatly helps provide a better point to a comment I made in class. I talked briefly about how I thought that relationships, especially marriage, should not be content. This is not to say that the marriage has to be nothing but trials of the heart or on one side the spectrum (happy or sad). I think a marriage or relationship should be made out of things that make you something more than just content. The narrator talks about their relationship with Jacqueline as one of content or plateaued feeling, and I think that’s why it was so hard for them to be as emotionally invested. Relationships, of any sort, are supposed to help a person grow, or come to a new understanding in their life. The narrator’s relationship with Jacqueline was not helping them grow in any sort of way. However they were comforted by the familiarity with being with her. And even in that familiarity, can we even say that is comfort? They knew she would be there, but they were never comforted by her presence. With Louise, however, there was comfort, and as we see throughout the novel, nothing about there relationship is familiar. This is a new experience from the way Louise was upfront with Elign about the affair to the fact that the narrator left her. This relationship is comforting without it being familiar. The narrator has show growth and knowledge from this comforting unfamiliar experience.

One thought on “Comfort in the Unfamiliar”

You make a great point about how relationships should help a person grow or come to new understandings. Another quote from Written on the Body that may help in this analysis can be found on page 76 when narrator states, “Contentment is the positive side of resignation.” Do you think the narrator may have left, or resigned from, their relationship with Louise in order to hold onto what you refer to as “familiar contentment”? Death, and especially death through cancer, seems to be in opposition with contentment. I’d be interested in hearing what you think!

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peacock--tail says:

February 23, 2015 at 1:18 pm

You make a great point about how relationships should help a person grow or come to new understandings. Another quote from Written on the Body that may help in this analysis can be found on page 76 when narrator states, “Contentment is the positive side of resignation.” Do you think the narrator may have left, or resigned from, their relationship with Louise in order to hold onto what you refer to as “familiar contentment”? Death, and especially death through cancer, seems to be in opposition with contentment. I’d be interested in hearing what you think!