Moderato Cantabile, P. 1

The piano lesson is a frequent routine that Anne, her son, and the instructor go through. However, it’s not a very enjoyable one because it is forced. The boy clearly isn’t interested in playing piano because he says so and doesn’t pay attention to his teacher, but instead stares out of the window at boats passing by. His teacher gets angry because he never remembers what “moderato cantabile” means, even though it is simple, and she has told him before. The teacher is very angry that the boy doesn’t care at all about the lessons, and she mentions to Anne repeatedly how he isn’t well behaved. Even after he actually plays the sonatina, he doesn’t do so for long. In this forced situation, each person fits a sort of predefined role. The boy acts like the spoiled son of wealthy parents. He does what he wants when he wants. He also acts like the stereotypical little boy that is easily distracted and even a little rebellious. The teacher fits the role of the strict woman that believes children must be absolutely obedient. She seems temperamental, and harsh toward the boy, especially since the text hints that she had to restrain herself from slapping him. Anne is the doting and concerned mother whose life revolves around her child. Her days are probably structured and boring, she makes her son learn piano because it’s what all wealthy parents have their children do. I thought that overall, Duras’ style of writing reflected the forced nature of this piano lesson. This is because the scene is not narrated in a straightforward way; in fact, it seems distracted with plenty of digressions. The chapter alternates between small bits of dialogue and descriptions of scenery, so the focus never really remains on the lesson or what the teacher is saying. One example of this is on page 64 when the teacher asks the boy what “moderato cantabile” means for the final time, and then Duras describes the motorboat going by. Right after that, Duras writes in another thing the teacher says, and then describes the teacher’s thoughts. As a reader, I felt distracted and couldn’t focus on the piano lesson either.  

I think that one of the important functions of the scream is to jar Anne and her son out of their usual routine. They live in a world that is sheltered and is out of touch with, or desensitized to reality and profound human emotions. This might be because their daily lives are more concerned with being proper and structured, not allowing for powerful emotions. Music can be an expression of emotion, and so can a scream. So, in that way, the two are linked. Only the emotion of the scream is much more powerful and raw than the emotion of the music the boy plays. A scream can represent deep emotions like fear and suffering, and Duras describes this scream as piercing, intrusive, and frightening. They are all alarmed by the scream, but Anne and her son are more disturbed by it. This is apparent in the text when after the teacher notes that Anne and her son are nervous, she “look[s] at both of them with a disapproving air” (65). The teacher is hardened to emotions in general. She does acknowledge the scream, but is still willing to ignore it to continue the lesson. Anne tries very hard to ignore and deny it, while the child keeps drawing attention to it by asking about it.