Fools Say: Analysis of Major Characters
"Fools Say: Analysis of Major Characters" explores a unique narrative structure that moves away from traditional character development and plotting. Instead of clearly defined characters, the text presents a series of mixed voices, often identified only by pronouns, which creates a fluid, collective experience. Notable figures include a frail grandmother, referred to as Grandmama, who internally struggles with the perception of her as "sweet," while her favorite grandson defends her against this label. The grandson himself faces teasing about his appearance, reflecting the pressures of familial expectations. Additionally, an elderly man named Mr. Varenger embodies the frustration of aging in a society that often overlooks the wisdom of the elderly. The narrative also features a young newlywed girl who grapples with the realization of her husband's miserly nature, highlighting themes of personal choice and social dynamics. This approach invites readers to engage with the characters more as archetypes representing broader human experiences rather than as individual personas.
Fools Say: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Nathalie Sarraute
First published: “Disent les imbéciles,” 1976 (English translation, 1977)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Unspecified
Plot: New novel
Time: Unspecified
A mixed group of voices, most of them unidentified. This New Novel, as such, does not contain characters in a traditional sense, just as there is no plot in a traditional sense. The text is one long narrative, delineated by shifts in speakers, most not identified well enough to individualize. Most of the speakers are identified only by pronouns. Many are referred to in the third person (he, she, it, they); few have the distinction of a “we” or “I.”
The grandmother, also called Grandmama, an elderly woman with silver and gold hair. Her thin hands are covered with tan age spots, and her eyes look like blue enamel. She is physically frail, though a spark of life still exists within her. When her grandchildren call her “sweet,” she inwardly rebels against such a confining description; her reaction shows only in her eyes, however, and it is up to one of her grandchildren, her favorite grandson, to stop the others from saying the detested word.
The grandson, a young boy. He becomes upset when the other grandchildren continually say, as they caress their grandmother,“Sheissweet…couldn'tyoujustbiteher.”He is teased by her relatives, who say that he is developing an “undershot” jaw and that soon he will be as ugly as his Uncle François.
Mr. Varenger, an old man who walks stooped over. He resents what he sees as the patronizing attitude of the young toward the old.
The young newlywed girl, who suddenly realizes that her husband is a miser. Distraught over whether to leave him or merely ignore this flaw, the girl is goaded by two formless voices into making a decision.