Nadja... my love?

 I quite liked reading this book but there was a slight debate in my mind at first as to whether Nadja was a real woman because of how the author portrays her more as a concept rather than literal person. From what I gathered from the book is that she meets the protagonist in the book, she is kind of like a spontaneous and free-spirit that doesn't exactly abide by regular social norms. This book was in my mind like a semi-love story that I could say resembles what a man looks for when he is young and then maturing and finding that he doesn't fit within what he once looked for in love. 

When he first met Nadja, he was intrigued with her living life outside of the social norms. But it seems he never fully fell in love with her. He followed her around  until she was of no use in his eyes or she actually needed help and then he left her. This kind of reminded me of some modern day "situationships" where a guy will hang out with a girl and string her along because it is exciting and new but as soon as he needs to care for her and help her in times of need, he easily discarded her once she served her purpose and she became expendable. Then when he meets Suzanne and gets into a relationship that is stable and long-lasting. This to me, represented how when a guy is ready and realizes that he needs stability and something more long-lasting and gets into a real relationship. Just as was mentioned in the Video "Bretons flirtation with madness", it was as though he was trying to find himself and was using relationships as a means to do that. Which I thought was interesting in how Breton chose to do that. 

The way he describes and views Nadja as a breath of spontaneity, intensity, and almost a different perception to another level of reality is what seems to draw himself so much to her. Because to Breton, she represents something different than the social norm or reality. Her eyes are what he describes as kind of a window to either his or her view of things, as he doesn't know because he is still trying to find himself. I think Nadja is a cool representation of surrealism and the freedom she represents. Not only is she different, but Breton can see similarities between her thinking and his own and aspires to learn things from her which could also be a reason he was so drawn to her. The ending with her going to the asylum, in my mind, was a representation of her being confined to social norms and Breton is just as happy that his desires are also being confined in a way and that he was not able to to pursue that way of living. But his memory of her, is his long-lasting desire of being and living that way. 

This book, that is not actually a novel, is up to interpretation which I find quite cool and there is not simply one way to depict Nadja in terms of what she represents which made me use my imagination and think more while I was reading. 

Overall, a very interesting read!