Literary Commentary on "Happening"

“You couldn’t tell whether abortion was banned because it was wrong or wrong because it was banned. People judged according to the law, they didn’t judge the law."

I am really intrigued by these writings in “Happening” written by Annie Ernaux who won the noble prize this year. This book is about the experience of a young girl who studied literature and had a keen interest in writing. When she got pregnant accidentally, she did not want to keep the baby for she was eager to continue her studies. But the law did not allow it. 

“The following persons shall be liable to both a fine and a term of imprisonment: 1) those responsible for performing abortive practices; 2) those physicians, mid-wives, pharmacists and other individuals guilty of suggesting or encouraging such practices; 3) those women who have aborted at their own hands or at the hands of others; 4) those guilty of instigating abortion and spreading propaganda advocating contraception. The guilty parties may also receive an injunction requesting that they leave the country. Moreover, those belonging to the second category will be deprived of the right to exercise their profession either temporarily or definitively."

Even today, the debate about abortion and laws to grant abortion rights remains impermissible and controversial. When it comes to the “right to her body”, women are being oppressed by repressive forms of different systems that are intertwined with each other. Having sex is a natural phenomenon and women should have the right to own their bodies. Nevertheless, repressive forms imposed by authoritarian regime and patriarchy do not allow women to own their bodies by banning abortion with criminal penalties. Besides, there is still a concurrent form of oppression which is capitalism. In the case of Anne, who was the main protagonist in this book, the pressure imposed by not only authoritarianism and patriarchy but also class struggle exacerbated her vulnerability and dragged her into a more difficult situation. Being born to a lower-class family and gaining an opportunity to attend higher education as the first one, the pressure and guilt she had to face couldn’t be imagined.

“My ass had caught up with me, and the thing growing inside me I saw as the stigma of social failure."

In addition to her unbearable sufferings, this nightmarish event also had a huge impact on her education.

“It was the unmistakable sign of my silent downfall. I can’t write. I can’t work. Is there any way out of this mess? I had stopped being “an intellectual”. I don’t know whether this feeling is widespread. It causes indescribable pain."

Happening is a book by Annie Ernaux, in which the suffocating episodes and nightmarish events when she got pregnant were retold. Living in a cruel world where a woman cannot have the right to own her own body, women’s liberation is an ongoing movement. In order to achieve complete liberation, all forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, authoritarianism, and capitalism have to be seen as intertwined and the complementary nature of these systems ought to be recognized. Any means to liberation should not divide the lines amongst the oppressed in order for the oppression to be eliminated.

~Cheria

Proofreader- Ko PNHA