ntent towards her. When it came to terms of endearment, Djebar preferred silence as a seducer rather than expressions of love. She felt that when a word was spoken of such a nature, it was immediately cheapened and lost to her. To express such words created a nakedness in her that left her feeling unveiled.It is ironic that Djebar loved French for its ability to give her a voice, yet when it came to its most intimate applications, she reverted back to silence. Ironic cultural parallels such as this can be found echoing throughout the novel. Djebar never wanted to be married at an early age, yet her father married her to French when she was young. Djebar loved French, but would only create true relationships with people who spoke to her in her native tongue of Berber. Only if they came from the same background as her could she ever truly consider them for relationships. Yet these people more then likely would perpetuate the same stereotypical behavior that she wanted to avoid. She talked about how French conflicts were in the past, yet she still felt them in her soul. From all of these ironies one could conclude that Djebars personal struggles with French internally, were the exact same struggle as the ones her Algerian brothers and sisters faced externally. And so the battles that raged inside of Djebar were just as important as the ones that raged throughout Algerian history. To understand this is to understand what I felt I learned the most from this autobiographical novel; that Djebar was far closer to her freedom fighting sisters of the past then what the story portrays. Even though she perceived freedom from a completely different platform, she never the less struggled just as deeply, and lost just as much. This novel is a testament to the woman of Algeria and the world because it shows how important the struggle of one truly is....
