The Prime of Life

 Word Count: 244 words

When Beauvoir was younger, she was free spirited with Sartre, who she created a special bond with. She was able to do as she pleased as a strong woman before the Nazis convinced her that she needed to focus on the social issues at the time. She realized the hardships she would face during the 1940s. I can tell that Beauvoir holds herself to a high standard and in high regard. She greatly respects Sartre and their special relationship, seemingly a less patriarchal relationship, more equal. She didn't let men dictate her life as she and him both did as they pleased, but could come together whenever. Critics also think she referred to him as his last name to offer him respect. She put amazing detail into her writing, even through the extremely hard moments. She says, "I often spent hours... sorting out maggoty dry beans from the sound ones." This shows how scarce the food was but how she overcame the struggles in the 1930/40s and turned to what she really loved, literature. Art changed her and impacted her, this is a thing I also often turn to to deal with struggles and clear my head, writing. The French were ecstatic over the music, helping people turn to a brighter side of life and feel happy/inspired to keep pushing on. Personally, this story was hard for me to understand because I don't know much about the time between the World Wars.