I WANT A TRENCHCOAT! DROP YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW :)

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend! This week, we read “The Trenchcoat” by Norman Manea. Personally, I found this to be a very interesting story. The author did a fantastic job delving into profound themes in a unique and unconventional way. I also enjoyed watching this week’s lecture. It was really cool to hear directly from an author, and I am very grateful that we had this opportunity. So, thanks for making that happen!

One aspect I especially liked about this week’s short story was that, unlike some of our past readings which employed more abstract or metaphorical titles, “The Trenchcoat” is straightforward. The book quite literally has a strong focus on a trenchcoat. I found Manea’s ability to take such a normal and mundane object like a trenchcoat and turn it into a symbol filled with such depth and nuance fascinating.

In a quick summary, this story takes place in communist-occupied Romania and revolves around a few characters. We read about Bazil’s dinner party, which gives us lots of insights into the characters and the themes surrounding this book. We see this almost fakeness and an absurd display of wealth or luxury. However, taking a deeper look at the night, it is evident that it is not all glitz and glam. Rather, for the guests, it is not really an enjoyable experience. Then, post dinner party, we see this mysterious unclaimed trenchcoat appear which, despite just being a jacket, hits a deeper nerve or issue.

At first, I was confused as to what the big deal was. It’s just a coat, does it really matter who it belonged to? But after doing a bit of external research on this book to better understand what I had read, I realized that during this time, civilians lived in a highly controlled environment which would cause lots of anxiety and fear. Being in a place where you are in a constant state of worry about who’s watching and who you can trust must be draining and of course cause paranoia. Therefore, I believe this trenchcoat symbolizes that uneasy feeling of who is watching you. Since you are worried about how the trenchcoat appeared and who it may belong to. Was it one of the guests? Was someone else in the home observing, taking note? I think if I lived in that type of society, I too would freak out over a supposedly normal object like a trenchcoat!

To be fair, even though I live in a relatively privileged society, I think I am still a little paranoid about random things appearing or disappearing. I swear, when I can’t find a shirt or skirt that I knew was in my closet—like, I remember putting it there—my first thought is that someone stole it from my room. Realistic? Probably not. Is that still what I think? 100%

Discussion Question: Do you think the use of everyday objects, like the trenchcoat to convey deeper meanings adds to the richness of the story? Why or why not?

6 responses to “I WANT A TRENCHCOAT! DROP YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW :)”

Jon

March 13, 2024 at 4:23 pm

“I believe this trenchcoat symbolizes that uneasy feeling of who is watching you.”

Indeed. It could be nothing, but in this environment suspicion is everywhere, so everything could in fact be something…

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Shanelle Danimae Cuevas

March 13, 2024 at 9:49 pm

Hey Jivan! Loved the title lol, totally grabbed my attention. I’m a Uniqlo girly, though I think down jackets are totally a look if trenchcoats don’t fit the vibe. To answer your question, I do think the use of everyday objects adds a richness to the story. Especially for a story imbued with adult characters, it seems almost childish for them to be quarrelling over the possession of a mere trench coat. Like bro, it’s a trench coat, it ain’t that deep. But, it is, in fact, that deep. It’s deep because of the political context behind these pages. To me, the trench coat is symbolic of remaining concealed, anonymous, unknown. And, the element of being “concealed” goes both ways between the citizen and the dictator. As a citizen, you want to remain unknown to the constant surveillance of the communist regime. As a government figure, you want to remain unknown so as to continue this surveillance. It’s like an endless cycle of surveillance, paranoia, and masks, one you wouldn’t expect to be so impactful but a mere trench coat.

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Glen

March 14, 2024 at 6:53 pm

Hi Jivan, I agree that the trenchcoat definitely represents the surveillance and atmosphere of fear that we see throughout the novel. I think that absolutely smaller things can have deeper meaning – it is all about how you perceive them.

Glen

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Marcus

March 14, 2024 at 9:34 pm

Hi Jivan, I think the usage of symbolism can add richness to a novel because it forces you to interact with the story more by making you think about what you have seen previously and how it could relate to an object. But at the same time, it also causes you to be more attentive as the story progresses to relate what is happening in the novel to the object.

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Kendra Lewis

March 14, 2024 at 10:55 pm

I had a similar experience while reading! I think the presence of the trenchcoat, given that it’s technically an everyday object, added to the sinister aura woven into the book, like something could be lurking behind every corner.

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Domenica Loor

March 14, 2024 at 11:33 pm

Hey Jivan, I definetly think the use of everyday objects have the power to convey deepeer meaning that adds to the richness of the story. I’d say because they are objects, as we add meaning and connections to them, they become a character in the story that probably calls out or creates deep thought and questioning.

-domenica loor

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