Véronika décide de mourir or Veronika decides to die or Veronika odlučila umreti or Վերոնիկան որոշեց մեռնել or call it whatever the main point is the same.
I read this novel right the time I needed as well as I read “the Alchemist” and “Maktub”. Amazingly Paulo Coelho is right here in my life always at the time his presence is needed.
I am sure many people have the same feeling about Paulo. I allow myself call the genius simply Paulo because I define him my friend. He did a lot for me without even knowing my existence.
Please pay attention to the first sentence “For S.T. de L, who began to help me without my realizing it.” The same did Paulo. It has began in May 2006 when I first took “the Alchemist” to read while I have been traveling to Belgrade and Vienna.
It was the beginning of my big and long trip around the World aimed to find my own Right Space in this World. It was not so long ago, still I have to mention that at the begining I didn’t know the Voice of Universe exists and there are signs everywhere that we should learn to read. So I started my trip deaf and blind. From today’s view it seems to me very funny though and I feel no regret for anything done. Do you think Santiago had the feeling of regret in the end of his journey? I am sure he didn’t, neither do I.
Paulo’s Veronika gave me another serious reason to go for deep self analysis. And since ‘nothing in this world happens by chance’ I accept the sign.
Coming back to Veronika, I have to say that I believe one could kill herself for a simple question written by a Homme’s correspondent saying “Where is Slovenia?” Maybe the reason is that after my journey nation’s honor and pride are in the list of my main concerns.
I have a feeling that the question wasn’t chosen randomly. It was difficult time for all of former Yugoslavian countries. Slovenia has got the independence relatively easy in comparison to Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, etc. Still there is a colossal problem of finding national identity and ideology for new country, which is a painful process with lots of losses and finds. My country has same problems for many years now after the USSR split.
She thought that Homme’s correspondent had probably told his fellow journalists on the magazine various untrue stories about local customs too, and said how badly Slovene women dress.* I think we already get used to one sided stories in press about our “third world” countries with no chance to have the truth disclosed loud enough to be heard by them.
The feeling of being unprotected of lies and inability to say the truth loud enough to be heard can cause the sense of complete hopelessly which itself can kill without even taking sleeping pills.
In a world where everyone struggles to survive whatever the cost, how could one judge those people who decide to die? No one can judge. Each person knows the extent of their own suffering, or the total absence of meaning in their lives.
Maybe this is right, maybe wrong but at the point one think that the life is meaningless, what they need the most is to be insured the opposite.
What did she want from her life? Obviously she is one of the women that I define “statistical mistake”. I define myself statistical mistake as well. What is that and why I do so?
These are woman which are perfectly happy with the quantity of dresses in their closet, which don’t spend days on shopping at Christmas sales, can park the car in a narrow space by first try, who know first aid and quickly help instead of screaming when sees the blood, which will bring a full suitcase of books from the trip, spend maximum five minutes per day on the phone, don’t watch soaps, prefer museum to fashion show, don’t spend hours to do daily make-up and STILL they are interesting and charming for others.
Veronika brought her interior monologue to a close and made herself a promise: she would not leave Villette alive. It was best to put an end to everything now, while she was still brave and healthy enough to die.* Her monologue was about a family model a lot of people are perfectly happy with. In my opinion she was way to romantic to accept the prosaic model of the family and happiness which was doubtless real.
People mostly don’t pay attention to friendship in relationships but to love. Love is important but not really enough, because love knows to be selfish, which kills healthy understanding of partner. Doubtless for a relationship you need one who is relatively close to your level of understanding and accepts you the way you are.
“That’s not the lack of love, but lack of friendship that makes unhappy families”, true.
Veronika was all alone, since her monologue was addressed herself , her behavior was introverted.
I honestly lived and felt her last minutes.
I have the same concerns about my future as well, but I am not “brave” enough to even decide to die…
… she was proud she did that,
… I am proud I can’t
Do you think True Love is selfish?