Book cover: The Girl Who was Saturday Night
Did someone say sex and getting drunk?
This story follows two young reckless twins, Nouschka and Nicolas Tremblay, teenagers of a deceased Quebecois folk singer, they were once simply puppets that their father could use to boost his fame. Now they are expected to follow in his footsteps and be famous and they are supposed to have a talent for singing. Despite both their fathers achievements and their own celebrity, they are poor as can be and live in a run down apartment with their Grandfather Lou Lou. Throughout this beautifully crafted story you will experience the free-willed nature of the main characters, the struggle of torn sibling relationships and the journey to find love.
Character Comparison
Nicolas -> The Jester: He is always crafting tales and jokes. Also, behind that silly mask of stupidity and sharp remarks is one of profound knowledge, masked by the looser-like attitude. Although Nicolas may not seem it, he has a scary and serious side to him
Loulou -> The Mentor: The grandfather of Nouschka and Nicolas, although he suffers from terrible bowel movement problems and refuses to wear pants. Loulou fits the profile, slightly crazy and quite old, he will throw in occasional remarks “I never wanted to vote yes, just because the whole building did” (Heather O’Neill).
Raphaël -> The Hero: Raphaël, the much awaited love interest of Nouschka, hopefully the hero we have all been waiting for, so far he is doing a great job at saving our “damsel in distress”, this arguably could be Raphaël, Nouschka could be his life away from crime his savior. But, I think that Nouschka was the one searching
Archetypal Symbols
Cats-> The cats symbolize darkness (being nocturnal) and rebirth(nine lives), because cats flock to Nouschka like a moth to a lamp, we can easily associate her attraction to darkness with her nightlife. In regard to her night life, “like a naked girl heading to the bathroom after she’s had sex in an unfamiliar apartment,” (O’Neill 34 ). Nouschka is talking about a cat she sees wandering through her apartement, perhaps she has had relatable experiences. Or you could attribute all this to a cat-nip plant beside her window and Nouschka isn’t so mysterious and magical like we thought.
Anyway, from bar-hopping to picking up random men, even the same one several times (here for you Misha). The cats are a part of her everyday life and she accepts them, she could silently be crying out that she is surrounded by darkness and she is unhappy. Cats symbolizing re-birth and her being attracted to them can mean that Nouschka longs for re-birth, she never wished to be used as a tool for her fathers fame. She may have wanted to live a normal life away from the camera ,much like other child stars of today, cough*(The Suite life of Zack and Cody). “Did you know that Nicolas and I met our mother for the first time last month?” (156). Nouschka is talking to Raphaël, she is looking for her re-birth, hopefully her mother would accept her but, no such luck. This can be seen as her attempt for re-birth.
Zack and Cody child stars
The Journey
Based on the Journey Archetype, I might expect Nouschka to find love, that seems to be a common theme. The conflict will most likely be involving her brother and her relationship. If her brother didn’t like her lover, he may go all Rambo and beat them up. But, surprise! She is with Raphaël good luck trying to beat him up Nicolas! I think that she is desperately searching for the love her father never gave her. I just hope that Nouschka will be happy in the end and find love. By what Raphaël has said so far, “But you don’t have to worry about how the rest of the world sees you. You just have to think about how it is that I think about you.” (157). Judging from what Raphaël has told us I think that he will treat Nouschka kindly despite his background, considering he has liked her from the third grade and even sent her a valentine. The question is, will their relationship last?
Works Cited
“Hero.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 July 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero. 12 July 2017.
“The Writing Nut.” The Writing Nut RSS, 7 Feb. 2011, http://www.thewritingnut.com/mentor-archetype/. 12 July 2017.
“Archetypes: Jester.” Memoirs of a Time Here-After, 5 Sept. 2015,arielhudnall.com/2015/09/06/ archetypes-jester/. 12 July 2017.
Galla, Brittany. “Former Child Star Dylan Sprouse: Why I Parted Ways With Disney Channel.” Us Weekly, Us Weekly, 31 May 2013, http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/dylan-sprouse-explains-why-he-left-disney-channel-2013315. Accessed 12 July 2017.
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