Le rouge et le noir

The first time I read “The Red and The Black” was when I was in eighth grade. The book proved to be too difficult and boring for an eighth grader like me, and I only managed to finish the first half after a month before giving up. It wasn’t until the previous Christmas, when I was back home and browsing through my bookshelf, that I decided to give the book another chance. This time, it only took me a week to finish it. Earlier this month, I watched the musical “Le Rouge et Le Noir L’opéra Rock.”

I must say that I prefer the book. While watching the musical, I felt as though it portrayed a completely romantic story (surprisingly, this is also how Wikipedia categorizes the book), which wasn’t my impression when I read it. Instead of presenting a story of emotional entanglement between a man and two women, it feels more like a narrative about the mental journey of a young man who aspires to rise high but struggles to understand his own heart.

Julien is undeniably intelligent. He forges his own path to success but also drives himself into despair.