Abstract
In Annie Ernaux's La Place, the theme of betrayal is so prevalent that one could say it is the basis of the book. I think it would be fair to say that “écrire, c'est le dernier recours quand on a trahi” when looking at Annie Ernaux's narrator. The narrator feels that she has betrayed her family and this theme is conveyed through a sense of estrangement from her family and past, as well as a sense of guilt and failure.
Using characterization, Ernaux brings out the feeling of alienation that the narrator develops as the work progresses. The narrator used to have a fairly normal and close relationship with her parents during her early life, they actively encourage her to pursue an education, as her father was never allowed to do so, and hence he was forced to remain in the working class.
