Aging
In her memoir, Ernaux takes readers from 1941 (the year in which she was born) to 2006. Naturally, because the book covers such an extensive time period, one of the major themes in the novel is aging, which Ernaux (the book's narrator) does over the course of the book. In her book, Ernaux explores how she aged, her emotions associated with aging, and how her age impacted her interests in things in her life — including and especially politics.
Ernaux's book is at once an ode to the exuberance and naivete of youth and a dissection of how people change as they age. In her book, Ernaux takes a very nuanced view of aging; she likes some aspects and does not, understandably, like others.
Class
Class is one of the most significant themes in The Years. At the start of her book, Ernaux informs readers that she grew up in a poor, but happy household. And for the early part of her life, Ernaux didn't know anything more than that. But when Ernaux left home and went to school (and later, college), she learned just how poor she and her family really were. With that, Ernaux also learned what kinds of rights and privileges people gained with money. Ernaux's text is an exploration of class and of the differences between those with class and money and power — and those without.
Sexuality
Sexuality is a key theme in The Years. In French society, it was taboo to discuss and/or practice sex and sexuality. Because of this, Ernaux didn't have an outlet to explore either. However, in college, Ernaux is finally given a chance to explore her sexuality. Very quickly, Ernaux finds herself and then marries a man with whom she gets divorced many years later.
Like many people coming of age in the 1960s, sex was a major topic of discussion in the world — but especially in America. It was also an area of person that many people explored. Ernaux, who has lived in France for all of her life, was no different. The Years represented her way to try and explore and explain her more formative years and her finding herself and her sexuality.
Change in a country
Another major theme in Ernaux's novel is change in a country (in her case, France). Throughout her lifetime, Ernaux details in the book, she witnesses France significantly change. For instance, Ernaux witnesses France — which had been a left-wing country for much of its existence — gain leaders from the far right. She also, for example, France become a consumerist nation, which she has decidedly mixed feelings about.
This change, which was a constant throughout Ernaux's life and a constant in the lives of everyone across the world, underscores how each successive generation changes a country — for the better and for the worse in some instances.
