# II explained — Germinie Lacerteux

> Chapter companion for Germinie Lacerteux by Edmond de Goncourt.

## What happens

This chapter delves into Mademoiselle de Varandeuil's life after the deaths of her loved ones, focusing on her weekly pilgrimages to the Montmartre Cemetery, her decade-long care for her paralyzed and bitter father, her selfless support of her brother's family, and her stoic, solitary old age marked by a blend of aristocratic and revolutionary ideals.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Decay

The chapter is steeped in death: Mademoiselle's weekly visits to the cemetery, her care for dying relatives, and her contemplation of her own mortality.

### Female Suffering and Sacrifice

Mademoiselle endures years of selfless care for her father and dying friends, sacrificing her own comfort and social life.

### Hypocrisy and Secrecy

The chapter hints at a family secret involving priests that Mademoiselle never discusses, and her father's ungrateful accusations despite her devoted care.

## Character check-ins

### Mademoiselle de Varandeuil

The central figure of the chapter; she is depicted in her old age, visiting the cemetery, caring for her father, supporting her brother's family, and living a solitary, reflective life.

### Germinie Lacerteux

Mademoiselle's maid, who accompanies her to the cemetery, carries her folding-stool and wreaths, and is careful not to disturb her mistress's meditations.

### Sempronie

Mademoiselle's friend; her brother returns from America with a mulattress wife and two daughters, and Mademoiselle later lives with this family.

### Cousin

Referred to as 'the chick,' a young friend recently married whose child Mademoiselle dotes on; she later dies of consumption.

## Key lines

> the cemetery, Mademoiselle de Varandeuil had turned aside the shroud to kiss the dead face for the last time, it seemed to her as if there were no one near to her, as if she were all alone upon the earth.

After kissing the dead face in the cemetery, Mademoiselle felt utterly alone in the world.

_This moment encapsulates her profound isolation after the loss of her last close companion._

> She would sit in the same position for days, her eyes wide open and dreaming, her thoughts far from herself, far from the room in which she sat, journeying whither her memories led her, to distant faces, dearly loved, pallid faces, to vanished regions⁠—lost in a profound lethargy which Germinie was careful not to disturb, saying to herself: “Madame is in her meditations⁠—”

She would remain motionless for days, lost in memories of loved ones, and Germinie would not disturb her, thinking she was meditating.

_This illustrates Mademoiselle's retreat into memory and Germinie's respectful care._

> He died in 1818, and, before his death, could find no words but these for her who had been his daughter nearly forty years: “I know that you never loved me!”

Her father died in 1818, accusing her of never loving him, despite her forty years of devoted care.

_This highlights the painful ingratitude Mademoiselle endured from her father._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/germinie_lacerteux_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/germinie_lacerteux_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/germinie_lacerteux_se/chapters