Les Misérables · Chapter
Austerities explained
This chapter details the rigorous practices and rules of the Bernardines-Benedictines of Martin Verga, including the long periods of postulancy and novitiate, the ceremony of profession where a novice is symbolically mourned as dead and reb
What happens
This chapter details the rigorous practices and rules of the Bernardines-Benedictines of Martin Verga, including the long periods of postulancy and novitiate, the ceremony of profession where a novice is symbolically mourned as dead and reborn in Christ, and the strict separation of the attached boarding school for young girls from the outside world, even forbidding mothers from embracing their daughters.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Sacrifice
The chapter emphasizes the physical and emotional austerities of convent life, including long periods of postulancy, unknown macerations, and the symbolic death of the novice, highlighting the theme of suffering and sacrifice for spiritual devotion.
Key passages
“On the day when a novice makes her profession, she is dressed in her handsomest attire, she is crowned with white roses, her hair is brushed until it shines, and curled. Then she prostrates herself; a great black veil is thrown over her, and the office for the dead is sung. Then the nuns separate into two files; one file passes close to her, saying in plaintive accents, “Our sister is dead;” and the other file responds in a voice of ecstasy, “Our sister is alive in Jesus Christ!””
When a novice takes her final vows, she is adorned beautifully with white roses and curled hair, then lies down while a black veil is placed over her and a funeral service is sung. The nuns then divide into two groups: one mourns her as dead, while the other joyfully declares her alive in Christ.
This passage describes the dramatic ceremony of profession, symbolizing the novice's death to the world and rebirth in Christ.
“One day a young girl received a visit from her mother, who was accompanied by a little sister three years of age. The young girl wept, for she wished greatly to embrace her sister. Impossible. She begged that, at least, the child might be permitted to pass her little hand through the bars so that she could kiss it. This was almost indignantly refused.”
A young boarder, visited by her mother and three-year-old sister, desperately wanted to hug her sibling but was denied. She then asked if the child could at least reach a hand through the bars for a kiss, but this request was also harshly rejected.
This anecdote illustrates the extreme strictness of the convent's rules, which prevented even the most innocent physical affection between family members.