Short Fiction · Chapter
II explained
Wallace Offdean visits the old Santien plantation, now owned by Harding & Offdean, and speaks with the manager Pierre Manton about the property's decline.
What happens
Wallace Offdean visits the old Santien plantation, now owned by Harding & Offdean, and speaks with the manager Pierre Manton about the property's decline. Pierre mentions his daughter Euphrasie, who has been writing letters to the firm about the neglected state of the land.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and the Landscape
The description of the overgrown fields, dense wood, and decaying plantation house emphasizes the theme of nature reclaiming the land after human neglect.
Social Class and Identity
The contrast between the former wealth of the Santien family and the current dilapidated state of the plantation highlights the shifting social and economic identities in the post-war South.
Characters to notice
- Wallace Offdean
Arrives at the Santien place and sits on the veranda, listening to Pierre Manton discuss the plantation's condition.
- Euphrasie
Pierre Manton's daughter, who has been writing letters to Harding & Offdean about the neglected plantation and is expected to return from Mme. Duplan's.
- Hector Santien
Eldest of the Santien brothers; left the plantation after it was taken over by Harding & Offdean.
- Grégoire
Youngest of the Santien brothers; left the plantation after it was taken over.
- Placide
The middle Santien brother, who tries to maintain a foothold on the land but is given to wandering; expected to return with Euphrasie.
Key passages
“What Harding & Offdean had called a piece of land on Red River was better known to the people of Natchitoches parish as 'the old Santien place.'”
The property that Harding & Offdean referred to as a piece of land on Red River was commonly called 'the old Santien place' by locals.
Introduces the setting and the historical significance of the plantation.
“But the war did its work, of course. Then Jules Santien was not the man to mend such damage as the war had left.”
The Civil War caused destruction, and Jules Santien was unable to repair the damage.
Explains the decline of the Santien plantation due to the war and subsequent mismanagement.
“It's Euphrasie, hair. She say dat's all fool nonsense fer rich man lack Hardin'-Offde'n to let a piece o' lan' goin' lack dat.”
Euphrasie says it's foolish for a wealthy firm like Harding & Offdean to let the land deteriorate like this.
Reveals Euphrasie's proactive character and her concern for the plantation's condition.