Short Fiction · Chapter
Nég Créole explained
The chapter introduces Chicot, a poor, black, lame, and shriveled old man who works at the French market in New Orleans.
What happens
The chapter introduces Chicot, a poor, black, lame, and shriveled old man who works at the French market in New Orleans. He is known by many names and lives in a shack by Bayou St. John. Chicot holds unorthodox religious beliefs and is obsessed with the idea that his former master, Jean Boisduré, left a wealthy and powerful progeny. He regularly visits Mamzelle Aglaé, an impoverished old woman who was once Mademoiselle de Montallaine and is actually a Boisduré, bringing her food and listening to her complaints. After Mamzelle Aglaé dies, Chicot denies any connection between her and the Boisduré family he boasts about, and he ignores her funeral.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Identity
Chicot's obsession with the Boisduré family's wealth and status contrasts sharply with his own poverty and his denial of Mamzelle Aglaé's connection to them, highlighting the gap between illusion and reality.
Freedom and Confinement
Chicot lives in a shack and is confined to a life of menial labor, while Mamzelle Aglaé is confined to her room, both trapped by poverty and social circumstances.
Sacrifice and Redemption
Chicot brings food to Mamzelle Aglaé despite his own poverty, and Purgatory Mary prays for the dead, suggesting themes of sacrifice and spiritual redemption.
Characters to notice
- Chicot
The protagonist, a black, lame, and impoverished old man who works at the French market and lives in a shack. He holds unorthodox religious beliefs and is obsessed with the supposed wealth and status of his former master's descendants.
- Mamzelle Adélaïde
An impoverished old woman living in la maison grise, once known as Mademoiselle de Montallaine and christened Aglaé Boisduré. She is visited by Chicot, who brings her food, and she complains bitterly about her ailments and neighbors.
- Marianne
Referred to as Purgatory Mary, a woman who prays for souls in purgatory and brings Mamzelle Aglaé a small bottle of eau de Lourdes.
Key passages
“Chicot always carried an old gunnysack, and into this went his earnings. He cleaned stalls at the market, scaled fish, and did many odd offices for the itinerant merchants, who usually paid in trade for his service.”
Chicot earned his living by doing odd jobs at the market, such as cleaning stalls and scaling fish, and was usually paid in goods rather than money.
Describes Chicot's work and barter-based economy.
“Mamzelle Aglaé then sat down, and talked to Chicot uninterruptedly and confidentially. She complained bitterly, and it was all about a pain that lodged in her leg; that crept and acted like a live, stinging serpent, twining about her waist and up her spine, and coiling round the shoulder-blade.”
Mamzelle Aglaé complained to Chicot about a severe, serpent-like pain that moved through her body.
Illustrates Mamzelle Aglaé's chronic suffering and her reliance on Chicot as a confidant.