The Red and the Black · Chapter
Chapter LXIII. The Hell Of Weakness explained
The Marquis de la Mole, enraged by his daughter Mathilde's pregnancy and her intention to marry Julien Sorel, confronts Julien with insults and threats.
What happens
The Marquis de la Mole, enraged by his daughter Mathilde's pregnancy and her intention to marry Julien Sorel, confronts Julien with insults and threats. Julien, maintaining his composure and gratitude, offers a suicide note and suggests the Marquis kill him. The Marquis, torn between his pride and the reality of the situation, eventually begins to waver. Julien seeks counsel from the Abbé Pirard, who advises a public marriage. Mathilde, fiercely determined, insists on becoming Madame Sorel and threatens to publicly mourn Julien if he dies. The Marquis, influenced by Mathilde's resolve and the advice of friends, reluctantly begins to accept the marriage, offering a financial settlement. Julien, though obedient to Mathilde's commands, feels the sting of aristocratic condescension.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Aristocratic Prejudice
The Marquis's horror at his daughter marrying a commoner like Julien, and his obsession with titles and social standing, highlight the deep-seated class prejudices of the aristocracy.
Ambition and Its Cost
Julien's ambition to rise above his station leads to this crisis, while the Marquis's ambition for his daughter's future is shattered, causing him great torment.
Love as Power Struggle
Mathilde's love for Julien is intertwined with her desire for control and defiance of her father, while Julien's obedience is tinged with resentment, illustrating the power dynamics in their relationship.
Characters to notice
- Julien Sorel
Confronts the Marquis's fury with gratitude and composure, offers a suicide note, seeks counsel from Abbé Pirard, and obeys Mathilde's orders despite feeling wounded by aristocratic attitudes.
- Marquis de la Mole
Furious and insulting towards Julien, torn between his pride and the necessity of accepting the marriage, eventually hesitates and offers a financial settlement.
- Mathilde de la Mole
Desperate and resolute, insists on marrying Julien and becoming Madame Sorel, threatens public mourning if he dies, and firmly opposes her father's prudent plans.
- Abbé Pirard
Julien seeks his counsel; he advises a public marriage and becomes Mathilde's ally, arguing that any other course would be a crime in the eyes of God.
Key passages
“A clumsy lapidary, in cutting this diamond, deprived it of some of its most brilliant facets. In the middle ages, nay, even under Richelieu, the Frenchman had force of will.”
Just as a careless jeweler can ruin a diamond, the modern Frenchman has lost the strength of character that was once common in earlier eras.
The epigraph sets the tone for the chapter, lamenting the loss of willpower and decisiveness.
“I am not an angel.... I served you well; you paid me generously.... I was grateful, but I am twenty-two.... Only you and that charming person understood my thoughts in this household.”
Julien defends himself, saying he is not perfect, but he has been loyal and grateful, and only the Marquis and Mathilde truly understood him.
Julien's response to the Marquis's accusations, using the guise of Tartuffe to justify his actions.
“What! is my daughter to go by the name of madame Sorel? What! is my daughter not to be a duchess?”
The Marquis is horrified at the thought of his daughter losing her noble status and becoming a commoner's wife.
This highlights the Marquis's obsession with social rank and his anguish over the mésalliance.
“I have found my life unbearable for a long time; I am putting an end to it. I request monsieur the marquis to accept my apologies (together with the expression of my infinite gratitude) for any embarrassment that may be occasioned by my death in his hôtel.”
Julien writes a suicide note, apologizing for any trouble his death might cause and expressing gratitude, offering the Marquis a way out.
Julien's dramatic gesture is both a sincere offer and a strategic move to appease the Marquis's anger.
“If he dies I shall die,” she said to her father. “It will be you who will be the cause of his death.... Perhaps you will rejoice at it but I swear by his shades that I shall at once go into mourning, and shall publicly appear as Madame the widow Sorel.”
Mathilde threatens her father, saying she will die if Julien dies, and she will publicly mourn as his widow, shaming the family.
Mathilde's defiance and dramatic threat show her determination and the power struggle with her father.
