The Red and the Black · Chapter
CHAPTER LXXIV explained
In his cell, Julien is visited by his father, who reproaches him and is primarily concerned with his money.
What happens
In his cell, Julien is visited by his father, who reproaches him and is primarily concerned with his money. Julien, feeling weak and ashamed, gives his father most of his savings. He then drinks with two convicts, whose stories lead him to reflect on hypocrisy and the nature of society. Later, Mathilde visits and irritates him with news about Valenod and Frilair. Julien, longing for solitude and Madame de Rênal, sends her away. Fouqué also visits, but Julien asks to be left alone. Alone, Julien descends into despair and philosophical reflection, contemplating his duty, hypocrisy, and the meaning of life and death, ultimately finding some peace and resolution.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Social Mobility
Julien's interactions with his father and the convicts lead him to a cynical view of society, where he sees hypocrisy as a universal trait, present in both the lower classes and the Parisian salons.
Self-Identity and Authenticity
Julien grapples with his own perceived cowardice and hypocrisy, questioning his identity and the authenticity of his feelings as he faces death.
Fate and Free Will
Julien's reflections on his impending death and his past choices bring him to contemplate the role of fate and his own agency in shaping his life.
Characters to notice
- Julien Sorel
Imprisoned and awaiting execution, Julien is emotionally vulnerable, feeling shame and weakness in front of his father. He reflects on his life, hypocrisy, and his love for Madame de Rênal, finding some consolation in the idea that his weakness will not be publicly known.
- Old Sorel
Julien's father visits him in prison, offering stern reproaches and showing more interest in Julien's money than in his son's fate.
- Mathilde de la Mole
Visits Julien in prison, but her news and presence only irritate him. She is jealous of Madame de Rênal and weeps at Julien's coldness.
- Fouqué
A faithful friend who visits Julien in prison, but is asked to leave so Julien can be alone.
- Madame de Rênal
Though absent, her memory and absence are the primary source of Julien's despair and loneliness in prison.
Key passages
“He will go about everywhere exaggerating my lack of courage: what a triumph for the Valenod, and for all the fatuous hypocrites who rule in Verrières!”
Julien fears his father will spread word of his tears, giving his enemies in Verrières a victory by portraying him as a coward.
Julien's primary concern is not his own death, but the perception of his courage and the triumph it would give his social rivals.
“There is no such thing as natural law, the expression is nothing more than a silly anachronism well worthy of the advocate-general who harried me the other day, and whose grandfather was enriched by one of the confiscations of Louis XIV.”
Julien dismisses the concept of natural law as an outdated notion, used by corrupt officials like the advocate-general to justify their own self-serving actions.
This reflects Julien's cynical view of justice and morality, seeing them as tools of the powerful rather than universal truths.
“It must be the damp air of this cell which made me think of being alone. Why should I still play the hypocrite by cursing hypocrisy? It is neither death, nor the cell, nor the damp air, but madame de Rênal’s absence which prostrates me.”
Julien realizes that his despair is not caused by his imprisonment or impending death, but by the absence of Madame de Rênal, and he criticizes himself for being hypocritical about his own feelings.
This is a moment of self-awareness for Julien, where he identifies the true source of his suffering and acknowledges his own hypocrisy.
