The Red and the Black · Chapter
Chapter XLIV. A Young Girl’s Thoughts explained
Mathilde de la Mole, tormented by her growing passion for Julien, struggles against her aristocratic pride and societal expectations.
What happens
Mathilde de la Mole, tormented by her growing passion for Julien, struggles against her aristocratic pride and societal expectations. She reflects on the lack of true heroism in her contemporary noble suitors, contrasting them with the daring figures of the past like Boniface de la Mole. After much inner conflict, she decides to declare her love to Julien, writing him a letter and arranging a secret meeting. Julien, initially suspicious and amused, receives her letters and ultimately agrees to climb into her room that night.
Themes in this chapter
Love as Power Struggle
Mathilde's passion for Julien is intertwined with her pride and desire for dominance, as she fears becoming contemptible and worries about his pretensions.
Class and Aristocratic Prejudice
Mathilde's internal conflict highlights the rigid social hierarchy, as she risks disgrace by writing to a man of low birth.
Self-Identity and Authenticity
Mathilde questions the authenticity of her noble suitors and seeks a man of true character, finding in Julien a figure who defies societal norms.
Fate and Free Will
Mathilde's decision to write to Julien is a deliberate act of free will against the expectations of her class, yet she feels swept away by passion.
Characters to notice
- Mathilde de la Mole
Torn between her pride and her newfound passion for Julien, she decides to declare her love and arranges a secret meeting.
- Julien Sorel
Receives Mathilde's letters with suspicion and amusement, but is intrigued by her boldness and agrees to the midnight rendezvous.
- Marquis de la Mole
Appears at the library door, unknowingly interrupting the exchange of letters between Julien and Mathilde.
- Comte Norbert
Mentioned as a potential accomplice in a supposed trick against Julien; his room is above Mathilde's.
- Madame de la Mole
Mathilde asks her permission to go to Villequier, but she dismisses the request.
- M. de Croisenois
Mentioned as a suitor whose potential marriage to Mathilde would be broken off if her letters were discovered.
Key passages
“What perplexity! What sleepless nights! Great God. Am I going to make myself contemptible? He will despise me himself. But he is leaving, he is going away.”
Mathilde is tormented by indecision and fear that Julien will look down on her, but his impending departure pushes her to act.
Highlights Mathilde's internal struggle between pride and passion.
“This cold and haughty soul was swept away for the first time by a sentiment of passion, but if this passion dominated her pride, it still kept faithfully to the habits of that pride.”
Mathilde's pride is overwhelmed by her newfound passion, yet her behavior remains influenced by her aristocratic upbringing.
Illustrates the conflict between emotion and social conditioning.
“What would Boniface de la Mole have said if, lifting his cut-off head out of the tomb, he had seen seventeen of his descendants allow themselves to be caught like sheep in 1793 in order to be guillotined two days afterwards!”
Mathilde imagines her ancestor's horror at the cowardice of his descendants during the Revolution, contrasting their passivity with his heroic defiance.
Shows Mathilde's admiration for boldness and her disdain for contemporary aristocratic timidity.
“I need to speak to you; I must speak to you this evening. Be in the garden at the moment when one o'clock is striking. Take the big gardeners' ladder near the well; place it against my window, and climb up to my room.”
Mathilde commands Julien to meet her secretly that night, instructing him to use a ladder to reach her window.
The decisive and bold nature of Mathilde's invitation underscores her departure from conventional behavior.
