Toilers of the Sea · Chapter
The Unknown Unfolds Itself by Degrees explained
Gilliatt's daily life becomes consumed by his proximity to the Bravées, where he finds himself constantly passing by Déruchette's garden.
What happens
Gilliatt's daily life becomes consumed by his proximity to the Bravées, where he finds himself constantly passing by Déruchette's garden. He begins to listen to voices from the house, distinguishes Déruchette's voice, and eventually watches her habits from behind the wall, growing bolder in his secret observations. He notes her preferences for flowers and perfumes, and an old ragpicker's cryptic comment about the weather leaves him puzzled.
Themes in this chapter
Solitude and Isolation
Gilliatt's solitary watching and listening from behind the wall underscores his isolation and the distance between him and Déruchette.
Love and Sacrifice
Gilliatt's growing devotion to Déruchette is evident in his careful observations and his willingness to remain unseen, hinting at the sacrifices love may demand.
Characters to notice
- Gilliatt
Gilliatt becomes increasingly obsessed with Déruchette, watching her from behind the garden wall and listening to her voice.
- Déruchette
Déruchette is seen watering lettuces, singing at her piano, and conversing with Mess Lethierry; Gilliatt observes her preferences for flowers and perfumes.
- Mess Lethierry
Mess Lethierry is mentioned as being fond of sea-kale and is heard conversing with Déruchette in the garden.
- Grace
Grace is one of the servants heard disputing with Douce.
- Douce
Douce is the other servant heard disputing with Grace.
Key passages
“On the other hand, Gilliatt had the satisfaction of seeing the Bravées every day. By some accident he was continually passing that way. His business seemed always to lead him by the path which passed under the wall of Déruchette’s garden.”
Gilliatt found daily pleasure in passing by the Bravées, as if by chance, always taking the path beneath Déruchette's garden wall.
This shows Gilliatt's deliberate yet seemingly accidental routine to be near Déruchette.
“He dug in his garden of the Bû de la Rue a trench for sea-kale.”
He prepared a bed for sea-kale in his own garden after hearing that Mess Lethierry liked it.
Gilliatt's action reflects his desire to connect with Déruchette's world through small gestures.
“Once he could distinguish the voices of the two servants, Grace and Douce, disputing. It was a sound which belonged to the house, and their quarrel remained in his ears like a remembrance of music.”
He once heard the servants Grace and Douce arguing, and the noise stayed with him as if it were a cherished melody.
Gilliatt's romanticization of even mundane sounds from the Bravées highlights his infatuation.
“He quickened his pace, and was soon out of hearing. The words uttered by that voice, however, remained fixed in his memory. He repeated them at every instant. They were, 'Will you please give me the little broom?'”
He hurried away but could not forget the words he heard, which he repeated endlessly: 'Will you please give me the little broom?'
The trivial phrase becomes precious to Gilliatt, showing the depth of his obsession.
“One day Gilliatt enjoyed a beatific vision. The heavens were opened, and there, before his eyes, appeared Déruchette, watering lettuces in her little garden.”
One day, Gilliatt had a blissful sight: Déruchette appeared before him as if in a vision, watering lettuces in her garden.
Gilliatt's perception of Déruchette is idealized, almost divine.
“From the flowers that he had observed her gathering he had guessed her taste in the matter of perfumes. The scent of the bindweed was her favourite, then the pink, then the honeysuckle, then the jasmine. The rose stood only fifth in the scale.”
By watching which flowers she picked, he deduced her perfume preferences: bindweed first, then pink, honeysuckle, jasmine, and rose only fifth.
Gilliatt's meticulous observation reveals his deep fascination with every detail of Déruchette's life.
