# Our Lady of the Snows explained — Travel Essays

> Chapter companion for Travel Essays by Robert Louis Stevenson.

## What happens

The narrator continues his journey, now with his sack arranged differently on Modestine, and ascends into the hills of Vivarais toward the Trappist monastery of Our Lady of the Snows. He describes the wild landscape, his apprehension upon approaching the monastery, and his reception by the monks. He reflects on the monastic life, the vow of silence, the daily routine, and the health and cheerfulness of the brothers. He is given a room and meets an Irish deacon.

## Themes in this chapter

### Freedom vs. Confinement

The narrator contrasts his secular, wandering life with the disciplined, silent existence of the Trappist monks, reflecting on the voluntary confinement of the monastery.

### Nature and the Sublime

The wild, rugged landscape of the Vivarais hills is described with awe, emphasizing the sublime beauty and desolation of the natural world.

### Human Connection and Community

The narrator observes the communal life of the monks, their holy cheerfulness, and the bonds formed under the Cistercian rule, despite the vow of silence.

## Character check-ins

### Modestine

The narrator's donkey, who shows disaffection for the monastery and is led away to the stables.

### Father Michael

The Father Hospitaller, a pleasant and gracious man of about thirty-five, who receives the narrator and gives him a glass of liqueur.

### Father Apollinaris

Mentioned as having charged the narrator to show his sack to the Father Prior.

### Brother Ambrose

A hearty, conversible French brother who leads the narrator to his room and later introduces an English boarder.

### The Priest

A fresh, young, little Irishman of fifty, a deacon of the Church, who wishes to speak with the narrator.

## Key lines

> I had not gone very far ere the wind brought to me the clanging of a bell, and somehow, I can scarce tell why, my heart sank within me at the sound.

Soon after, the wind carried the sound of a bell to me, and for reasons I can hardly explain, my heart dropped at the noise.

_The narrator's emotional response to the monastery bell._

> Into how many houses would not the note of the monastery bell, dividing the day into manageable portions, bring peace of mind and healthful activity of body!

The monastery bell, which breaks the day into manageable segments, would bring peace and healthy activity to many households.

_The narrator reflects on the wisdom of the monastic schedule._

> I own I like definite form in what my eyes are to rest upon; and if landscapes were sold, like the sheets of characters of my boyhood, one penny plain and twopence coloured, I should go the length of twopence every day of my life.

I admit I prefer clear shapes in the scenery I look at; if landscapes were sold like the character sheets from my childhood—plain for a penny, colored for twopence—I would choose the colored version every day.

_The narrator expresses his aesthetic preference for vivid, defined landscapes._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/travel_essays_se/chapters/our-lady-of-the-snows
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/travel_essays_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/travel_essays_se/chapters