Therese Raquin (Penguin Classics)
by Émile Zola
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Book Summary Information
Author: Émile ZolaIntroduction: Robin Buss
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-02-22
ISBN: 0140449442
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of Therese Raquin (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: Émile Zola: Thérèse Raquin
Summary: 4 Stars
Overview
Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to her first cousin through the well intentioned motivations of her overbearing aunt Madame Raquin. Her cousin, Camille, has lived a sheltered life largely hampered by illness and the endless doting of his overprotective mother. As time passes, Camille becomes terribly self-involved and weds Thérèse on his mother's suggestion. The loveless marriage leaves our heroine alone and miserable, with the eventual culmination of a sordid love affair with Laurent, an old friend of Camille's that has dire consequences for all.
Discussion
Thérèse Raquin is Murphy's Law in the flesh. Everything that could, would, or should go wrong did and then some! The tragic tale is a study in human behavior and the remarkable lengths some will undertake to satisfy their cravings. Foolishly so of course, without giving thought to their actions or the ramifications that follow. On the surface, it's easy to assign blame to Laurent for his roguish character or Madame Raquin for her meddlesome influence, but I'm unable to do so. In my opinion, the seeds of discontent were sown long before the wedding took place. To understand the outcome, we must give credence to the events that brought Thérèse to the Raquin residence.
She's the orphaned daughter of Madame Raquin's brother, a French captain and an Algerian mother. After her mother's death, Thérèse's father brings her to live with her aunt. An initial question springs to mind and I'm left wondering why he's given the child away. One needn't be proficient in psychology to ascertain the long term affects this could have. It is my opinion that the abandonment and the lifestyle that ensued in its aftermath is where our heroine's unraveling begins. Although Madame Raquin was attentive to them both, it's clear her brand of parenting was too intrusive and stifled independence and real self-sufficiency in both characters. Madame was happiest when Camille and Thérèse remained in her company, within eyesight of course. The close proximity is understandable for younger children, but its continued practice for someone 21 years of age is a wee bit strange.
Protestations are glaringly absent in Camille and Thérèse. Both agreed to Madame's conspiracy and knowingly wed the other, devoid of the usual romantic undertones one might expect in a couple. Their love was amicable, familial in nature. The carnal aspects never developed. My commonsense compels me to ask why neither disagreed or held out for something more substantial. Perhaps their inability to do so is a reflection of poor self-esteem or the silent belief that a better suitor was not available. Whatever the case, their acquiesce would set the stage for the unfortunate events that followed.
There is one important caveat, and that relates to Camille's desire to move to Paris. His unwillingness to compromise was an interesting contradiction to the passivity we've observed thus far between he and Madame Raquin. Her protests fall upon deaf ears. Camille successfully relocates the household to a small shop in the Passage du Pont Neuf. The atmosphere is dismal and Thérèse is lonely and uninvolved. The days flow into the next and her relationship with Camille never improves. In some ways, she's traded one prison for another, only the second lies in the backdrop of Paris. Madame Raquin has adapted to the new surroundings and develops acquaintances that usually end with an evening of dominoes among friends. I'm a little amused by the references to dominoes. Its an accurate visual of the calamity brewing with our characters.
As always, here comes the bad part. Enter Laurent, the wannabe aristocrat castaway that longs for a life of comforts and spoils he can never secure. His unexpected meeting with Camille would be a turning point for all. Laurent eventually becomes a fixture at the Raquin's and astutely discerns Thérèse's lowly condition. In spite of the author's assurances that her demeanor was often masked, I disagree that her mood was impossible to grasp. It's my belief that the members of the Raquin household had little reason to notice. Oblivious and ignored, it was only a matter of time before a respite was sought. She found refuge in Laurent's arms and the dam sprang open.
In my opinion, this is the crux of the tale and one of the important reasons why it is an accurate depiction of Naturalism. We've often heard the slogan, "The dead never remain buried." Our heroine is alive, free from the confines of repression and lethargy, and she revels in it! She's swept away and avoids the voice of reason tapping fitfully on her shoulder for a time, until his message became glaringly clear. Thérèse is torn and stands at a crossroad between duty and freedom. The latter is a mirage of course, but in her mind its real and a far better choice than the life she shares with Camille. You cannot serve two masters, and she chooses Laurent over her husband, foolishly hoisting him upon a perch, he becomes the white knight destined to save her from the marriage that's entombed her until now.
The pair enjoy a torrid affair, propelled by emotion charged love that cannot bear another moment apart. The little shop of horrors continues to churn, and the two move further away from shore. Dismantling their conscience and connection with societal norms in the process. Nothing else matters but this - the love - and what it takes to rid themselves of anything that threatens to destroy it. The dominoes are falling rapidly, and each decision that follows is an assembly line of chaos. One begets the other and the reader is left wondering when either will wake up, but that never occurs.
As the tale winds down, we behold a woman far removed from the girl we initially met. Murder has stained her innocence and abuse hovers overhead at every turn. Denial and an inability to face her inner demons has compelled her to levy them upon Madame Raquin and Camille. Their victimization is largely fueled by the resentment she carries within. The power of choice and the alternatives available are easy to detect, but she ignored them all. We've witnessed the internal beasts and glimpsed the tattered fragments his appearance have left behind. In the end, she finally confronts her misery, choosing to take her medicine to silence the screams within. I imagine a cloud of peace enveloping her frame as she slumped to the floor and quietly departed. Death becomes her.
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