Friday, 27 May 2011

Character

Suite Francaise is a story narrated from the point of view of a revolving set of defined characters. The characters in this novel, up until now, have been presented as multi-dimensional and complex. Nearing the midpoint of Suite Francaise, the characters have more or less been introduced as well as developed to a point where a general assumption of them can be made. And while these characters may seem a general cast of personalities, it is notable that Irene Nemirovsky has, for the most part, used stereotypes to play out and strengthen her theme. The first volume, 'Storm of June,' shadows the lives of five families in particular, some of whom encounter one another throughout the course of the novel.

There is the pious and rich Pericand family of Monsieur Pericand, a wealthy businessman, and his wife, Charlotte. The Pericands, blind to practical matters, initially refuse to listen to warnings from friends that the German's are closing in on Paris. When they finally decide to leave, however, their attitude is one of irritation and annoyance. Filling their cars with expensive paintings, family heirlooms, and china they consider to be "essential items," Charlotte, her five children, and her father-in-law travel to her mother's home out in the country. While introduced as an arrogant, haughty sort, the Pericand family soon spirals towards a realization that their accumulated wealth would give them no more advantage over this war than the next man. Their oldest son is murdered, and the second oldest, Hubert, runs away to join the unpromising French defenses. The reality of war, in time, sets in.

The other main characters include the shockingly pompous Gabriel Corte, a well-known French writer, and his mistress, Florence. Spoiled by wealth, Corte is outraged that the war would dare encroach on his home. He holds a hatred for the war, not because of its inhumanity and destruction, but for the sole reason that it would destroy his career. Similarly egotistical in nature, Charles Langelet, another of the characters in this novel, goes through the war with one concern: to protect his collection of porcelain and art. There is also the banker Monsieur Corbin and his mistress, Arlette, who insists that he drive her out of Paris in his car. With the train stations being mobbed and no other way for his mistress to leave Paris, Corbin has no choice but to take Arlette and her heaps of luggage. This means that Corbin no longer has space for his two loyal employees, Jeanne and Maurice Michaud, who must, as a result, leave Paris on foot. Jeanne and Maurice are the novel's more humble and compassionate characters, a contrast that brings a brief relief from the pompous upper-class attitude that overrules this novel.

Through these variety of odd characterizations, Nemirovsky portrays a mental and emotional side to her characters. While many may find these characters unlikeable, I found them very believable. The way that one often finds themselves reacting in the "wrong" way during a traumatic experience and thinking odd or disconnected thoughts all seemed to be brought to life in this novel. Nemirovsky truly did a wonderful job connecting the reader with the characters of this novel.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with this post as well. Even though the majority of the characters in this book frustrated me they were in fact believable. It's almost as if the author made them unlikable on purpose so that we'd focus more on their emotions and choices rather than who they are as people. I found that a lot of the characters suited the time the book is set in, which also made it more realistic.

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  2. i agree also, the characters unlikeable personalties were what drew me into the book the most, they were portrayed very realistically and that caught my attention of how real this book is. if it wasn't for the characters i did not so much like, i probably wouldn't have gotten as interested as i did in this book. I think if there was only less characters the book would have been more interesting and a bit less confusing (trying to keep up with all the characters).

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