Bellefleur: Analysis of Major Characters
"Bellefleur: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex dynamics within the Bellefleur family, focusing on key characters whose intertwined lives embody themes of power, obsession, and tragedy. At the center is Leah Bellefleur, a passionate figure driven by her desire to free her imprisoned uncle, Jean-Pierre Bellefleur II, and to reclaim the family's vast empire. Her husband, Gideon Bellefleur, is depicted as a handsome yet emotionally distant man whose reckless behavior ultimately leads to the family's downfall. The ancestral lineage is marked by figures like Jedediah Bellefleur, a hermit whose madness echoes throughout the family's history, and Germaine, their magical daughter, who bears witness to her parents' unraveling marriage.
Other significant characters include Raphael Lucien Bellefleur, the eccentric founder of the family mansion, and Felix, whose failed ambitions contribute to the family's decline. The narrative also highlights the darker aspects of the Bellefleur legacy, including the tragic fate of Ewan Bellefleur, Gideon’s brother, and the mysterious disappearances that haunt the family. With its rich tapestry of characters, "Bellefleur" offers a deep dive into themes of familial loyalty, the impact of legacy, and the haunting specters of past decisions that shape the future.
Bellefleur: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
First published: 1980
Genre: Novel
Locale: A mythical region resembling the Adirondacks, and Mount Blanc
Plot: Gothic
Time: Five years in the 1930's, and 1806–1826
Leah Bellefleur, the daughter of Della Pym. She marries her first cousin Gideon. A dominating figure in the family who is believed to have the power to control events, Leah is beautiful, energetic, and passionate. Her youthful sexual hunger develops into an obsession with winning the release of convicted mass-murderer Jean-Pierre Bellefleur II and reuniting the 3-million-acre Bellefleur empire.
Gideon Bellefleur, the son of Noel Bellefleur. He marries his first cousin Leah. Gideon is strikingly handsome, emotionally reserved, and physically reckless. Although he is a gambler and womanizer, Gideon often is the stable personality that holds the Bellefleur family together. After the death of his friend Nicholas Fuhr and his alienation from Leah, Gideon becomes increasingly distant. He is the one who destroys the family by crashing a bomb-laden airplane into the mansion.
Jedediah Bellefleur, Leah and Gideon's great-great-grandfather, a hermit who seeks God on Mount Blanc but discovers only madness, hallucinations, and murder. After years in seclusion, he learns that his brother Louis has been murdered, and he returns to marry Louis' widow, Germaine, and continue the Bellefleur line.
Germaine Bellefleur, Leah and Gideon's daughter, who seems to possess magical powers. She is a precocious and withdrawn child who suffers through the gradual dissolution of her parents' marriage. Germaine is saved from the destruction of her family, which occurs on her fourth birthday, when her father reneges on his promise to take her on a birthday ride in his airplane.
Raphael Lucien Bellefleur, Leah and Gideon's great-grandfather, who builds the Bellefleur mansion. Frustrated in his efforts to win political power, Raphael leaves a bizarre will that demands that his remains be skinned and made into a cavalry drum.
Felix (Lamentations of Jeremiah) Bellefleur, Leah and Gideon's grandfather, who is shamed when his grandiose plan to raise silver foxes concludes disastrously, losing most of the fortune that Raphael had accumulated. Felix, who was renamed Lamentations of Jeremiah by his father, drowns in a storm while desperately trying to save his remaining horses.
Jean-Pierre Bellefleur II, Leah and Gideon's uncle, who is sentenced to life in prison for murder. After Leah wins his release, Jean-Pierre commits another murder.
Noel Bellefleur, Gideon's father. Noel is an outwardly ordinary man who secretly keeps a small jeweled vial of cyanide on his person.
Della Pym, the daughter of Felix who marries an ambitious young bank clerk named Stanton Pym. Pym dies in a toboggan race on which several of the Bellefleur men have wagered. Della never forgives the family for the senseless death of her husband.
Hiram Bellefleur, Leah and Gideon's uncle, plagued by sleepwalking. He survives numerous close calls during his nighttime rambles, including a wartime walk that takes him through enemy lines. In the end, he dies from an infected cat scratch.
Ewan Bellefleur, Gideon's brother. Ewan, less physically attractive than Gideon, is similarly reckless. He becomes the bullying county sheriff, leading a violent and corrupt life until he is gunned down in his mistress' bed. After his remarkable recovery from his numerous gunshot wounds, Ewan repents his former sinful life and leaves the Bellefleurs to join a religious order.
Samuel Bellefleur, Leah and Gideon's great-uncle, who vanishes in the Bellefleur mansion's Turquoise Room when he is abducted by spirits that come to him out of a large mirror. the family nails the room shut after Samuel's disappearance.
Vernon Bellefleur, Hiram's son and the family poet. An iconoclastic coward, Vernon rebels against the Bellefleur power and status, persisting in reading his proletarian poetry in country taverns and mills. He is finally bound and thrown into a river by some drunken workmen; however, there is mysterious evidence that he may have survived the murder attempt.
Bromwell Bellefleur, Gideon and Leah's son. Painfully intellectual, Bromwell is sent off to a private school that he cannot stand. He runs away and gains admittance to a distant research institution, where he produces a mammoth volume on the existence of antimatter.
Jean-Pierre Bellefleur, the American founder of the Bellefleur family. He was banished from France by Louis XV because of his radical ideas. Jean-Pierre managed to purchase nearly 3 million acres of wilderness that became the basis for the Bellefleur fortune.
Raphael Lucien Bellefleur II, the son of Ewan who is nearly drowned in Mink Pond by a local farm boy. Raphael has a symbiotic relationship with the pond throughout his life and disappears mysteriously when the pond finally dries up.
Nicholas Fuhr, Gideon's best friend, who dies in a horse racing accident that seems to be brought on by Leah's mysterious powers.
Garnet Hecht, one of Gideon's mistresses. She bears his child. Conceived on the night of Germaine's birth, the illegitimate infant is stolen by a giant predatory bird. After failing in a suicide attempt, Garnet marries an English lord.
The Varrells, a family of low-born, poorly educated people with whom the Bellefleurs carry on a lengthy and bloody feud.