Dédé by Mavis Gallant
"Dédé" by Mavis Gallant is a short story centered around the character of Dédé, a young man living with his older sister's family in Paris. The narrative unfolds primarily on a Sunday afternoon when Dédé's fourteen-year-old nephew, Pascal, recalls a past family gathering meant to introduce Dédé to a potential romantic interest, Brigitte. However, Brigitte's absence due to an emergency foils this intention. Throughout the luncheon, various disruptions occur, including a fire in Dédé's room and comedic social interactions, which serve as a backdrop for Dédé's peculiar behavior and disjointed remarks that set him apart from the conventional norms of society.
The story delves into themes of family dynamics, societal expectations, and the nuances of communication, as Dédé's erratic actions raise questions about his place within the family and broader societal context. Despite his troubling past, including incidents of starting fires, Dédé's family remains both concerned and bewildered by his behavior. The conclusion hints at the lingering impact Dédé has on Pascal, who begins to reflect on his own identity in relation to his enigmatic uncle. Gallant's tale subtly critiques social conventions while exploring the complexities of familial relationships and the anxiety of emerging adulthood.
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Dédé by Mavis Gallant
First published: 1993
Type of plot: Character study
Time of work: The 1990's
Locale: Paris
Principal Characters:
Amedée , (Dédé's full name), a young manM. Brouet , his brother-in-law, a magistrateMme. Brouet , his older sisterPascal Brouet , his nephew
The Story
At the story's opening and ending Dédé's nephew Pascal is fourteen years old, but the main part of the story takes place one Sunday afternoon when Pascal is nine years old. Dédé is living with the Brouets, supposedly studying for a civil service examination to qualify him for employment with the railroad. Dédé's exact age is never given, but he is most likely twenty or so. It is revealed that Dédé had caused various kinds of trouble at home in Colmar and his mother no longer knew how to handle him, so she sent him to Paris to live with his doting sister.
On that memorable Sunday afternoon in the early fall, the Brouets had invited the Turbins and the Chevallier-Crochets for lunch in their garden. Pascal and Dédé were also present. The reason behind the gathering was to introduce Dédé to the Turbin's daughter Brigitte, for Mme. Brouet had decided that her wayward brother needed a woman friend. Her plans were foiled when Brigitte was called away on an emergency and could not attend the luncheon. The day had not started well; a fire of undetermined origin had broken out in Dédé's room that morning. It is revealed that when Dédé was living with his mother in Colmar, he caused two other fires, although they were believed to have been accidental.
The luncheon, in a typical French manner, lasts all afternoon, and the spirited account of its near catastrophes evolves into gentle social satire. First hornets attack the melon, then the inept maid delays the next course, and finally everyone argues over eating the dessert. Meanwhile, the conversation becomes more and more desultory, its topics ranging from corruption in French politics to the advantages and disadvantages of foreign travel. People tell stories that everyone has heard many times before. At intervals, Dédé interrupts with non sequiturs, and his sister hushes him or tries to change the subject.
When the guests finally leave around five o'clock, Dédé announces that he has received a degree in the mail but has lost the letter. Even though Dédé has been studying haphazardly for only a month, M. Brouet, anxious to be rid of his troublesome brother-in-law, does not question the absurdity of Dédé's claim. Instead, he suggests that it is time for Dédé to go home now that he has finished his course. Dédé agrees, and late that night, M. Brouet takes him to the railway station.
The narrative returns to Pascal at age fourteen. Dédé had vanished from their lives since that fateful evening after the luncheon. The Brouets know that Dédé returned to Paris a year earlier and is working part time with a television polling service, but he has not called on them. Now almost as tall as Dédé, Pascal finds his father looking at him "as if he were suddenly setting a value on the kind of man he might become. It was a steady look, neither hot nor cold." Although it is not stated, Pascal must have wondered if his father feared the existence of another Dédé in the family.
Bibliography
Canadian Fiction Magazine 28 (1978). Special issue on Mavis Gallant.
Essays in Canadian Writing 42 (Winter, 1990). Special issue on Mavis Gallant.
Gadpaille, Michelle. "Mavis Gallant." In The Canadian Short Story. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Grant, Judith Skleton. "Mavis Gallant." In Canadian Writers and Their Works, edited by Robert Lecker, Jack David, and Ellen Quigley. Toronto: ECW Press, 1989.
Keith, William John. "Mavis Gallant." In A Sense of Style: Studies in the Art of Fiction in English-Speaking Canada. Toronto: ECW Press, 1988.
Kulyk Keefer, Janice. Reading Mavis Gallant. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Schaub, Danielle. Mavis Gallant. New York: Twayne, 1998.
Simmons, Diane. "Remittance Men: Exile and Identity in the Short Stories of Mavis Gallant." In Canadian Women Writing Fiction, edited by Mickey Pearlman. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1993.
Smythe, Karen. Gallant, Munro, and the Poetics of Elegy. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1992.