Lena by Mavis Gallant
"Lena" by Mavis Gallant is a poignant narrative centered on the complexities of relationships, memory, and the passage of time, explored through the character of Magdalena, an elderly woman in a Paris hospital. Despite her frailty, Magdalena exhibits a spirited demeanor, interacting with her roommate in surprising ways, while also receiving visits from upper-class Hungarian women. A significant focus of the story is on Edouard, Magdalena’s first husband, who brings a mix of nostalgia and frustration to their encounters, revisiting their shared past.
The story delves into themes such as the lingering effects of the past, unfulfilled desires, and the constraints of societal expectations, particularly regarding marriage and love. Edouard's reflections reveal the emotional weight of his connection to both Magdalena and his second wife, Juliette, highlighting the tensions between duty and desire. In a critical moment, Edouard grapples with his feelings about love and obligation, ultimately grappling with the impact of his past decisions on both women. The narrative invites readers to reflect on the nuances of personal history and the complexity of human connections across different stages of life.
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Lena by Mavis Gallant
First published: 1983
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The late 1970's or early 1980's
Locale: Paris
Principal Characters:
Edouard B. , a sixty-five-year-old French writerMagdalena ("Lena") , his Jewish-born first wife, formerly a actress, now a woman of eighty
The Story
The story begins in a hospital at the northern edge of Paris, which has made a bed available to Magdalena. To everyone's surprise, this frail, elderly woman not only has remained alive but also has remained spirited enough to ply her troublesome roommate with tranquilizers and even to hit her with a pillow. Although Magdalena has visits from an assortment of upper-class Hungarian women, it is Edouard who comes dutifully to the hospital, bringing along magazines to amuse her, allowing her to tease him, and reminiscing with her about the past.
Though Magdalena insists that she does not remember ever seeing Juliette, who eventually became Edouard's second wife, Edouard can recall every detail of that day in September, 1954, when the three had lunch together. Juliette thought the outing would be a good time for Edouard to ask Magdalena for a divorce. However, after he made a comment about Auschwitz, Edouard noticed that Magdalena had placed her left hand on his arm so as to display her wedding ring. Edouard did not mention divorce that day, and when Juliette did so, Magdalena pretended not to hear her. Magdalena never gave in. It was much later, after the Catholic Church had changed its rules, that Edouard and Juliette were married.
Edouard thinks back to how devastated he was when Juliette died. From Magdalena, he got no sympathy, just demands that he come immediately to the hospital and take his true wife home with him. Eventually, the faithful Edouard went to see her, carrying a bottle of champagne so that they could celebrate his being decorated with the Legion of Honor. Though Magdalena did comment on his ribbon, as usual she immediately turned the conversation to herself. What she really wanted to know, Magdalena said, was whether Edouard had ever loved her. When he could not assure her that he had, she began to complain about old age and death, and Edouard became furious. It was Magdalena's fault, he said, that Juliette had not been able to marry him for so long and so had been deprived of children. In essence, Magdalena had ruined her life.
After his angry outburst, Magdalena stopped begging Edouard to take her away. When he visits her, Edouard now tries to avoid meeting her eyes, in which he would see her unfailing but demanding love.
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.