The Red and the Black by Stendhal
"The Red and the Black," written by Stendhal, is a novel set in post-Napoleonic France that explores themes of ambition, love, and social class through the life of its protagonist, Julien Sorel. Julien is the son of a carpenter who aspires to rise above his humble beginnings. He believes that the church offers a more viable path to power than the military. His journey begins when he becomes a tutor for the children of the local mayor, Monsieur de Rênal, where he embarks on a passionate but tumultuous love affair with Madame de Rênal.
As the narrative unfolds, Julien's manipulative nature leads him into the salons of Parisian high society, where he becomes entangled with Mathilde de La Mole, a young noblewoman. Their relationship develops amid social intrigue and betrayal, reflecting the stark contrasts between different social classes and the constraints of societal expectations. Julien’s quest for power ultimately leads to tragedy, as his actions culminate in violence and his eventual execution.
The novel not only critiques the hypocrisy of society but also delves into the complexities of human emotions, illustrating the struggles between personal desires and social constraints. Stendhal's work remains a significant exploration of ambition and the human condition, capturing the essence of a changing France in the 19th century.
The Red and the Black by Stendhal
First published:Le Rouge et le noir, 1830 (English translation, 1898)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of plot: Early nineteenth century
Locale: France
Principal Characters
Julien Sorel , an opportunistMonsieur de Rênal , the mayor of VerrièresMadame de Rênal , his wifeMathilde de La Mole , Julien’s mistressFouqué , Julien’s friend
The Story
Julien Sorel is the son of a carpenter in the little town of Verrières, France. After Napoleon is defeated, Julien comes to believe that the church rather than the army is the way to power. As a result of his assumed piety and intelligence, Julien is appointed as tutor to the children of Monsieur de Rênal, the mayor of the village.
Madame de Rênal has done her duty all of her life. She is a good wife and a good mother, but she has never been in love with her husband, who is coarse and hardly likely to inspire love in any woman. Madame de Rênal is immediately attracted to the pale young tutor and gradually falls in love with him. Julien, thinking it a duty he owes himself, makes love to her to gain power over her. He discovers after a time that he has actually fallen in love with Madame de Rênal.
Julien goes on a holiday to visit his friend, Fouqué, who tries to persuade Julien to go into the lumber business with him. Julien declines, for he enjoys his new life too much. His love affair with Madame de Rênal is, however, revealed to Monsieur de Rênal by an anonymous letter written by Monsieur Valenod, the local official in charge of the poorhouse. Valenod, who had become rich on graft, is jealous because Monsieur de Rênal had hired Julien as a tutor and because he himself had at one time made unsuccessful advances to Madame de Rênal.
Monsieur de Rênal agrees to send Julien to the seminary at Besançon, principally to keep him from becoming tutor at Monsieur Valenod’s house. After Julien departs, Madame de Rênal is filled with remorse for her adultery and she becomes extremely religious.
Julien does not get on well at the seminary, for he finds it full of hypocrites. The students do not like him and fear his sharp intelligence. His only friend is the Abbé Pirard, a highly moral man. One day, Julien helps decorate the cathedral and by chance sees Madame de Rênal there. She faints, but he cannot help her because of his liturgical duties. The experience leaves him weak and shaken.
The Abbé Pirard loses his position at the seminary because he had supported the Marquis de La Mole, who is engaged in a lawsuit against Monsieur de Frilair, the vicar general of Besançon. When the Abbé Pirard leaves the seminary, the marquis obtains a living for him in Paris and hires Julien as his secretary.
Julien is thankful for his chance to leave the seminary. On his way to Paris, he calls secretly on Madame de Rênal. At first, conscious of her previous sin, she repulses his advances but then yields once again to his pleadings. Monsieur de Rênal becomes suspicious and decides to search his wife’s room. Julien has to jump from the window to escape discovery, barely escaping with his life.
Finding Julien a good worker, the marquis entrusts him with many of the details of his business. Julien is also allowed to dine with the family and to mingle with the guests. He finds the Marquise de La Mole to be extremely proud of her nobility. The daughter, Mathilde, seems to be of the same type, a reserved girl with beautiful eyes. The son, the Comte de La Mole, is an extremely polite and pleasant young man. Julien, however, finds Parisian high society boring. No one is interested in discussing ideas.
Julien enjoys stealing volumes of Voltaire from the marquis’ library and reading them in his room. He is astonished when he discovers that Mathilde is doing the same thing. Before long, they are spending much of their time together, although Julien is always conscious of his position as servant and sensitive to slights. Despite her pride, Mathilde falls in love with him because he is so different from the young men of her own class. After Julien spends two nights with her, Mathilde decides that it is degrading to be in love with a secretary. Her pride is an insult to Julien. Therefore, he plans to gain power over her and, consequently, over the household.
Meanwhile, the marquis entrusts Julien with a diplomatic mission on behalf of the nobility and clergy who want the monarchy reestablished. On this mission, Julien meets an old friend who advises him how to win Mathilde back, and, upon his return, he puts the plan into effect by beginning to pay court to a virtuous lady who is often a visitor in the de La Mole home. He begins a correspondence with her, all the while ignoring Mathilde, who thereupon realizes how much she loves him. She throws herself at his feet. Julien has won, but this time he does not let her gain the upper hand. As he continues to treat Mathilde coldly, her passion increases. In this way he maintains his power.
When Mathilde becomes pregnant, she is joyful, for she thinks Julien will now realize how much she cares for him. She had made the supreme sacrifice and would now have to marry Julien and give up her place in society. Julien, however, is not so happy about her pregnancy, for he fears the results of Mathilde telling her father.
At first, the marquis is furious. Eventually, he decides that the only way out of the difficulty is to make Julien rich and respectable. He gives Julien a fortune, a title, and a commission in the army. Overwhelmed with his new wealth and power, Julien scarcely gives a thought to Mathilde. Then the Marquis receives a letter from Madame de Rênal, whom Julien had suggested to the marquis for a character recommendation. Madame de Rênal is again filled with religious fervor. She reveals to the marquis the whole story of her relationship with Julien. The marquis thereupon retracts his permission to let Julien marry his daughter.
Julien’s plans for glory and power are ruined. In a fit of rage, he rides to Verrières, where he finds Madame de Rênal at church. He fires two shots at her before he is arrested and taken off to prison. There he promptly admits his guilt, for he is ready to die. He got his revenge. Mathilde, who is still madly in love with Julien, arrives in Verrières and tries to bribe the jury. Fouqué arrives and begs Julien to try to escape, but Julien ignores the efforts of his friends to help.
Julien is tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death, even though his bullets had not killed Madame de Rênal. In fact, his action had only rekindled her passion for him. She visits him and begs him to appeal his sentence. The two are as much in love as they had ever been. When Monsieur de Rênal orders his wife to come home, Julien is left to his dreams of his one great love, Madame de Rênal. Mathilde only bores and angers him with her continued solicitude.
On the appointed day, Julien goes calmly to his death. The faithful Fouqué obtains the body so as to bury it in a cave in the mountains where Julien had once been fond of going to indulge in his daydreams of power. A famous ancestor of Mathilde had once been loved with an extreme passion. When that ancestor was executed, the woman had taken his severed head and buried it. Mathilde had always admired this family legend. After the funeral ceremony at the cave, she now does the same for Julien, burying his head with her own hands. Later, she has the cave decorated with Italian marble. Madame de Rênal did not go to the funeral, but three days after Julien’s death, she died while embracing her children.
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