The Wandering Jew: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Wandering Jew" is a literary work rich with themes of eternal punishment, redemption, and the interplay of fate and free will through its major characters. Central to the narrative is Samuel, the Wandering Jew, condemned to roam the earth for mocking Christ during the Crucifixion. He invests a small sum of money for his friend, Marius de Rennepont, whose descendants are destined to claim a fortune that ultimately leads to tragedy. Herodias, another immortal character, plays a pivotal role by thwarting a plot against the heir’s inheritance while grappling with her own dark past. The story also introduces a cast of characters, including Rodin, a scheming Jesuit who embodies villainy, and a variety of heirs like the exiled Marshal Simon and his daughters, who face their own tragic fates. Themes of betrayal, love, and loss are illustrated through characters like Prince Djalma and Adrienne, whose lives intertwine in a tragic web. The narrative emphasizes the lasting implications of choices made and the cyclical nature of suffering, inviting readers to reflect on the characters' experiences across time and the moral complexities they represent.
The Wandering Jew: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Eugène Sue
First published: Le Juif errant, 1844–1845 (English translation, 1868)
Genre: Novel
Locale: France
Plot: Melodrama
Time: 1831–1832
Samuel (sah-mew-EHL), the Wandering Jew, who is condemned to wander undying through the centuries after he mocks Christ on the day of the Crucifixion. He invested for a friend a small sum of money, now grown into an enormous fortune, and his friend's descendants are to claim the money on a certain day in 1832. After the last of these heirs dies, Samuel goes to a lonely spot where stands a cross on a hill. There, he gives thanks that his punishment is over at last.
Herodias (eh-roh-DYAHS), who demanded the head of John the Baptist on a charger. Also condemned to live through the centuries, she is driven by some power to the meeting place where the will is being read. There she temporarily foils a wicked Jesuit plot by producing a codicil to the will, suspending its execution for three months. At last, she joins Samuel by the cross and echoes his words.
Marius de Rennepont (mahr-YEWS deh rehn-POHN), Samuel's friend in the seventeenth century, whose modest wealth, wisely invested by Samuel, results in the huge fortune his ill-fated descendants gather to share.
Rodin (roh-DAN), the secretary to the provincial of the Jesuits. His villainous scheming is responsible for most of the tragedy. At last, he is killed by a mysterious Indian poison.
Marshal Simon (see-MOHN), an exiled Bonapartist hero.
François Baudoin (frahn-SWAH boh-DWAN), called Dagobert (dah-goh-BEHR), the marshal's faithful friend. He accompanies the marshal's daughters from Siberia to Paris to claim their share of the legacy.
Blanche Simon (blahnsh) and Rose Simon, the marshal's daughters. Taken to a hospital during a cholera epidemic, they die of the disease.
Gabriel de Rennepont (gah-BRYEHL deh rehn-POHN), who is persuaded to become a Jesuit priest by evil Jesuits who intend to make sure he is the only heir. In this they are successful, but the entire inheritance is lost by fire. Gabriel then retires to live out his brief life with the Baudoin family.
Adrienne de Cardoville (ah-DRYEHN deh kahr-dohVEEL), another Rennepont descendant. Falsely declared insane and committed to an asylum before the first reading of the will, she is later released. At last, after becoming the victim of a malicious report that results in a slaying, she chooses to die with her lover.
Prince Djalma (dzhahl-MAH), another Rennepont heir. Led to believe that Adrienne is another man's mistress, he kills a woman he mistakes for Adrienne and discovers his mistake only after he has swallowed poison.
Agricola Baudoin (ah-gree-koh-LAH), Dagobert's son. He is the man whom Prince Djalma, deceived, believes to be Adrienne's lover.
Jacques de Rennepont (zhahk), another heir, a good-hearted sensualist named Couche-tout-Nud (kewshtew-NEWD). He is jailed for debt. Later, he is separated from his mistress and dies after an orgy induced by a Jesuit agent.
François Hardy, a benevolent manufacturer and an heir. After the burning of his factory and the spiriting away of his young mistress, he is taken to a Jesuit retreat, where he accepts the doctrines of the order and dies as a result of the penances and fasts.
M. l'Abbe d'Aigrigny (lah-BAY day-green-YEE), the provincial of the Jesuits.