Hubert Aquin Summary

Québec embodies a different attitude than the rest of Canada. The French views themselves as more religious, more sophisticated, and they crave their independence from the rest of the English speakers. The majority of people interviewed in HA! A Self-Murder Mystery claim that Hubert Aquin is Québec. He is what they stand for, what they believe in, desiring independence and idealizes the “Mother”, as many French do. As the Québec society transitions into becoming more like English Canadians, the citizens outgrow their need for people like Aquin:
Aquin lived and wrote on the margins of society. Québec society can’t comprehend Aquin, neither the old nor the young- even less so the young because they’re totally uncultured. He was essentially a cultural phenomenon in a society whose culture is disappearing. [...] More than a reflection, I’d say: he embodied the very contradictions of Québec. (Sheppard 79 [...] 231)
In both HA! and Falling Into Place, the subject of suicide is the central theme. Hubert Aquin shoots himself in the mouth due to financial problems, while Liz Emerson flips her car off a bridge because she feels as if the world is too good for her. Aquin does not survive his attempt, there simply is not enough left of his head for any chance of survival. Liz, however, survives her attempt despite a shattered left femur, complex fracture in her right hand, extensive internal injuries, and a ruptured lung. She spends days in the hospital in and out of surgery, with her heart regularly failing, and yet, she survives. Aquin’s suicide represents a collective suicide of Québec culture, whereas Liz’s suicide represents that the past does not mean someone is a lost cause. There is no hope for Aquin or a dying culture, but there will always be hope for Liz and those who make mistakes, as long as they are willing to make the