Maria Chapdelaine

EIGHTY-ONE YEARS after it first appeared on the eve of World War I and with over ten million copies sold, Louis Hémon Maria Chapdelaine is among the all-time French-language best-sellers. 1 A grim tale of life and death in the rugged Lake Saint John country, the novel initially met with a mixed recep- tion in Quebec and, over the years, has given rise to much controversy. 2 it can- not be gainsaid, however, that Hémon, a Frenchman who worked for a year as a farm hand at Péribonka shortly before meeting death in a railroad accident at the age of 33, succeeded in capturing the accents, the rhythm of work, and the mind-set of pioneers engaged in an enterprise that was doomed to failure. 3

The central character is clearly Maria,
a sturdy and attractive young woman--15 years old when the story opens 4--who loses the man that she loves and is secretly planning to wed, the adventurous François Paradis, when he dies in a tragic winter accident. Maria then debates for a long time whether to favor an energetic and articulate emigrant to New England, Lorenzo Sur- prenant, who holds out the promise of a better life and dazzles her with the prospect of bright city lights: or marry her other suitor, Eutrope Gagnon, an earnest, steady, but unexciting neighbor.

Still entertaining doubts but on the verge of succumbing to Lorenzo's blan- dishments ("Pourquoi rester là [i.e., in Quebec]," she asks herself, "et tant peiner, et tant souffrir? . . . Pourquoi'? . . ." [193]). Maria, in the penultimate chapter, hears three mysterious voices as, lost in thought, she keeps vigil over the body of her mother who has died suddenly. The first voice reminds her of the beauty of each passing season in Quebec; the second recalls the sweet and familiar sounds of French; the third and most compelling voice, "la voix du pays de Québec," tells her where her duty lies: "Nous sommes venus il y a trois cents ans, et nous sommes restés .
. ." (197). The faith, language, and moral qualities we brought with us have become sacred to us. Others came and seized all they could. But we persisted, we held on. "Nous sommes un témoignage"--the phrase is used twice--for those who will come after us.
And that is why we must remain (197-98).

This passage, which I have merely summarized, is often cited because of its remarkable poetic quality and because, for many, its soaring affirmation of
Québécois ideology still rings true today. However, it stands out in sharp con- trast with the rest of the narrative, and the somber, one-page conclusion in which Maria accepts Eutrope's proposal of marriage is more in keeping with the novel's stark realism.

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What reason can be given for the sudden and curious change of style and tone? Is it sufficient to state that these voices merely echo turn-of-the-century patriotic orations and manifestos? The answers to these questions, I believe, lie in Maria's complex relationship with her mother Laura. Critics have gen erally concerned themselves with the multiple courtships and with the politi cal significance of Maria's decision and have ignored the all-important
moth er-daughter connection. Filial devotion more than physical attraction or ideology motivates Maria's eventual choice of a husband, and the voices she hears echo that of her dead mother.

The Chapdelaines live 12 miles in the woods above Péribonka. When the novel opens it is April, and Maria has just returned from a month-long visit with her mother's relatives, the Bouchards, across the lake at Saint-Prime. It soon becomes apparent that the Chapdelaines' neighbor, Eutrope Gagnon, has been courting Maria for a year and is working up to a marriage proposal.
Maria is acutely aware that her parents look with favor upon this union because it means that she would live nearby and would also confirm their deep-seated conviction that farming is superior to all other forms of existence
(154).

Although too tactful to mention this belief as Maria struggles to make the right choice, Laura has articulated it on two earlier occasions, both in the pres ence of her daughter: in a conversation with François (35), who has sold his father's farm and prefers working as a lumberjack or earning a living hunting. serving as a guide, or trading with the Indians: and in a discussion with Loren zo (134-35), who has also disposed of the ...