![]() Whether the blood represents that of the dying peasants, the child he just killed, or his own bloody death is uncertain. Reminiscent of the spilled wine smearing the faces and hands of the people of Saint Antoine, the setting sun bathes the Marquis in a crimson light, symbolically covering him in blood. The bleak setting through which the Marquis rides testifies that the irresponsible habits of the ruling class starve the land as much as they starve the common people. When he arrives, he asks if "Monsieur Charles"has arrived from England yet. Ignoring her pleas, the Marquis continues on to his chateau. Before he can reach his estate, however, a grief-stricken woman stops him at the graveyard and begs him for a marker for the grave of her dead husband. Having alerted the village official, Gabelle, to be on the lookout for the mystery man, the Marquis drives on. When his carriage stops in a village near his home, the Marquis questions a road-mender who claims he saw a man riding under the carriage, but the man is no longer there. ![]() As the Marquis travels from Paris to the Evrémonde country estate, he rides through a landscape of sparse and withered crops. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |