# Madame Chapdelaine — Maria Chapdelaine character guide > Madame Chapdelaine in Maria Chapdelaine by Louis Hémon. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Chapdelaine, the elder Chapdelaine, mother Chapdelaine, Madame, Mother Chapdelaine **First appearance:** 0000-i-peribonka ## Snapshot Maria's devout and long-suffering mother, whose faith and endurance hold the family together through the brutal rhythms of the Quebec bush. ## Who they are She half-rises in fear at bad news, her first thought for her absent sons, and her life is a litany of prayer, work, and quiet submission to a land that gives little. Around her the household's grief and joy both find their measure, for she is the emotional anchor of a family forever on the edge of the forest. Her patient acceptance of hardship — and the faith that sustains it — becomes the standard against which Maria must test her own longings. ## Relationships ### [Maria Chapdelaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/maria_chapdelaine) _family_ Madame Chapdelaine is Maria's mother, a resilient and pious woman who guides Maria through grief and duty. ### [Telesphore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/telesphore) _family_ Madame Chapdelaine is Telesphore's mother, caring for him with maternal devotion. ### [Maria Chapdelaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/maria_chapdelaine) _family_ Madame Chapdelaine is Maria's mother, a resilient and pious woman who guides Maria through grief and duty. ### [Telesphore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/telesphore) _family_ Madame Chapdelaine is Telesphore's mother, caring for him with maternal devotion. ### [Telesphore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/telesphore) _family_ Madame Chapdelaine is Telesphore's mother, caring for him with maternal devotion. ### [Maria Chapdelaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/maria_chapdelaine) _family_ Madame Chapdelaine is Maria's mother, a resilient and pious woman who guides Maria through grief and duty. ## In the story ### [Home in the Clearing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/ii-home-in-the-clearing) Worries about dwindling feed for livestock; sighs over the hardships of winter; longs for the older, more neighborly parishes. ### [III: François Passes By](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/iii-fran-ois-passes-by) Mother Chapdelaine is delighted by the visit, reminiscing about her own youth and courtship. She questions François about his life and expresses her preference for settled farming over the wilds. ### [IV: Wild Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/iv-wild-land) Serves the midday meal; expresses satisfaction in seeing the land cleared; remarks on the blueberries ripening for the feast of Ste. Anne. ### [The Vows](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/v-the-vows) Welcomes visitors and engages in conversation; encourages Eutrope Gagnon and recalls the past when many Canadians went to the States. ### [VI: The Stuff of Dreams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/vi-the-stuff-of-dreams) Madame Chapdelaine predicts bad haymaking weather due to local lawsuits, and later offers to take over the second baking but falls asleep, leaving Maria to finish. ### [VII: A Meager Reaping](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/vii-a-meager-reaping) Participates in the family's discussions about the disastrous weather and the poor harvest. ### [Entrenched Against Winter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/viii-entrenched-against-winter) Mother Chapdelaine anxiously reminds the children not to let the fire out and helps with indoor sealing tasks. ### [IX: One Thousand Aves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/ix-one-thousand-aves) Speaks wistfully of past New Year gatherings and reassures Maria about the power of the thousand Aves. ### [Straying Tracks](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/x-straying-tracks) Recalls François as a strong, good-natured lad; agrees to have masses said and gently comforts Maria. ### [XI: The Interpreter of God](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/xi-the-interpreter-of-god) Gives Maria a list of commissions for the trip; exchanges glances with Samuel about Maria's dejection. ### [XII: Love Bearing Gifts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/xii-love-bearing-gifts) Madame Chapdelaine defends the farming life as the finest, but her words are challenged by Lorenzo's arguments. ### [XIII: Love Bearing Chains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/xiii-love-bearing-chains) Madame Chapdelaine is knitting by the stove, aware of Maria's situation but not pressing her for a decision. ### [XIV: Into the Deep Silence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/xiv-into-the-deep-silence) Falls ill after lifting a bag of flour; suffers from pain and fever; dies after the curé's visit. ### [That We Perish Not](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/chapters/xv-that-we-perish-not) Recently deceased; her life of sacrifice and resilience is remembered and honored by Maria and Samuel. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters/madame_chapdelaine - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/maria_chapdelaine_se/characters