# Maurice Jourdain — Mary Olivier: A Life character guide

> Maurice Jourdain in Mary Olivier: A Life by May Sinclair.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Maurice

**First appearance:** 0013-book-iii-adolescence-1876-1879

## Snapshot

A French atheist who walks Mary home and becomes the first person to treat her mind as something worth talking to.

## Who they are

Maurice Jourdain arrives as a foreigner, an unbeliever, and a man who gave up his own ambitions to support a pious family that resents him for it. He talks to Mary as an equal, confesses his atheism and his bitterness, and asks her real questions about the things she loves. He matters because he is the first to show her that a life of the mind can be shared — and that the people who sacrifice most are often loved least, a truth she will spend years testing against her own choices.

## In the story

### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_olivier_a_life_se/chapters/chapter-xvii)

The French nephew who listens to Mary and shares her intellectual interests; reveals his atheism and family struggles.

### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_olivier_a_life_se/chapters/chapter-xxiii)

Mary's fiancé, who has waited and remained honorable, finally permitted to visit by Uncle Victor.

### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_olivier_a_life_se/chapters/chapter-xxiv)

Marries another woman, prompting Mary's reflections on their past relationship.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_olivier_a_life_se/characters/maurice_jourdain
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_olivier_a_life_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_olivier_a_life_se/characters