Love and Marriage

Where it surfaces

• A No-Account Creole

  The chapter examines the tension between duty and desire in romantic relationships, as Euphrasie navigates her engagement to Placide and her growing feelings for Offdean.

• III

  Placide's lifelong love for Euphrasie and their engagement is central, with his devotion and her acceptance of his proposal.

• IV

  Euphrasie's engagement to Placide is tested by her growing interest in Offdean, highlighting tensions in romantic commitments.

• VI

  Euphrasie's engagement to Placide is tested by her growing feelings for Offdean, complicating her understanding of love and commitment.

• VII

  Both Placide and Offdean are driven by their love for Euphrasie, with Placide preparing a home for their marriage and Offdean deciding to pursue her as his wife.

• VIII

  The chapter explores the conflict between love and duty, as Euphrasie is bound to marry Placide despite her feelings for Offdean. Offdean's confession and Placide's jealousy highlight the tension between romantic love and social obligation.

• IX

  The chapter revolves around the dissolution of Placide and Euphrasie's engagement and the emerging possibility of a relationship between Euphrasie and Offdean.

• Love on the Bon-Dieu

  Azenor's growing love for Lalie culminates in his decision to take her as his wife, symbolized by her clutching the Easter egg he gave her.

• A Visit to Avoyelles

  Explores the contrast between Doudouce's enduring, selfless love and Mentine's unhappy marriage to Jules.

• Désirée’s Baby

  Armand's love for Désirée is conditional on her perceived racial purity, and it evaporates when he believes she is not white, revealing the fragility of their marriage.

• Madame Célestin’s Divorce

  The story explores the tensions within an unhappy marriage, the promise of reform, and the societal pressures against divorce.

• A Matter of Prejudice

  The family rift caused by Henri's marriage to an American woman underscores the theme of love challenging social and cultural barriers.

• A Lady of Bayou St. John

  Explores the tension between romantic love and marital fidelity, as Madame Delisle chooses her deceased husband over a new suitor.

• La Belle Zoraïde

  Zoraïde's love for Mézor defies her mistress's plans for her to marry M'sieur Ambroise, highlighting the conflict between personal desire and social control.

• The Dream of an Hour

  Mrs. Mallard acknowledges she loved her husband 'sometimes' but finds that love pales beside the impulse of self-ownership.

• Juanita

  Juanita's unexpected marriage to a poor one-legged man defies social expectations and highlights the unpredictability of love.

• Polydore

  The maternal love between Mamzelle Adélaïde and Polydore is central, evolving from duty to genuine affection.

• I

  Cazeau reflects on his marriage to Athénaïse as a blunder, marked by her growing aversion and his resignation.

• III

  The chapter explores the mismatch between Cazeau's love and Athénaïse's resistance, portraying marriage as a 'trap' and questioning the institution's ability to bring happiness.

• V

  Cazeau reflects on the failure of his marriage, his unreciprocated love, and the impossibility of forcing affection; he writes a letter renouncing compulsion.

• XI

  Athénaïse's return and the passionate reunion with Cazeau highlight the rekindling of their marital bond.

• A Night in Acadie

  Telèsphore's quest for a wife and Zaïda's elopement highlight the pressures and illusions surrounding marriage in Acadian society.