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The Red and the Black · Theme

Fate and Free Will

How The Red and the Black develops Fate and Free Will.

Julien's life is marked by moments of choice—whether to accept Fouqué's offer, to pursue Mathilde, or to fire the shot—yet he often feels driven by external forces like class, chance, and his own passionate nature, questioning how much control he truly has.

Where it surfaces

  • Chapter XLIV. A Young Girl’s Thoughts

    Mathilde's decision to write to Julien is a deliberate act of free will against the expectations of her class, yet she feels swept away by passion.

  • Chapter LXVI. Sad Details

    Julien accepts his condemnation as inevitable, reflecting on his actions and the role of destiny in his downfall.

  • A Turret

    Julien grapples with his impending death, oscillating between despair and resolve, and contemplates suicide as a means of controlling his fate.

  • Chapter LXX. Tranquility

    Julien accepts his impending death with a sense of fatalism, while others actively try to alter his fate, highlighting the tension between destiny and human agency.

  • CHAPTER LXXIII

    Julien's decision to appeal or accept death is a central conflict, weighing his love for Madame de Rênal against his resignation to fate.

  • CHAPTER LXXIV

    Julien's reflections on his impending death and his past choices bring him to contemplate the role of fate and his own agency in shaping his life.