Emilie Carles Analysis
Quotes from A Life of Her Own by Emilie Carles:
“My first child was a boy, but he did not survive his difficult delivery. The infant presented so badly that forceps were necessary; the doctor made a false move, injuring the head with his instruments, the baby was already dead when the doctor pulled him out” (p.93).
“Money slipped through his fingers like water; he gave away what he had without counting, and when nothing was left and his purse was empty, he’d say: ‘but that’s impossible’[…]”(p.94).
When she was younger, Emilie was unsure if she would have a baby because she would have to deal with the struggles of being a single mother raising a child on her own. Emilie found her love Jean Carles who had changed all her feelings about having a child. She had faced conflicts along the way with her father and with Jean’s mother, but she stood strong and stuck true to her values, her opinions, and desires. Emilie was able to stand up to her father even though it must have been difficult to go against her father’s wants. Regardless of everyone else’s opinions they married and wanted to have children together. She said they had taken all the precautions and even went to see a doctor before the idea of having a baby. As described in the passage of Emilie’s first child’s death; she was full of pain. She was surely heartbroken by this traumatic situation. I personally could not imagine going through all that pain to suffer a loss that was because of the doctor’s mistake. It was difficult enough to have such high hopes of a child then at the birth losing them. I believe them being there for each other through that horrible trauma, in turn, enabled them to move forward through life. As time went by, life had given them two children who fulfilled their lives and brought them happiness.
As their life continued on Emilie was able to see more into Jean’s personality. He was would give everything to others and spread happiness. Jean relied a lot on Emilie for money as the quote states, “Money slipped through his fingers like water” (p.94). I interpreted this quote as he doesn’t need money to be happy Emilie, their children, and his dreams keep him fulfilled. He is reliable and full of joy that’s what Emilie needed. Even if it frustrates her at times Jean always calms her down and shows her love. This is significant to Emilie because when she is fighting with her father before their marriage, she says that she will not ever find another man like Jean.
Emmy,
ReplyDeleteI like the point that you made about Emilie better understanding Jean’s personality once they started living together. Although her family disagreed, she fought for her marriage because she knew that it would make her happy in the long run. There's no doubt that their marriage faced hardships, like losing a child, but Jean was always there for Emilie no matter what. She mentions that Jean has “authentic wealth” which she says is something she lacks, but wishes she always had. These two learn from each other and complete each other which is something I believe every love should do.
I really liked the way you analyzed the quote regarding "money slipping through his fingers like water." I think Emilie and her husband really loved each other and, as you stated, that was enough for her to enjoy her lifestyle. While she was poor, she still had him and her family. Despite the struggles and her family disapproving of her marriage, she always had that sense of unwavering love by her side. The part in the excerpt where her child dies (in addition to all other deaths involving her family members) is incredibly sad, but Jean gets her through it at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteEmmy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation that Jean didn't need money to be happy because he had his wife. This can also be seen when they don't make a contract for their marriage because he has no property to his name. Carles cared so much about her husband and her love for him that she married him despite her father's warnings, and even waited until they could afford a wedding. I'm sure that after the loss of their child, being there for one another was certainly helpful. However, mental health was not understood very well at the time, so I'm sure it was confusing why she was so upset over the loss of her child. This can be seen when the author's father tells her to get over the loss of her second child; I can't imagine how she went through this unimaginable grief without a professional therapist. It was so standard at the time to hold your emotions in that it was strange for Carles to be breaking these expectations.