Adolphe

I did not enjoy reading this novel at all because I have an intense dislike for Adolphe. I guess I pity him a little when he is unable to walk away from his unproductive life with Ellanore, but that pity does not last for long and is soon replaced with utter dissatisfaction and disapproval. A few times throughout the book he decides that he is going to take a stand and leave her so that he can get on with his life. But as soon as he tries to tell her this, he at once reneges his resolution and declares his undying love for Ellanore. He has no resolve and cannot hold his own in her presence. When these encounters happen, it is not as if Adolphe comes to realize that he loves Ellanore once again but instead that he feels so bad that he would make her unhappy that he cannot bare to tell her the truth.

In general I would admire Adolphe for looking out for the happiness of someone he cares about, but when it comes at the expense of his own happiness, her place in society, her children, and his own decisions about his personal life, I cannot stand that he continues to do it. It is not as if he has been oppressed by society and is unable to overcome this oppression due to things that are out of his control. Instead he is being held back by his own inability to do what he knows is right.

So, why does he do it? The first chapter of the book which describes Adolphe's father and their relationship would suggest that Adolphe should be capable of letting women down, because his father so casually suggests that to do so does not harm the women and it is fun for the men. I have been unable to find any evidence that would shed light onto Adolphe's inability to stand up for himself. I do not think I would like him even if there were evidence showing that he was socialized to do this to himself, because it is his responsibility to bring himself out of that state. Sure, others could support him in that effort but it is he that must initiate that change.