The Importance of Character in Le Colonel Chabert :: Le Colonel Chabert

The Importance of Character in Le Colonel Chabert      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Le Colonel Chabert exhibits the relationship between strong and weak characters. The degree of strength within a character reflects how well the character survives in society. In society, weak characters often have no identity, profession or rank. Stronger characters have power to succeed from inner confidence, motivation and ambition. Any drastic changes brought to the body or soul by the environment corrupts that person's strength thereby affecting their ability to function properly in society. This comparison of characters gives an understanding of Balzac's pessimistic view of nineteenth century society. A character's strength and energy in the novel determines their survival in society. Colonel Chabert has been known to be a courageous hero in the past, "... je commandais un r‚giment de cavalerie †¦ Eylau. J'ai ‚t‚ beaucoup dans le succÃ…  es de la c‚lÃ…  bre charge..." Once he returns to Paris after his injury, he loses his identity and becomes the " weak character " of society. This is a rapid decline down the "ladder of success" and Chabert tries desperately to climb back up to the top, where he had been before. At the beginning of the novel, there is a vision of a slow non-energetic man walking progressively up the stairs to lawyer Derville's study which contrasts the boisterous energy of the clerks. Chabert reaches Derville's study and is determined to find the lawyer to help him find justice for his infortunes, "... me suis-je d‚termin‚ †¦ venir vous trouver. Je vous parlerai de mes malhers plus tard." Chabert demonstrates some energy left in him by his will to retrieve everything that he lost. This energy to gain back his power changes to furious and revengeful energy upon learning what his wife had done, "Les yeux de l'homme ‚nergique brillaient rallum‚s aux feux du d‚sir et de la vengeance." After a period of time, Chabert loses hope and bids farewell forever. He gives up his identity to become an unknown person as he realizes that his strength of character is not enough to keep him alive in this society. He sees himself weakening when seeing his wife and her children as he does not have the heart to break up her family. He tells his wife, "Je ne r‚clamerai jamais le nom que j'ai peut-ˆtre illustr‚. Je ne suis plus qu'un pauvre diable nomm‚ Hyancinthe.