The Red and the Black

Julien Sorel is the protagonist of The Red and the Black. He is a young man with ambition, yet he feels limited by the station into which he is born. Julien has the misfortune of being born into a peasant family during the Bourbon Restoration; just a decade earlier, following the French Revolution, he might have been unbound by the limitations of social class. He makes Napoleon his hero due to his belief that—had he been born earlier—he might have distinguished himself in Napoleon’s army and thus achieved his grand ambitions. With Napoleon out of power and the monarchy restored, Julien must find other ways to satisfy his ambition. Whereas Julien blames the timing of his birth for the limitations placed on his life, his own character is often a limiting factor in his advancement. The same driving ambition that propels him forward through life, encouraging him to learn Latin and study hard, serves to alienate him from others. His own brothers do not like him, while the other students at the seminary quickly take a similar dislike to him. Julien’s belief in himself is an isolating force, leaving him with very few friends. He obsesses over his own ambition and potential, yet fails to register the extent to which he depends on others for his advancement.