The Red and the Black

During one of their conversations, Julien hints to Mme. de Rênal that he is a fan of Napoleon. He quickly remembers that, as the wife of a wealthy man, Mme. de Rênal was raised “in the enemy camp” (99). Rather than hoping to win her to his cause, he reminds himself to be more cautious about revealing his true political beliefs around her. Mme. de Rênal, meanwhile, explains the local political situation to Julien, providing him insight into the petty rivalries and disagreements of the small town. Julien notes the hypocrisy of the wealthy.

The King will visit Verrières; the news causes a stir in the small town. Preparations are made with haste, including the arrangement of an honor guard as part of the “pomp and ceremony” (103). Since the local church also has a famous relic, many clergymen will be needed. Mme. de Rênal uses her influence to have Julien included in the honor guard, even though he does not know how to ride a horse and the limited places are greatly sought after. M. Chélan also invites Julien to stand with the clergy. During the preparations, Julien sees the Bishop of Agde, who is waiting for his clerical hat to be brought to him. He enacts “some necessary ecclesiastical preparation” (110) while he waits. Julien is impressed by the young man, then begins to think about how he might raise himself to such a station and mingle with similarly-mannered people.

The King’s visit is a success. After he leaves, the town’s attention turns to Julien’s presence in the honor guard. People talk about how and why Mme. de Rênal worked so hard to get Julien, the son of a peasant, in the guard. This is an act of “sheer indecency” (117). When her youngest son falls sick, Mme. de Rênal becomes worried. She fears that God is punishing her for her “many sins” (119), yet she does not want to give up her adulterous affair with Julien. Instead, she debates whether she should confess her sins to her husband. The sickness and the fears bring Julien and Mme. de Rênal closer together. Their love intensifies. Though the boy eventually recovers, Élisa reveals the affair to M. de Rênal’s great rival, M. de Valenod. Since Valenod is also romantically interested in Mme. de Rênal and has been pursuing his own affair with her, he is enraged. Mme. de Rênal, however, has nothing but disdain for M. de Valenod.

M. de Rênal receives an anonymous letter (from M. de Valenod) which describes the affair between Mme. de Rênal and Julien. When Julien deduces that M. de Rênal suspects them, he urges Mme. de Rênal to be cautious. He ceases his nightly visits to her room, so she writes to him with a plan. She suggests that he write a second anonymous letter, also accusing her of the same sin. She will use this second letter to trick her husband into believing that the affair is nothing more than a scandalous rumor spread by his rivals, as they have done in the past.

M. de Rênal thinks about his wife’s affair. While reflecting on whether he believes the letter is true, he realizes that there is no one he trusts enough to confide in. He has no real friends, having betrayed or “estranged” (130) his old acquaintances in his rise to become mayor. Though he does not necessarily love his wife, he finds her politically and socially useful and would like their marriage to remain intact. When he meets his wife in the garden, she hands him the second anonymous letter (written by Julien). She accuses M. de Valenod of making romantic overtures to her and suggests that Élisa is responsible for spreading rumors to M. de Rênal’s rival. She even hints that there may be an affair between the two conspirators. Hinting at inappropriate letters she has received from M. de Valenod, M. de Rênal insists on forcing his way into her locked drawers and reading these letters for himself. Mme. de Rênal tries to convince her husband not to confront M. de Valenod.

Julien begins “to reproach himself for his conduct” (143) toward Mme. de Rênal. Meanwhile, M. de Rênal agrees to his wife’s suggestion that Julien should be sent away for a few days. In Verrières, Julien goes to M. Chélan’s new, cramped house and helps by assembling bookshelves. Word spreads that Julien is in town; M. de Valenod invites Julien to his home, believing that he may be able to outdo his social rival, M. de Rênal, by luring Julien away from him. Julien is offered more money, but he finds the entire dining experience to be inelegant; M. de Valenod’s family are pompous and materialistic, while he is horrified by M. de Valenod’s treatment of the poor, such as when he sends a servant to silence one of the poor people singing outside. His refusal drives a larger wedge between M. de Valenod and his rival, M. de Rênal.

M. de Rênal returns to Verrières with his family. Their attempts to maintain the appearance of a happy family prompt the narrator to comment that marriage extinguishes any passion that might have been in the relationship. The gloominess of the household is lightened by the arrival of Géronimo, an Italian singer who seeks a letter of recommendation from the mayor for the French court. Élisa continues to scheme against her former employer, Mme. de Rênal, and against Julien, who she believes rejected her for Mme. de Rênal. She plans to go to confession, whereupon she will tell her sins to M. Chélan. Another letter arrives from an anonymous source; M. de Rênal is outraged. M. Chélan, learning of the affair, gives Julien an ultimatum. He should either join the seminary right away or leave town to take up in the timber business with Fouqué. Julien accepts his mentor’s judgement. When he tells Mme. de Rênal, she is unable to truly enjoy their last night together because she is so sad at the “cruel idea of eternal separation” (169). Julien misinterprets her distress for a loss of love, causing him to resent Mme. de Rênal.

Julien travels to Besançon to join the seminary and to further his career in the Church. Entering the town, he is intrigued by the military fortifications. He finds a coffee shop where young men are playing billiards. Julien’s discomfort marks him out as a peasant, somewhat lost in the big city. He flirts with a waitress named Amanda, who encourages him not to confront a large man who stares at Julien in a reproachful way. Julien is eventually convinced, though he feels his honor has been impugned. Amanda writes a note, explaining how Julien might meet her again. He finds lodgings at a hotel, and the hostess agrees to store his secular clothing while he attends the seminary. She warns him about coffee shops being full of “good-for-nothings” (176).

Julien enters the seminary. Inside, he is led through the dimly lit rooms until he meets the master of the seminary, M. Pirard. Since he is a friend of M. Chélan, M. Pirard has agreed to offer Julien a scholarship. He makes clear to Julien that this vaunted scholarship is a favor to his old friend. Julien’s talent for Latin impresses M. Pirard, but the master also criticizes M. Chélan for failing to educate Julien in the more religious teachings of the Church. Feeling “completely drained” (183), Julien is then shown to his room, where he collapses into an exhausted sleep.

Quickly, Julien settles into a familiar pattern at the seminary: Everyone is against him, he believes, and he sees everyone as “enemies” (185) to be beaten. Julien makes an effort to engage in the internal seminary politics, choosing Abbé Pirard as his confessor over Pirard’s rival, Abbé Castanède. He soon learns, however, that M. Pirard is believed to be involved in Jansenism, a movement opposed to absolute monarchy and the unlimited power of the pope. At the same time, few of the other seminarians share Julien’s intellectual aptitude or his desire to dedicate himself to the Church. Most of them are “boorish peasants” (186) who are only interested in eating well and enjoying life in a more comfortable fashion than what they left behind. The only way in which they measure up to Julien is in their hypocrisy. Everything Julien does to try to integrate himself into the group only results in everyone disliking him even more. The other seminarians resent his performative piety, his intelligence, and his pride.

The followers of Abbé Castanède marginalize Julien so he experiences bouts of “total demoralization” (195). They follow their leader’s teachings that the Restoration government is ordained by God. From Julien’s perspective, these fellow students seem more interested in obtaining comfortable positions in rural parishes. They give Julien a nickname, referring to him as “Martin Luther” due to his intellectual pride, From their Catholic perspective, this nickname—referring to the German leader of the Protestant Reformation—comes close to an accusation of heresy.

Julien is assigned to Abbé Chas-Bernard to help with the decoration of a cathedral for a festival. Julien shows aptitude for this, scaling a high ladder to hang decorative flowers from the wooden beams above the altar. While the festival takes place, Julien is made to watch over the valuable church ornaments, lest they be stolen. When the cathedral is empty, he approaches two women who look familiar to him. He realizes that this is Mme. de Rênal and Mme. Derville. Mme. de Rênal faints upon seeing him, so he rushes to help her, only to be ordered away by a furious Mme. Derville. Julien is “trembling” (205) after the chance encounter with his former lover. He is consoled by the priest.

Abbé Pirard speaks to Julien, revealing that he is being pushed out of the seminary by his rivals. However, he praises Julien, even though Julien is “extremely rash and scatterbrained” (206). He wants to appoint Julien to a more elevated position before he leaves, suggesting that Julien should lecture in New and Old Testaments. After the promotion, Julien is finally treated with respect by the other seminarians who “[hate] him less” (207). When Fouqué sends gifts to the seminary in Julien’s name, this respect is deepened. During an important exam, however, Julien performs much worse than expected. He is lured into a discussion of Classical Roman texts with the examiner, who then criticizes him for citing secular texts. Julien knows that the examiners are appointed by Vicar-general de Frilair, the rival of Abbé Pirard, who wishes to punish his rival’s apparent protégé by marking him down for discussion of “useless of criminal ideas” (210).

When 500 francs is sent to Julien anonymously, he assumes that the money comes from Mme. de Rênal. In actual fact, it was sent by the Marquis de la Mole. The Marquis is a friend of Abbé Pirard, who recently provided him with some assistance in a legal matter. Since Pirard refused any compensation for himself, the Marquis decided to send the money to Pirard’s most promising student. At the same time, the marquis has arranged for M. Pirard to be given a comfortable post near Paris after he leaves the seminary. Pirard sends Julien to deliver his letter of resignation to the bishop. During the meal, the bishop is impressed by Julien and gifts him several valuable books by Tacitus. The bishop’s approval improves Julien’s standing at the seminary.

The Marquis tries to hire Abbé Pirard as a secretary. When Pirard turns the job down, however, he suggests that the Marquis hire Julien instead. Julien deliberates over whether to leave the seminary for this secular position. He visits Fouqué, then decides that he must see Mme. de Rênal. During their time apart, she has become increasingly religious. She has confessed her sins to M. Chélan and renounced Julien. When he approaches her, she does not want to see him after such a “cruel separation” (227). He learns that she did not send the 500 francs; she did, however, send letters, but these never reached Julien. In spite of himself, Julien cannot help but seduce her once again. He sneaks into her bedroom late at night with the help of a ladder. In the morning, he wants to stay. Mme. de Rênal tries to hide him, but her husband becomes suspicious. He is “seething with rage” (237). Julien flees the estate, chased by servants and dogs. He dodges bullets as he escapes.