Book Report

January 27, 2010

Book Title:The Lady of the Camellias

Author:Dumas, Alexandre,Fils

Topic:The love affection between Marguerite and Armand

The Lady of the Camellias

The love affection between Marguerite and Armand

The Lady of the Camellias is a classic book written by French author Dumas, Alexandre, Fils(1824-1895). The story set in Paris. It was published in 1848. Dumas, Alexandre, Fils was a French novelist and playwright. The Lady of the Camellias was Dumas? first novel and later he adapted it into a play ,known in English as Camille,first performed in 1852.

The Lady of the Camellias is the story of Marguerite Gartier, a young courtesan,or kept woman and how she fell in love with a young man, Armand Duval, and then tried to escape from her questionable past. Unfortunately, it came back to haunt her and she ended up

returning to that life and died alone and painfully, but with the knowledge that she was a nobel woman at heart.

When I first began to read this book, I did not care for Marguerite, her attitude or lifestyle, but as I got further into the story, I realized that her saucy attitude was a front to cover the lonely woman that she really was. She felt abused and unloved, until the gentle Armand Duval came into her life and showed her that he loved her indeed as a person and not for what she could do for him. I think Marguerite must have taken great courage to make up her mind to leave the life she had lived for long. It showed that Marguerite really loved Armand Duval as she could chang herself for him. However, things were not went smoothly like what they

imagined.At that time,Mr Duval, Armand?s father, came to plead Marguerite to leave his son so as to save Armand?s reputation. As we can see from what Armand?s father said to Marguerite, we can know that Armand?s father is a father who did and thought everything for the sake of his son and wanted him to live a better life like other fathers will do for their sons or daughters in actual life. Mr Duval is a traditional father as he couldn?t accept his son lived with a

courtesan.Marguerite saw a way to become pure of her heart, if not in body. Because she loved 1

Armand so much, she did what Armand?s father had said to her. Although it meant giving up her own happiness and hurting Armand temporarily, she reluctantly returned to her former life. Marguerite believed that some day Armand would forgive her. Sadly, she died in debt and basically alone, except for her one feamle friend, Julie Duprat, who helped her during her illness. She had her diary sent to Armand after her death, explaining why she had made the choices.

There are two main characters in this novel, Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval. I was deeply impressed by Marguerite. She was a beautiful、smart and kindhearted woman.Although she was to be driven to courtesan, she still maintain a nobel and pure soul. She was passionate and full of hope to pursue a real love affection. However, when this hope has to be shattered, she was willing to sacrifice herself to help other people to achieve their aims. All that I can see a holy glory from Marguerite so that when people refer to the lady of camellias, it first occur to people is a beautiful and lovely and also deserve to show deep sympathy woman , not a

low-down courtesan. Armand is a very single minded man that he can abandon everything as long as he can be with the woman he loved. Unfortunately, because of his social status and money, which made him has a sense of inferiority and he wasn?t sure for what he had made up his mind. As a result, he felt very doubtful whether he loved Marguerite or not. He was inclined to hesitate for something expecially to love affection.

Julie Duprat is Marguerite?s neighbour. She is a kindhearted woman. As there is a detial in the story: when Marguerite was dided, only Julie Duprat put Marguerite?s corpse in coffin. On the contrary, the writer aim to satirize other people in this story who were pretended to be

friendly with Marguerite as they can get benefit from Marguerite when she was alive. To some extent, it expressed the writer?s cynical attitude to some people,like one duke mentioned in the story. Marguerite?s sister also was a kindhearted woman.There was a detial described in that book??The sister's eyes had opened wide when the agent had written telling her that she had come into fifty thousand francs.”(appear in Chapter Four) From her sister?s reaction, we can conclude that the death of Marguerite was a shock to her sister and it must have been many years that she didn?t see Marguerite. “bearing away from her sister's death a deep sadness which was, however, eased by an investment at four and a half per cent which she had just made.”(appear in Chapter Four) From this ,we can see Marguerite?s sister was a kindhearted woman and was?t greedy for money..

I really enjoy this when I was reading it and this book is indeed worth to having a

see.When this book was published in 1848, it hit the whole nation in France. Although the upper class criticized it indignantly. They thought embroider the life of courteasn is licentioius. More people were conquerred by that moving story instead. The sad fate of Marguerite and Armand strongly impressed many readers. Marguerite taught me a lot. To love someone is just let him or her be happy. Marguerite threw out the lord who can repayed her all debts and lived 2

with Armand. But when Armand?s father reminded her that she is just a courtesan, she realized

she couldn?t be recognized in Armand?s family, she will stain Armand?s reputation. So she left

him. Marguerite?s love is unselfish. Her unselflish saved Armand?s reputation.

As far as the other characters in the book, I think Marguerite was right in saying that no

one truly cared about her, but only wanted something from her, the only exceptions being

Armand and Julie Duprat. Of course, the Comte de G. and Comte de N. wanted her body and

appearance. The Duke needed to “wake up and smell the coffee” and realize that she could

never replace his dead daughter. If he truly cared, he could have helped her leave her lifestyle

without “keeping” her himself. And lastly, Prudence was a blood-sucking leech who used

Marguerite almost worse than the men. I also think she was jealous of the fact tha Marguerite

had so much more courage than herself and someone truly loved her. I understand that Camille

is just like the camellia, Marguerite could never escape from the destiny of withering. But it

wasn't her fault; it is because of the evil of Capitalism and the hideousness of that society.

I think the most moving part in that novel is that although Armand?s family prevented

them to living together, Marguerite and Armand have been separated, they still loved each

other. Even though Marguerite died finally, the true loving between this two people was so

moving. The most precious things in the world are the true love among people and the real love

engraved in our heart. It remind me that we must cherish everything and everyone we meet in

our lives.

This story is centred on Marguerte and Armand?s intricate loving affection and in the end

the heroine was died. It is a tragedy endin . My final thoughts on “The Lady of the Camellias”

are that it telling about an affection story on love but I am not entirely sure if I completely

understood the thematic message of the book. The story is so moving and it arouse my

curiosity and drove me to go through it. I realized that a person can make the wrong choices in

life when they are young, and try to redeem themselves, but sometimes past situations prevent

them from changing their lives, even though the desperately wish to do so. This applies to both

men and women in many different types of circumstance:involvement in crime; drug or alcohol

abuse; gambling.prostitution; financial problems; poor marriage choices. And this is the fact,

which exists in the whole society.

I remembered a saying: "Women are like the flowers". Those pretty women are like those

beautiful flowers; their delicate beauty makes people feel they are the miracle of life. However,

even the God envies their beauty. It seems that beautiful women always have tragic endings.

As we are normal persons, even we can see the hideousness of humanity that results in their

fate of withering, we can at most ask quietly in our hearts: Where have those beautiful flowers

gone? Where have they gone? After reading it , I also realize that everyone has its own pure

pursuit in their inner heart. No matter how much pressure from outside world, we must stick to

protect that beautiful seed, and make it abloom and bear fruit.

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