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Part 1, Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Bonjour Tristesse, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Love vs. Passion
Decadence and Self-Destruction
Control
Summary
Analysis
Cécile prepares herself for Anne’s arrival, knowing that the carefree atmosphere she, her father, and Elsa have basked in in the past week will be gone as soon as Anne gets there. “Anne gave a shape to things and a meaning to words that my father and I preferred to ignore.” On the day of Anne’s arrival, Elsa and Raymond go to the train station in Fréjus to pick her up while Cécile stays back at the villa. Cécile walks down to the beach to wait for them. Cyril calls out to her, and she greets him demurely. Cyril is a serious person despite his youth, and Cécile, Raymond, and Elsa’s odd situation at the villa seems to unsettle him, though he politely doesn’t say anything about it.
The way Cécile phrases her distaste for Anne’s thoughtful disposition here is quite telling. She speaks not just for herself, but on Raymond’s behalf as well. In speaking of herself and her father as though they are a single, indivisible entity, Cécile signals not how aligned her and Raymond’s views are, but rather how she has coopted his ideals as her own. At this young age, she seems unable to form views of her own—and also unaware of how dependent her worldview is on her father’s. Though Cécile fancies herself a mature and sophisticated young woman, it’s clear to readers that she is in many ways still a child.
Active
Themes
As Cyril approaches Cécile, she says, “We were so happy,” lamenting Anne’s imminent arrival. Cyril kisses her, and she feels a pleasant “dizziness” inside. Just then, they hear a motor horn. Cécile leaves Cyril and runs back to the villa, surprised at how soon Raymond has returned. But when Cécile arrives at the house, she’s surprised to see Anne there by herself. Anne explains that she decided to just drive down from Paris. She’s amused when Cécile admits that her father is waiting for Anne at the train station. When Cécile mentions that Elsa Mackenbourg is staying with them, Anne seems a bit frazzled, which surprises Cécile, as Anne is usually so reserved. They briefly make somewhat awkward conversation, and then Cécile leaves Anne to rest. Pondering Anne’s response to Cécile’s mention of Elsa, Cécile briefly wonders if Anne is in love with Raymond.
For all her fears about Anne’s supposed closed-mindedness, Cécile herself seems ready enough to make judgments about Anne and the impact her presence will have on the summer holiday—all before Anne has even arrived. Cécile’s early judgment of Anne is hypocritical and further signals her immaturity. She comes off as a spoiled child determined to have as much fun as possible on her vacation and unwilling to compromise whatsoever. And in contrast, she doesn’t look at all like an adult ruminating on a perceived existential threat. Anne’s choice to drive herself to the villa rather than have Raymond pick her up at the train station gives more insight into her character. As Cécile has alluded, Anne is indeed an independent and self-assured woman who does things on her own terms. But Anne’s frazzled response to the mention of Elsa offers a possible clue as to her intentions for accepting Raymond’s invitation to the villa: perhaps she does have romantic feelings for Raymond after all.
Active
Themes
At five o’clock, Raymond and Elsa return to the villa. Raymond is amused when Cécile explains that Anne has already arrived. Anne leaves her room to greet them and is delighted with the flowers that Raymond has brought her. Inwardly, Cécile is rather offended that Anne has only emerged from her room to greet Raymond and apparently wasn’t interested in catching up with Cécile, but she doesn’t say anything.
Active
Themes
Dinner starts out happily enough. Raymond serves drinks, and he and Anne trade stories about the friends they have in common. But then, Anne calls Raymond’s business partner Lombard “an idiot.” Cécile interjects to defend Lombard, who she insists “can even be very amusing.” Anne doubles down and suggests, with biting condescension, that Lombard isn’t smart. Cécile is so impressed with Anne’s cool indifference that she drops it. That first night, Anne doesn’t appear bothered when Elsa goes to bed with Raymond. She even comments to Cécile that Elsa is a “very nice” young woman.
Active
Themes
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Cécile, reflecting back on that summer, describes “the presence of the sea with its incessant rhythm,” the constant backdrop of her story of this summer. She describes how Raymond taught her how to appreciate the good things in life and all the indulgences money can buy. To this day, she realizes, she’d rather give up introspection and deep thinking than give up these luxuries. “My love of pleasure seems to be the only consistent side of my character,” she observes. Cécile also notes how she acquired a “cynical attitude toward love” at far too young an age, thanks to Raymond’s influence.
