Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

by Sarah Vowell

Adrienne de Lafayette Character Analysis

A wealthy French woman who married Lafayette at only 12, Adrienne would prove to be a loyal wife and mother for the next several decades. Though Lafayette constantly abandoned her to go fight in the Revolution—to the extent that he did not return home even when their baby daughter died—Adrienne supported her husband’s military and political endeavors. Moreover, Adrienne was also the recipient of many of Lafayette’s most revealing letters.

Adrienne de Lafayette Quotes in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

The Lafayette in the Somewhat United States quotes below are all either spoken by Adrienne de Lafayette or refer to Adrienne de Lafayette . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Democracy, Disagreement, and Compromise Theme Icon
).

Pages 60-125 Quotes

To establish such a forthright dreamland of decency, who wouldn’t sign up to shoot at a few thousand Englishmen, just as long as Mr. Bean wasn’t one of them? Alas, from my end of history there’s a big file cabinet blocking the view of the sweet natured Republic Lafayette foretold, and it’s where the guvment keeps the folders full of Indian treaties, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and NSA-monitored electronic messages pertinent to national security.

Related Characters: Sarah Vowell (speaker), Marquis de Lafayette, Adrienne de Lafayette
Page Number and Citation: 71
Explanation and Analysis:

While the melodrama of hucking crates of tea into Boston Harbor continues to inspire civic-minded hotheads to this day, it’s worth remembering the hordes of stoic colonial women who simply swore off tea and steeped basil leaves in boiling water to make the same point. What’s more valiant: littering from a wharf or years of doing chores and looking after children from dawn to dark without caffeine?

Related Characters: Sarah Vowell (speaker), Marquis de Lafayette, Adrienne de Lafayette
Page Number and Citation: 121
Explanation and Analysis:

Pages 126-190 Quotes

“The loss of our poor child is almost constantly in my thoughts,” [Lafayette] wrote to Adrienne. “This sad news followed immediately that of the treaty; and while my heart was torn by grief, I was obliged to receive and take part in expressions of public joy.”

Related Characters: Sarah Vowell (speaker), Marquis de Lafayette (speaker), Adrienne de Lafayette
Page Number and Citation: 172
Explanation and Analysis:
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Adrienne de Lafayette Character Timeline in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

The timeline below shows where the character Adrienne de Lafayette appears in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 1-59
Democracy, Disagreement, and Compromise Theme Icon
Freedom and Protest Theme Icon
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
...one through marriage. By the time he was 15, however, he was paired up with Adrienne, the daughter of the powerful French noble Jean de Noailles. The marriage cemented both Lafayette... (full context)
Youthful Glory vs. Mature Leadership Theme Icon
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
...he put it, “I did not hesitate to preserve my independence”). Instead, soon after getting Adrienne pregnant, Lafayette joined the mysterious Freemason society, where he heard news that the American Revolution... (full context)
Pages 60-125
Youthful Glory vs. Mature Leadership Theme Icon
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
Lafayette’s secret exit horrified Noailles and upset Adrienne, his now very pregnant wife. For his part, Lafayette’s guilt about leaving his wife did... (full context)
Landscape and Historical Memory Theme Icon
Freedom and Protest Theme Icon
...paid for). Though many of his comrades complained of the physical hardship, Lafayette’s letters to Adrienne were filled only with praise for the “vast forests and immense rivers” he encountered. He... (full context)
Pages 126-190
Youthful Glory vs. Mature Leadership Theme Icon
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
Meanwhile, back home in France, Adrienne fretted that Lafayette had been killed in battle. When she learned it was only a... (full context)
Democracy, Disagreement, and Compromise Theme Icon
A few months later in 1778, as Lafayette wrote home to his wife Adrienne, the anti-Washington gossip in Congress still had not quieted down. While Washington was trying to—at... (full context)
Youthful Glory vs. Mature Leadership Theme Icon
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
...baby daughter had died back in France. Though Lafayette expressed his grief in letters to Adrienne, he continued to lead military parades to honor the new Franco-American alliance. (full context)
Pages 190-268
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
...not conceal the depths of French enthusiasm for Lafayette’s victories abroad. While home, Lafayette got Adrienne pregnant again (with a son he later named George Washington Lafayette). He also nagged Vergennes... (full context)
Freedom and Protest Theme Icon
War, Politics, and Family Theme Icon
...intense violence that ultimately marked the downfall of the French Revolution. In fact, Lafayette’s wife, Adrienne, would have been a victim of the Terror were it not for some last-minute U.S.... (full context)