Madame Baudu Character Analysis in The Ladies’ Paradise

Madame Baudu is Baudu’s wife. She is pale and quiet, and these qualities increase as her family sinks closer to bankruptcy. Unlike her husband, Madame Baudu is perceptive of Colomban’s betrayal and Geneviève’s suffering. After Geneviève dies, Madame Baudu’s health worsens quickly. She passes away after several weeks of lying motionless and staring at the Ladies’ Paradise—her family’s enemy—through her window.

Madame Baudu Quotes in The Ladies’ Paradise

The The Ladies’ Paradise quotes below are all either spoken by Madame Baudu or refer to Madame Baudu . 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:

It was true, it was stealing everything from them: from the father, his money; from the mother, her dying child; from the daughter, a husband for whom she had waited ten years.

Related Characters: Geneviève Baudu , Baudu , Madame Baudu , Colomban , Clara Prunaire

Related Symbols: The Ladies’ Paradise

Page Number and Citation: 231

Explanation and Analysis:

Madame Baudu Character Timeline in The Ladies’ Paradise

The timeline below shows where the character Madame Baudu appears in The Ladies’ Paradise. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...smoke, stacked with dark piles of fabric, and smells of chemicals. Baudu introduces his wife, Madame Baudu , and his daughter Geneviève. Geneviève stares at Denise’s small parcel, and Denise explains that... (full context)

Madame Baudu says that Pépé can stay with Madame Gras, a woman who runs a children’s boarding... (full context)

...repulsed by Baudu’s old-fashioned shop. She remarks at the success of the Ladies’ Paradise, and Madame Baudu turns white. Geneviève looks suspiciously at Colomban, who is slyly enraptured by the Paradise. Baudu... (full context)

...married Caroline Hédouin, the widowed daughter of the Deleuze brothers, who founded the Ladies’ Paradise. Madame Baudu says that Mouret killed Madame Hédouin; she fell in a hole on the building site,... (full context)

...his business, he doesn’t need to use tricks to sell. Geneviève names Baudu’s loyal customers. Madame Baudu explains how the Paradise grew overnight, whereas Baudu’s has been the same for generations. Denise... (full context)

...feels that the little store looks dirtier than usual. Inside, the atmosphere is also sadder. Madame Baudu and Geneviève stand motionless until Denise kisses them, asking them to forgive her. Baudu asks... (full context)

That evening, Madame Baudu lies in bed while Baudu paces the bedroom. He says that although the Lhommes have... (full context)

...night in their bedroom, Baudu reiterates his determination to save the Vieil Elbeuf for Colomban. Madame Baudu says that postponing the wedding will be the death of Geneviève. Baudu gets angry, wondering... (full context)

...to lie. The Ladies’ Paradise has taken everything from the Baudus: it took Baudu’s money, Madame Baudu ’s daughter, and Geneviève’s fiancé of 10 years. Denise wonders if she should feel remorse... (full context)

...is in such a state of disrepair that it looks ready to collapse. Denise finds Madame Baudu sitting in the shop, her eyes glazed with tears. Madame Baudu says that Baudu is... (full context)

...the throes of despair over a woman. Denise chokes back tears at the sight of Madame Baudu and Baudu sitting in their crumbling shop, crushed by grief. (full context)

...the Ladies’ Paradise. In the meantime, Denise visits the Baudus often, trying to cheer up Madame Baudu , who seems to be dying. (full context)

One day in January, Madame Baudu dies. For the last few days of her life, she sat motionless in bed. She... (full context)

Madame Baudu Character Analysis

Madame Baudu Quotes in The Ladies’ Paradise

Chapter 8 Quotes

Madame Baudu Character Timeline in The Ladies’ Paradise