Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Thérèse Raquin, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Passion and Pleasure
Consequences and Delusion
Dependency and Resentment
Money, Greed, and Class
Summary
Analysis
Laurent is nervous but also satisfied about having achieved his goal of murdering Camille. Upon returning to Paris, he goes directly to Michaud’s home. He has decided to break the news to Michaud because he thinks it would be good to win over the trust of the former policeman. Olivier and Suzanne happen to be there, too, which is good because he also wants to convince Olivier he’s innocent. Another reason he doesn’t go straight to Madame Raquin’s is that he’s afraid he won’t be able to act convincingly sad—he knows she’ll be beside herself with grief and worries that he’ll be unable to cry enough to match her sorrow. Other than that, he doesn’t care about Madame Raquin’s reaction.
Laurent doesn’t seem at all remorseful about killing Camille. His lack of guilt is consistent with his tendency to always prioritize the pursuit of pleasure. Because he thinks Camille’s death will benefit him in the long run, he feels completely unbothered by what he has done. In fact, the only thing he’s concerned about at this point is ensuring that nobody—and especially nobody on the police force—suspects him of foul play.
Themes
As Laurent tells his story, he worries that Olivier suspects him of lying, since he’s staring at him with a blank expression. In reality, though, what Laurent thinks is suspicion is actually just “pity.” Michaud, for his part, yells out in grief, making it quite clear that he buys Laurent’s version of the story. At Michaud’s suggestion, they all go to tell Madame Raquin, but Michaud instructs Laurent to stay outside because his ragged appearance will alarm the old woman. As he waits, then, Laurent goes to a pâtisserie and gorges himself with sweets.
Again, Laurent is completely free of any guilt. He cares about whether or not he’ll get away with the murder, but beyond that, nothing about the entire event bothers him. The fact that he voraciously eats sweets at a nearby bakery while Michaud informs Madame Raquin that Camille is dead is a good illustration of how little Laurent cares about the ways in which his actions have affected others—all he cares about, in other words, is himself, so he has no problem eating pastries while everyone else falls into grief over what he has done.
Themes
Inside the haberdashery, Madame Raquin is absolutely beside herself with grief. She slumps to the floor and wails out, assaulted by images of her son drowning. She spent her entire life keeping him alive, and now he’s gone. After breaking the news, Michaud and Olivier accompany Laurent back to Saint-Ouen, where Thérèse is still lying in bed and refusing to speak to anyone. She has decided to pretend to be ill so as not to face anyone, but all she can think about is the image of Camille and Laurent fighting in the boat—an image that makes her feel feverish.
There’s a stark difference between Laurent and Thérèse’s immediate reactions to Camille’s death. The novel is mainly interested in presenting them as a united front that came together to kill Camille, but there’s no denying the fact that Laurent played a more consequential role in the murder—after all, he was the one to actually go through with the act of strangling Camille and throwing him into the water. And yet, Thérèse appears to feel more remorse than Laurent, suggesting that she has more of a moral conscience than him (an idea that makes sense, considering that he’s the one who prioritizes his own desires over all else).
Themes
Everyone believes Laurent’s story, especially because the rowers are still talking about having seen it themselves. Satisfied that he has acted well, he goes up to see Thérèse, but she trembles at the very sound of his voice and doesn’t say anything in return. On the way home, though, she lets him hold her hand, and their grasp is full of passion.
Even though Thérèse is distraught over what she and Laurent have done, she seems to allow herself to take comfort in the touch of her lover. Even now—after such an ugly incident—their passion for one another brings itself to bear, making it ever so slightly easier for Thérèse to cope with the otherwise impossible burden of what they’ve done.
Themes
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