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
Putting their plan to get married in motion, Thérèse starts acting glum and depressed around Madame Raquin. Her aunt is deeply concerned, so she asks Michaud what to do, and Michaud says the solution is obvious: Thérèse needs a new husband. At first, Madame Raquin is taken aback by such a suggestion, not yet ready to move on from her son’s death. Slowly but surely, though, she comes around to the idea. The problem, however, is that she fears marrying Thérèse off to a stranger, not wanting that person to come into her own life and disrupt things—after all, she has 40,000 francs of savings, so she doesn’t want someone untrustworthy to have access to that kind of money.
The ease with which Laurent and Thérèse manipulate Michaud into suggesting that Thérèse needs a new husband underscores just how ignorant and oblivious Madame Raquin and her friends really are. Even though Michaud dedicated his life to policework, he’s not in the least suspicious of either Thérèse or Laurent. To the contrary, he’s susceptible to their sinister control, implying that the people Camille respected so much are, in reality, rather unintelligent.
Themes
As Thérèse acts depressed, Laurent turns on the charm. He starts coming to the haberdashery all the time and showering Madame Raquin in affection. He also speaks frequently about Camille in admiring tones, and since everyone else avoids the subject, this endears him to the old woman. He has noticed that anytime Camille’s name comes up, Madame Raquin becomes extremely emotional, so he uses her emotional vulnerability to his own benefit—she becomes especially “compliant” when she’s weeping. One thing he doesn’t like, though, is that Thérèse watches him in a strange way when he talks about Camille, causing him to wonder if she really believes the positive things he says about the dead man—a thought that makes him jealous.
A skilled manipulator, Laurent knows exactly how to make sure Madame Raquin sees him as a kind, caring person. The fact that he has no problem speaking about Camille in this context underscores his lack of guilt (or at least the kind of guilt most people would have in such a situation). As long as he stands to benefit from talking about the man he killed, Laurent doesn’t mind going on at length about how great Camille was—yet another reminder that he’s willing to do anything if he thinks it will make his own life better.
Themes
One Thursday, Laurent comes to the weekly social gathering at the haberdashery, makes his way to Thérèse, and—in front of everyone—kindly asks how she has been holding up. As he speaks in soothing tones, Michaud pulls Madame Raquin aside and says Laurent is the husband Thérèse needs—a solution Madame Raquin finds very agreeable, since she already trusts Laurent and almost sees him as a son. On the walk home that night, Michaud proposes the idea to Laurent, proud of himself for being such a savvy matchmaker. Meanwhile, Madame Raquin broaches the topic with Thérèse. In both cases, the lovers resist at first but eventually agree to marry.
Thérèse and Laurent’s plan works: they subtly manipulate other people into thinking that it would be a splendid idea for them to get married. In doing so, they avoid any suspicion they might otherwise attract by announcing the idea themselves. Every time the murderers hatch a plan, it seems, they have no issues pulling it off. The only remaining question, then, is whether or not they’ll really be able to move on from Camille’s murder. Judging by the fact that their reignited connection brings on troubling thoughts about Camille’s corpse, it’s unlikely that getting married will do anything to help them. More likely, it’ll work against them.
Themes
The next day, Laurent goes to the haberdashery and asks Thérèse in front of Madame Raquin and Michaud if she wants to make her “aunt’s existence a happy and peaceful one.” Thérèse says yes, adding that they have to “fulfil [their] duty.” They clasp hands, and then Laurent turns to Madame Raquin and says that Camille said, as he was falling out of the boat, to save Thérèse—which, he says, is exactly what he’s doing by marrying her now, effectively acting on Camille’s “last wish.” Madame Raquin is touched by the sentiment, but Thérèse is appalled. She drops Laurent’s hand, stunned by his audacity.
In this moment, Thérèse catches a glimpse of Laurent’s true nature. She realizes that he has no shame at all when it comes to getting what he wants. He will do anything to ensure his own happiness or wellbeing, and he has no qualms about exploiting Madame Raquin’s grief. She, on the other hand, does seem to feel some remorse about what they’ve done, so it’s shocking to see just how callous and cold-hearted Laurent really is.
Themes
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Michaud urges the lovers to kiss, so they do. When their lips meet, they both feel uncomfortable and odd—Thérèse even backs away as if she has been burned. In the following days, Laurent writes for permission from his father, who responds by saying that he doesn’t care what his son does. Madame Raquin feels so bad when Laurent shows her the letter that she signs over her 40,000 francs of savings to the newlyweds. It’s agreed that Laurent won’t have to bring in any money; he even makes it clear that he intends to retire.
Laurent is finally getting everything he originally wanted. He’s about to marry Thérèse, and Madame Raquin has just given him access to her money, meaning that he can lead the “idle” life he has always wanted. But none of this changes the fact that he and Thérèse now have a completely different kind of relationship—a relationship in which even an innocent kiss is deeply unenjoyable, ultimately signaling that whatever passion they might still have for each other is unlikely to survive, since they both remind each other of the horrible thing they did to Camille.
Themes
