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
On the morning of their wedding day, both Laurent and Thérèse are overjoyed, thinking they’ll finally be able to get some sleep. As he’s getting dressed, though, Laurent notices his bitemark scar again—when he grazes it, he has the sensation that something is piercing his skin. The wedding itself is unremarkable. Sitting at the reception, Laurent and Thérèse are surprised to feel the same as they did before getting married; waiting for so long has squashed their passionate desire for each other. Worse, a shooting pain jumps through Laurent’s scar every time he moves his head. By the time the day is over, they’re both weary and dreading their first night together. Nonetheless, Laurent makes his way into Thérèse’s bedroom, clinging to the door as if he’s drunk.
There’s nothing romantic about Thérèse and Laurent’s wedding. To the contrary, they both carry around a sense of dread, since it’s clear that their passion has fizzled out. And yet, they have no choice but to go through the motions, since everyone now expects them to be happy with one another. Plus, getting married was the whole point of murdering Camille in the first place—the only problem is that the murder now overshadows everything, making it impossible for them to actually enjoy themselves.
Themes
