Real and Imagined Fears during the French Revolution in Morans Madame Tussaud - Essay Example

15 September Real and Imagined Fears during the French Revolution in Moran’s Madame Tussaud Fear can bring the worst out of people, including those who fear and those who are feared. Fear takes a different shape and direction, when it envelops the masses in eighteenth century France during the French Revolution. Michelle Moran provides a subjective sketch of this revolution in her novel, Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution. The novel is written from the perspective of Marie Grosholtz, later on called as Madame Tussaud. From Grosholtz’s viewpoint, she illustrates the chaotic transition of France from the monarchy of King Louis XVI to the revolution. England feared this happening to France because of how it could affect their relations with the latter and upset the former’s constitutional monarchy. The book helps readers understand the nineteenth century of fear because it explores the differences between real and imagined fears, as the discontent for social, gender, and racial stratification explodes through the manipulation of individuals with vested interests in overthrowing King Louis XVI. England would be afraid of a revolution happening in France because it can spill over to them and affect the relations between two countries. Uprisings have a way of affecting people in other nations. The King’s Swiss guards take immense caution in keeping the monarchy ignorant of the real state of their State. Edmund Grosholtz reminds her sister Marie that the reality of people not having enough to eat or light for their streets is not something that the royal family should know about: “These things are not spoken of to Their Majesties” (Moran 53). The idea of people rising up and displacing their own King and Queen will not be acceptable in England because they do not want it to happen there also. Also, Marquis de Lafayette wants the same democratic government as the Americans. This idea of democracy is a direct threat to English constitutional monarchy. Lafayette debates with Thomas Jefferson regarding the right political system for France. Lafayette desires democracy, while Jefferson believes that it is not an appropriate structure for France. Jefferson stresses that the idea of liberty is not easy to apply in real life: “France is not America. You must give a starving man scraps first. An entire feast will kill him” (Moran 120). These ideas are not favorable to the elites in England. This novel, although fictional, is good for history because it includes real historical characters and events and turns history into an engaging human story. Moran can enhance people’s interest in history, particularly the French Revolution, through adding breadth and emotion to well-known historical facts. Her use of Madam Tussaud as the narrator of the story enriches the perspective on the history. She may not be Marie Antoinette herself, but being friends or associates of these famous and infamous personalities lends credibility to her perspective. This novel teaches history through a conversational tone that can enthrall its audience. In Chapter 2, Marie Grosholtz narrates the debate about the Estates-General. The First Estate is made up of the clergy, the Second Estate, the nobility, and the Third Estate, the commoners. This is a historical event because “since 1614, the three estates are being called together to give advice to the monarchy. It is in such debt that only a miracle—or new taxes—will save them” (Moran 7). The discussion reveals how the commoners and people from the upper class feel about their social, economic, and political conditions in a more personal way than reading them from a history textbook that churns out cold facts. The novel also describes everyday experiences, including social and gender stratification in France. Moran reveals details about social class through describing how people treated one another, what they wore, what they ate, and where they live. In Chapter 4, Marie Grosholtz asks two boys to carry Madame du Barry’s wax figure to the workshop for five sous each. She notes that it is already a fair wage for a moment’s work, when compared to the daily wages of “20 sous” (Moran 21). These details define the conditions of poverty in eighteenth century France. Gender inequality is also shown in Madame Tussaud, which highlights the lengths successful women go through in order to attain their ambitions. Anna Grosholtz is so proud of her daughter who has a good livelihood. For her, to be a woman with money is important to being happy: “You will never have to marry for money. You will never have to depend on anyone but yourself” (Moran 23). Her statement depicts how hard it is for a woman to be successful during these times, the times when most women married for convenience. Rich women also marry for money, though women themselves do not always want to follow customs. Lucile wants to marry Camille, but her father turned him down once before, because he is only a lawyer with no title or wealth (Moran 37). Wolfgang is in love with a baron’s daughter, and he can only expect marriage, if he earns her father’s favor. In a patriarchal society, fathers choose for their daughters. Also, Grosholtz cannot marry because she thinks of how having a family can keep her from her work. Henri already expresses his love for her, but she thinks about her lost freedom, once she is married. Women bear the brunt of childcare and domestic duties, which will conflict with her work. Their museum demands most of her time and energy. Hence, this novel reveals the travesties of being a woman in this historical setting. Despite these disadvantages due to gender, the novel describes how women influence other women and men, so that they can impact their society. Madame Marie Grosholtz is not a pauper, but she is not wealthy enough to earn the good graces of the elite. Nevertheless, she uses her wit to compel Rose Bertin, Marie Antoinette’s dressmaker, to induce the Queen to visit Salon de Cire. Her attendance would be invaluable to the popularity and business of the wax salon. For Marie, it would place her salon at the “finest guidebooks to Paris” and will be related to the influential Marie Antoinette herself (Moran 6). Marie Grosholtz, however, is more timid in talking about politics than Lucile Duplessis. During the debate regarding the Estates-General, Lucile asserts that art is also a politicized process: “Art is politics” (Moran 8). Lucile is extremely open with her political views, no matter how much it nudges her to treason. As for power, some women have become powerful and wealthy from their own talents and efforts. Rose Bertin is a good example. She trained as an apprentice at Trait Galant and eventually opened her own shop, Le Grand Mongol without any male partners (Moran 14). To rise so high without the support of men, financially and in other terms, is not so common during those days and so her stature earned Grosholtz’s respect (Moran 14). Thus, the novel explores the ways by which women resisted gender inequality. Madame Tussaud is a novel that helps people understand the nineteenth century of fear by describing the difference between rumors and reality. Even if the novel is fictional, Moran takes great caution to represent people according to facts. Marie Antoinette, for instance, is not the awful spendthrift that her critics and the masses imagined her to be. In Chapter 4, Marie Antoinette is dressed in a simpler garb than what she usually wears during royal gatherings. It shows her sensitivity to the anger of the masses for the opulence of the royal family. Her simple attire and jewelry contrasted with her sister-in-law, Madame Elisabeth. She wore “rich brown silk and beige taffeta. Her ermine muff has been embroidered in gold, while the same lavish trim has been used for her gown,” while the Queen is dressed in “a gown of puce. She has used the smallest soupcon of rouge to enliven her cheeks, and her hair has been only lightly powdered…her necklace is of pearls, not diamonds, as are the rings on her fingers” (Moran 25). Clearly, Marie Antoinette is sensitive to the feelings of the masses, while her husband and sister-in-law are not. She is the Hungarian and yet she empathizes more with the masses than the French royalty. Apparently, the people feared something that was not entirely factual. Their idea of Marie Antoinette is far from whom she is a human being, at least based on this novel. Moreover, people fear the loss of their faith in the midst of corruption and ignorance in their society. A coachman reveals to Marie Grosholtz the depth of human fear: “Of course [they will not believe you that the political prisoners are not tortured]. They want to believe in the king’s cruelty. It’s better than believing that God and Nature are starving them to death” (Moran 176). People are so deep in their fears that their rationality no longer works. They prefer to preserve their faith than to acknowledge that they are being deceived by their media and political leaders. This novel further explores fear that comes from not knowing about other cultures in a more direct manner. Racial discrimination is prominent in feeding people’s hatred, and hatred sustains and develops fear. Jews, for instance, were not allowed French citizenship (Moran 73). The French look down on the Jews and do not see them as their equals. Many rich people hate Marie Antoinette because she is Hungarian. Bertin tells Madame Grosholtz: “How do you sell a foreign queen to a people determined to believe the worst?” (Moran 132). Racial discrimination affects people and makes them nervous of others. They tend to think the worst of what they are not accustomed to, such as a different race with a different culture, without even knowing who they truly are as human beings. Judgment on others is easily done, such as through racial slurs. In Chapter 4, the royal family visits Salon de Cire and the King explains to his children that their visitors smelled funny because they came from the “East,” which overlooks the fact that his wife came from the same territories (Moran 27). Some people who dislike Marie Antoinette believe she is dumb and arrogant. In the visit to the Salon de Cire, however, she shows intelligence by finding the right words to describe what she sees and feels, and courage, for walking onwards to the Cavern of Great Thieves, while the King shows some hesitancy (Moran 28). Marie Antoinette also exhibits proper decorum in several scenes too. After she sees her wax image in her dressing room, her daughter Madame Royale criticizes it for being “improper” (Moran 31). Marie Antoinette dismisses her child’s comments and compliments Curtius and Marie Grosholtz for their “exceptional museum” (Moran 31). Moreover, the Queen graciously accepts the home-cooked delicacy of Anna Grosholtz, and she stresses that she will never forget her trip to their museum (Moran 32). Not all fears are baseless, however, because some fears are hinged on the continued loss of civil rights and freedoms. The First and Second Estates fear the demands of the Third Estate. These demands include the notion that the First and Second Estates should also pay taxes, as well as equality before the law (Moran 37). The Third Estate fears themselves and the higher estates because of the lettres de cachet that permit anyone to be arrested: “The people live in fear of these lettres, which allow anyone to be arrested, so long as the king has signed the document” (Moran 39). The main problem is that rumors spread that the King does not even read the complaints and that he is in the habit of signing blank letters (Moran 37). Other fears, nonetheless, are based on rumors and people who want political changes for their self-interests. When Marie Grosholtz works for Madame Elisabeth, she learns that the latter plants trees and milks her cow and give them to the poor (Moran 63). Marie is surprised that the Duc d’ Orleans does not mention this generosity from the King’s family to Camille and Robespierre: “I think of his self-satisfied grin when Robespierre and Camille rage against the monarchy, and how he sits back and swirls his brandy when Marat asks him what should be done about our king” (Moran 63). The Duc knows how to play and feed people’s fears because he is aware of their vulnerability to manipulation and lies. Moreover, Marie Grosholtz learns that the riot at Reveillon’s is conspired. Most likely, the Duc paid people, who spread rumors that wages would be cut (Moran 110). Because of fear for their livelihood, the people trashed the factory and plundered it. These fears manifest the anxiety for economic and social inequality in the nation. Madame Tussaud opens the floodgates of human fear. When it consumes the masses, it can tear their rationality and lead to catastrophic results. This novel informs readers of the dangers of imagined and real fears. It is fictional but based on true people and events, which highlights the complexity of revolutions. This novel shows that when inequality is widespread, it is easy to use people’s fear to challenge and change the political leaders. Hence, fears can lead to revolutions, and sometimes, to social changes too, although the question of who leads next is not always easy to answer. Work Cited Moran, Michelle. Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution. New York: Random House, 2011. Kindle Edition. Read More