2.6.7 Chapter Discussion and Week 18 Summary (Spoilers up to 2.6.7)

Many thanks and much appreciation for the dedication of u/m2pixie, who wrote up this summary in spite of being out of town this weekend.

Summary of chapters 2.6.1-2.6.7 (Week 18) : Number 62 Petite Rue Picpus is both cheerful and gloomy. It is very difficult for anyone to enter the grounds and even harder for anyone from outside the cloistered convent to enter. The nuns who live here, the Bernardines of the Perpetual Adoration, live a severe and austere life-- they wear harsh clothing, keep perpetual adoration of the Eucharist, never see the attending priest, do not permit any men on the property except the priest and gardener (who must wear a bell to keep the sisters away), do not keep personal belongings or attachments, and have a vault under their main altar where they want to be buried, although the government does not permit it. The boarding school at the convent is for girls only, and these students live similarly severe lives-- they are afraid of the outside world and follow the rituals of the convent as the sisters do. The students are permitted to play, and when they do, it is joyful. They eat strict meals so they secretly eat fruit they find, gossip about one of the women (Mme Albertine, who is not a nun), and do other silly things. The buildings of the convent enclosure include the Great Convent where the sisters live, the school where the students live, and the Little Convent where elderly nuns from various places live along with a few old society women. The prioress of the convent is Mother Innocent, who is well-read, smart, and has been re-elected. The nuns, while severe and fairly cruel to themselves, are kind and loving to the students they care for.

Questions for 2.6.7

1.) What comments do you have about the characters and story in this chapter? How do you view the characters' actions and their thoughts? Did the characters grow/change, was something out of character etc.?

2.) What are your thoughts about the author's craft (and/or translator's craft) in this chapter? Which line did you enjoy the most and which the least and why did you like/dislike this specific line? Were there any literary devices that stood out to you or descriptions of people, clothing, scenery etc. that were of interest to you?

3.) What questions does this chapter leave you with? what other topics would you like to discuss with the group?

Final Line:

It meant the opening of the main gate, a ghastly iron plate bristling with bolts that only turned on its hinges before the archbishop.

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