Self-Deceit and Discovery in Ourika
Seated at the end of a long path, almost completely concealed by a black veil, Ourika, a young black nun, awaits a doctor. She is dying – not from typhoid or any other contagious disease – but from a losing battle with lingering and sharp depression. Claire de Duras’s novel, Ourika, relates the story of a black girl raised in French society by the Mme la Maréchale de B, an aristocrat. At a young age, she becomes abruptly conscious of her race when she overhears a conversation between Mme de B. and her friend. She falls into a depression from which she never recovers. The black veil outwardly and appropriately conveys the inner Ourika, who hides her troubles from those who would help her and likewise hides from her own feelings of adoration for Charles, the Mademoiselle’s grandson. Until Ourika overhears the conversation held between Mme de B. and the marquise, she understands nothing about the social implication of being a black woman in a society of white people. As a little girl, she forms her identity and accepts her own worth based upon what is presented to her in her life – affection, education, and love by those surrounding her, namely Charles and the Mme de B. and her social circle. “I didn’t regr
Her self-conception takes the form of her depression and she resists revealing her troubled self and the details of her feelings to those close to her. She says nothing to Charles about the thoughts that consume her. “It would have taken too long to have explained my wretched problems to him” she rationalizes (18). On the other hand, if he had questioned her about her behavior, she would have divulged her secrets, but Charles “never guessed that [she] too might have secrets” (27). Although Charles sees Ourika unwell frequently, he fails to explicitly ask about the cause of her melancholy, and she fails to open up to him on her own accord. One day, the two meet in a forest, and Charles describes the fantastic love he feels for his new wife. His words exacerbate Ourika’s feelings of isolation; it overwhelms her and she faints. When she awakens, Charles finally does question her, yet Ourika makes up a story about the heat and the length of the walk. When he accepts her explanation, she fills with resentment. With solace and understanding is right in front of her for the taking, Ourika cannot bring herself to uncover her wounds. She remains comfortably yet miserably in hiding. After listening to the marquise, Ourika’s conscience shouts, “She is right, I am guilty” (43). Ourika concludes that it is a sin to abandon herself to unhappiness. Once the veil of self-deceit is lifted, peace is attained, and Ourika dies with calm restored to her stormy mind, its “pacified waves” falling into a “tranquil sea” (46). Since she cannot achieve marriage with the man of her dreams, she chooses a marriage with God. Ourika gives herself to those tha
Some topics in this essay:
Charles Mme,
Charles Ourika,
Indeed Charles,
,
Charles Mademoiselle’s,
mme de,
heart ourika,
black veil,
ourika hides,
43 ourika,
42 ourika,
own feelings,
overhears conversation,
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Approximate Word count = 1135
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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