Outside Reading Quarter 3: Post 3

We are often told to look for the good in the people around us, especially the people we dislike. The book “Suite Francaise” shows examples of peoples’ enemies that turned out to be much more pleasant and good-natured that expected, but I also shows people who, even when pressed with love, projected only hatred and contempt. As soldiers approach a small village, all the people in the village shut themselves in their houses due to their fear of the Germans. When the soldiers arrive the villagers realize they are not that bad at all. As a boy gazes upon the soldier he hears, “shouting, laughter, singing”(103). These are not the sounds they expected to hear, and are just what you would expect from any victorious soldier. While the thought of France being taken over is still painful for the boy, he the soldiers were much more human that earlier predicted by all. The opposite of this was also seen as Father Pericand leads a group of juvenile delinquents out of Paris. The priest doesn’t admit it, but can’t stand being around the children. He tries to be friendly and share God’s love, but he realizes, “their souls were shut off, walled up”(136). As the priest doesn’t enjoy the company of the children, he still tries to find some joy in their souls, but ends up finding none. The book sends mixed messages on regards to what to expect from those you don’t get along with. The book is consistent however, in that it always shows examples of people attempting to change their perception of others.

Another idea brought up in “Suite Francaise” is that with the right expectations many situations will turn out to be not so bad. A woman grieves in the absence of her son who is off fighting in the war. This grief is fueled by her continual search for him whenever troops pass by. This bad expectation for her son to turn up makes the situation much worse, and brings out her pain each time. This change of expectations ends up helping Gabriel Corte, a snobby, rich celebrity. When he finally finds a room to stay in at a familiar hotel, Gabriel is given a room on the 4th floor, much below his usual standards. In response to an apology for the bad accommodations, Gabriel says, “nothing matters at the moment”(157). Gabriel is used to the top floor, but has changed his expectations and thus is not disappointed and actually relieved by any room he can get. The responses of the characters in this novel support that with adjusted expectations, many situations aren’t as bad as they may seem.

Nemirovsky, Irene. “Suite Francaise”. New York: Random House, 2006.

Outside Reading Quarter 3: Post 2

In the novel “Suite Francaise”, Irene Nemirovsky writes very short paragraphs, with each paragraph
following a different family. There are around five different stories in the beginning of the novel,
but they start to intertwine as the story progresses. The different characters allow for different
perspective into the same situation, creating an in depth setting. By keeping the paragraphs short,
the story flows well, and sections don’t get to far apart time-wise. I like the style, and it keeps me
reading because every chapter you read you only get a glimpse of what is happening to each character.


Early on there is a lot of tension between the different social classes of people. The morals of the
rich disgust the poor, and the poor get in the way of the affluent. However, as the bombs begin to fall
on the refugees they start to care for each other, disregarding previous differences. A lower class
woman goes out of her way to help lost children find their mothers. Jeanne Michaud takes the children,
“to the cathedral” and directed their parents where to find them (61). Jeanne does this without
thinking of what class the parent of the children is, and simply does it out of an empathetic kindness.
Earlier in the novel every line of Jeanne reflects her view toward other social classes, and here she is seen
helping everyone around her. A wealthy dancer also helps a young man find a room to stay in before
getting to know him. She tells the boy she will, “go downstairs and ask for a room” for him (96). The
boy turns out to be from a wealthy family, but this act of kindness toward another person wasn’t seen any
other time from the actress. The actions of people from all classes changed when they had to leave their
homes. As shown by many characters in “Suite Francaise”, when survival is at the front of people’s mind,
they may act more indifferently towards each other and erase the distinct lines of social class.

Nemirovsky, Irene. “Suite Francaise”. New York: Random House, 2006.

Outside Reading Quarter 3: Post 1

The novel “Suite Française” takes place in the year 1940 in France. The novel opens in Paris, following several families and their attempt to flee the city. The people in the city seem to be scared of the war coming on them, but none of the families were in a frantic rush to leave the city as quickly as possible. The novel highlights the reactions of different individuals to the pending threat of German invasion of Paris. A poor, working class couple is sad, yet not scared of dieing. A rich writer is annoyed at his uprooting. A rich family gathers their many precious belongings and drives their servants to a friend’s estate. The wide range of social standing and attitude reflects how World War II affected everyone, not only those with family members in the war. Looking back at the war people would realize that they should have left their houses in Paris immediately, but fear can make people act strangely.

A major theme introduce in the beginning of the novel is how attitude can affect one’s flexibility and well-being. Some people see the war coming and continue to look for loved ones gone away to fight for their country, the hopeful yet sad feeling. Jeanne Michaud scans soldiers looking for her son and tells herself, “He does look like him, doesn’t he?”(56). Jeanne wants her son to be alive, and scans troops to find him. She knows this hope is in vain, and her son is hundreds of miles away, but it is the hope that keeps her spirits up. Some people, on the other hand, address the war as a vacation, not realizing the severity of the situation. Madame Pericand didn’t pack very much food, and went to a food shop along the way out of Paris. When asking for some biscuits the grocer replies, “We’ve got nothing left, Madame”(52). Madame Pericand surely understands there is a war going on, but didn’t realize what it would mean to her life style. She doesn’t understand what she must give up in the time of war, and has a hard time adjusting. The different attitudes of the people fleeing Paris show that one’s attitude is the basis for one’s flexibility.

Nemirovsky, Irene. “Suite Francaise”. New York: Random House, 2006.