It was a family that cared for me, and I was satisfied with their company. I’ve never had a woman love me to the level that Madame Raquin did, and probably took the comfort of her lap for granted. I was fed, sheltered and looked after. It was only she who caressed me with physical affection, for Camille was in no state to care for others, and all the love Therese could give was through her eyes.

 From dawn to dusk, the house laid still. Neither a burst of laughter nor a stifled cry was heard. The ennui of the day was the silence of the night, and mere satisfaction these three people received from this was nothing. Nothing. The placidness of Madame Raquin and Camille were too dilute for Therese, whose fierce nature was subdued and kept within, waiting to be unleashed. Camille was absolutely self-absorbed in his emaciated self, ignorant of his surroundings. This was fuelled by Madame Raquin, infantilising him in every possible manner. Not only did this stunt his physique, but halted his personality substantially.   The mother and son duo were content with the tedium of their lives, but I knew Therese wasn’t. The bonds within this woman were too strong to be broken, I thought, Camille and Madame Raquin were too simple. She would have to be utterly broken down in order to see eye to eye with them. 

Yet it was not until this big, burly French man walked into the haberdashery with our scrawny Camille that I realised that there was no chemical reaction because the reactants were in the wrong place all this while. My dear Therese latched onto Laurent like a substrate to the active site of an enzyme, stimulating a reaction that resulted in the ultimate destruction of a household that was already crumbling.  Some reactions don’t cause an explosion, but corrode the basin they take place in. The reaction due to the reaction of Laurent and Therese was so corrosive that it destroyed any potential living thing in that household. And the catalyst was the darkness that this took place in – the damp, dark, and decomposed haberdashery of Pont du-Neuf.

It was as if the passion unleashed out of Therese’s capsule because of this meeting. I would’ve never believed it.  The two subjects reacted with each other so violently yet silently that no one even noticed. It was disturbing. I had never seen Therese so consumed by the physical attraction of Laurent, a doll brought to life, pouring out her emotions. This force of attraction caused a stark difference in Therese, and it began to occur to me that this reaction was spinning out of control.

But little did I know that it would spin so out of control that everyone would be destroyed. I did not realise Camille’s absence until I noticed Laurent in Therese’s bedroom, and it was then I knew the horrendous crime conducted by the two. In order to correct a crime, another crime was made. Camille was out of the picture, and Therese and Laurent were now driven insane by the mere memory of him.

It was too late. The observer cannot halt the reaction once it has begun, and once it spins out of control, it spares no one. I was lucky to survive after the attack by Laurent, and I was lucky to not witness the final destruction of the two human beings. However Madame Raquin couldn’t, and was bound by the consequences of a mutually destructive relationship. 

I was the witness of it all; from the birth of Therese’s and Laurent’s relationship to the dying bubbles and effervescence post Camille’s death. From the hum of the relentless monotony to the sweet cacophony of Laurent’s nature, to no sound at all. It was probably my greatest regret – not being able to save a house while I was in it. But I was only a mere observer – I watch the reaction take place, record my observations, then move on. Neither could I have helped Madame Raquin in avenging her son’s death, or arrest the relationship between two people which was solely based on animalistic desires. 

 I purr in dismay as I am jolted out of memory. Continuing to amble on my path, I halt in front of the building that I used to call my home. The bittersweet moments of when I was looked after were still fresh in my brain. I watch through the window a new family, quite similar to mine. I watch as the grime from the alley travel towards them, and almost mechanically, I see it encapsulate them the same way the grime choked Therese.  And that’s when I know.  I watch the mother caress her son, with the affection and fondness of Madame Raquin, and the girl’s fierceness in her eyes, a flame threatened to be extinguished…

One of the key narrative elements in Therese Raquin is the close observation of the environment in which the characters operate. In a scientific investigation scenario, observations are crucial in determining and analysing an outcome of the experiment. Zola uses the idea of observing in his novel extensively. This can be seen when using characters such as Francois the cat and Madame Raquin in the story as ‘watchers.’ For example, towards the end of the novel Madame Raquin is described as watching Therese and Laurent crumble and commit suicide, “unable to feast her eyes” enough (Chapter 32, page 256). Francois the cat materialises in different parts of the novel, appearing to observe the Raquin family in their daily life. He “stares” and “examines [the lovers] carefully” at the peak of their relationship (Chapter 7, page 70), and also watches them at the demise of their relationship when they have been consumed by the effects of their environment. Inspired by Zola’s use of the cat in Therese Raquin, in my story, Francois analyses his present  surroundings  and watches his former home at the haberdashery while remaining as emotionless as possible about the family with whom he previously lived.

Another element used in my story is the type of setting  in Therese Raquin. Zola describes the harsh reality of the Passage du-Pont Neuf, a “narrow, dark corridor” that exudes a “damp and pungent smell” (Chapter 1, Page 31). He also describes the walls of the alley as a “leprous rash” (Chapter 1, Page 32), which further develops the gloominess of the setting, implying how the negativity infuses the place spreads like a disease. The spread of this disease is what consumes Therese and Laurent, as well as fuels the start of their relationship. The Passage du-Pont Neuf, as in my story, is the ‘catalyst’ of the chemistry between Therese and Laurent, as well as the ‘catalyst’ that fuels their death. The setting is key in the plot, as it shows the development of the characters, as well as the process of the science experiment, which demonstrates the “modification of organisms [when] subjected to the pressure of its environment and circumstances” (Zola, Therese Raquin, Preface).  

I wrote the story from the point of view of Francois the cat as he is a symbol that represents Zola’s perspective. Cats are often represented as clinical and emotionless, and this  perfectly conveys Zola’s ideas in the most unbiased way possible.  Francois surveys the characters and events from a god-like perspective, and while the actual book is in third person, Francois tells his story this time, while remaining as distant from the plot as possible. This also emphasises  the solitariness of a cat.

Cats are also symbolic of rebirth and resurrection, due to their ‘nine lives’ (Cat Symbolism, 2020). Francois is “resurrected” in my response after being strangled by Laurent and tossed out the window (Chapter 30, page 240). Furthermore, this resurrection highlights the hallucinations Laurent and Therese face post the death of Camille. Laurent and Therese both sense the ‘spirit’ of Camille lurking in their bedroom and thoughts, and Laurent feels the cat is aware of this, resulting in the abuse of him (Chapter 28, page 221).  Just like Camille is thought to be present as a ghost in Therese Raquin, Francois figuratively ‘returns from the dead’ to relive the events in my story.

Therese Raquin is all about naturalism, and in the novel, it is nature that creates these characters and it is nature that destroys them. Through this, Zola emphasises that what goes around comes around. In my creative, this message is conveyed when Francois foreshadows history repeating again under the same dark, damp Passage du-Pont Neuf.

Pure-spirit.com. 2020. Cat Symbolism. [online] Available at: <http://www.pure-spirit.com/more-animal-symbolism/226-pure-spirit-minneapolis-st-paul-dog-training-and-international-all-species-animal-communication-cat> [Accessed 24 April 2020].