Woman Is A Rational Animal Essay Research

Woman Is A Rational Animal Essay, Research Paper

Woman is a Rational Animal

“But now what am I, when I suppose that there is some

supremely powerful and, if I may be permitted to say so,

malicious deceiver who deliberately tries to fool me in any

way he can.”(Decartes, 19). These words by Descartes seem

to correlate directly with the theme of deception in the

Princesse De Cleves. In a world where appearance is merely

a fiction created by necessity and nothing is as it first

seems, the ability to reason through a situation for public

gain is highly coveted and revered. In this courtly sphere

of life, the ability to distinguish between that which is

real and that which if deceitful is of utmost importance.

This distinction is rationalism in a different form than

that of Decartes’. The Princesse De Cleves advances the

Cartesian form of Rationalism and applies it to everyday

actions, leaving room for some emotions without allowing

them to control one’s actions.

A central theme in the Princesse De Cleves is how

actions are viewed in the public eye. As Monsieur de

Nemours states, “’At least, Sire, if I embark on such an

extravagant adventure on your Majesty’s advice and in you

service, I beg you to keep it secret until success justifies

my ambition in the public eye.’”(9) Nemours is worried

about what the public will think rather than what the woman

the King wants him to marry is like. Nemours does not

concern himself with what he feels or what the woman feels,

rather, he rationally contemplates the consequences of this

action in relation to how the aristocracy will perceive him.

This rational reaction is the same approach that

Descartes would have. Although Descartes may not agree with

the intent for which this rational thought is directed, he

would agree with the logic of Nemours’ actions because they

are not taken because of emotion or rash reaction to the

senses. Conversely, Nemours becomes one of the least

rational characters in the story. By the end, he allows his

emotions to completely overtake him as he professes his love

for Mme of Cleves.

Descartes writes that the only things that exist are

what we make through our senses, but that our senses

constantly deceive us. Descartes’ rationality is only

related to the thinking self because that is all that he

truly thinks exists. Descartes breaks down everything to

the mind at the very beginning of his Meditations. The

mind, however, cannot be the focus of the Princesse De

Cleves because the characaters are the central theme.

Though the actions of every character in the Princesse De

Cleves are completely self-centered, they are seen by

everyone else in the story. Cleves is viewed as the most

virtuous and honorable character in the novel because she is

the only one that uses rational thought the entire time.

Mme of Cleves thinks through things before she acts, and for

this she receives the greatest reward: honor. When Mme of

Cleves is distressed over the way she reacts towards her

husband, she uses thought to relieve her troubled mind.

“She asked herself why she had done something so perilous,

and she concluded that she had embarked on it almost without

thinking. The singular nature of such a confession, for

which she could find no parallel, brought home to her all

the risks it entailed.”(98) The action of asking herself

this question shows her as a rational being and is a credit

to her honor.

Emphasizing thought over emotions does not, however, seem

to give the Princesse any pleasure. The simple fact that

Mme of Cleves ends up in a convent in the end is an

illustration of this point. Mme of Cleves may be left with

her honor, but she is still left alone. The author does not

try to give the reader the impression that this ending is

unhappy though. She states in the last line of the novel,

“Her life, which was quite short, left inimitable examples

of virtue.” (156). The thought that Mme of Cleves controls

her emotions through rationality is upheld as virtue by the

author. This “virtue” is perceived as being much better

than the rest of the court. Though the outcome may not have

made the Princesse “happy”, the impression that she left on

the aristocracy was far better according to Madame de

Lafayette.

What separates the rational thought of Descartes with

the rational thought expressed in the Princesse De Cleves is

the role played by action. Descartes writes, “I am now

concentrating only on knowledge, not on action.” (16).

Descartes rationalizes thought, but does not apply it to

action. Mme of Cleves applies Descartes ideas to her

everyday actions. She acts upon her thoughts, by moving to

the convent, in order to uphold the perce

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