Nicole Renard Flashcards
“nicole renard was small and slender, with shining black hair that fell to her shoulders. the pale purity of her face reminded me of the statue of st therese.”
pale/white linked with innocence and purity
compared to a religious figure
“something flashed in her eyes, too, a hint of mischief as if she was telling me (francis) we were going to have good times together”
“nicole renard began coming to the centre that first winter and joined the dancing group. she had taken lessons in Albany and instantly caught the attention of larry lasalle. i’d watch her glide across the floor, catching flashes of her white thighs as she twisted and turned. she seemed to exist in a world of her own, like a rare specimen, bird-like and graceful as she danced, seperate from the rest of the dancers.”
shows how larry had interest in her strsight from the start and started giving her special attention
francis is starting to have more mature thoughts about nicole because now he’s noticing her thighs.
connection with white again and can link into innocence being broken becuase francis is looking at her thighs.
“in the dance classes, nicole was the most talented of all, her slender body dipping and turning without effort, as if her bones were elastic. larry lasalle tossed her in the air, letting her fly, defying gravity for a breathless moment, then caught her, pressing her close, their faces almost touching, their lips only an inch or so from a kiss, before he allowed her to slip down against his body”
larry was dancing with just nicole - showing favouritism, focussing on her because of her skills and her body
intimate scene even though larry is an adult and nicole is a child.
“allowed her to slip down against his body” - the word allowed suggests that larry has control over what she does. sexual actions that would been seen as weird.
after this scene francis gets jealous of larry and wanted to be in his position - more mature themes.
“nicole touched my shoulder, her hand both tender and caressing, and my flesh burned with the echo of her touch. ‘good luck’ she said.”
shows how much francis focusses on small things such as her touch and how he still thinks about it afterwards (echo of her touch)
when francis wins the table tennis championship “my eyes sought nicole, and found her joyous face, hands joined together, as if in prayer, eyes half-closed as if making herself an offering to me”
at the dance in honour of larry lasalle “i (francis) glanced occasionally at nicole as she gazed, wide-eyed and wistfull, at the ladies in their fancy gowns, glittery sequins catching the light from a crystal ball revolving on the ceiling. ‘isnt that beautiful?’ nicole said, pointing to a woman in a simple white gown that clung to her body like whipped cream.
when francis tells nicole he has to go (leaving larry and nicole together)… “nicole frowned. ‘stay and watch’ she said, and i was puzzled by the expression on her face… ‘dont go,’ nicole whispered into my ear”
nicole knows something is going to happen between her and larry and doesnt want to be left alone, wants francis there for protection. shows how much she trusted him.
“she saw me in the moment i saw her. saw her face. her eyes. her hair dishevelled, mouth flung open, lips swollen. cheeks moist with tears. her white blouse torn and one hand clutching to the front of her blouse to hold it together.”
white blouse torn shows how her innocence (white) being broken and being torn apart and how she is trying to hold it together and keep hold of her innocence for a little while longer.
“in the spill of moonlight, her eyes flashed black with anger as she looked at me. more than anger. but what? what? …i recognised in her eyes now what i could not deny: betrayal. my betrayal of her in her eyes.”
hes betrayed her trust as she wanted him to be there and stay with her but instead he left her with larry and she blames him for what happens even though he could do little about the situation.
relationship: breaks their trust and the bond they had. francis feels bad about it.
“her eyes met mine. she didnt say anything for a long moment and when she finally spoke, her voice was harsh. ‘you were there all the time,’ she said… ‘you didnt do anything.’… ‘you knew what he was doing, didnt you?’… ‘why didnt you do something? tell him to stop. run for help. anything…’
“no im not alright’ she answered, anger flashing in her eyes. ‘i hurt. i hurt all over”
“poor francis’ she says at last. but no pity in her voice. contempt, maybe, as her eyes swept over me. she flung her hand in the air, a gesture of dismissal. ‘go away francis,’ she said. ‘just go away.’
“im sorry about one thing’ she says. ‘what i did to you that day’…
‘ i shouldn’t have said those things to you on the piazza. you weren’t to blame for what happened. i realized that later and went to your uncle louis’ place but found out that you’d enlisted’
regret, realising that she was wrong, their relationship had already shattered because it was too late
