A ‘Pilgrimage of Emotions’: ‘The Duel’

The chapter on ‘The Duel’ (1907) surveys D’Hubert’s slow progress towards emotional maturity over the fourteen years in which he is forced to cope with the aggressive hostility of his opponent, Feraud. It examines his shifting emotions and the subtle changes in his emotional and intellectual attitude through a thematic and stylistic analysis, and argues that the threats posed, first to his compassionate attachment to his sister and then to his passionate love for his fiancée, on top of the irrational and tenacious antagonism expressed by his opponent, give rise to an emotional crisis; however, by facing up to the occasion D’Hubert gains true courage, founded on genuine resignation. It concludes that this resignation enables him to direct his attention to ‘the How’ rather than to ‘the Why,’ and by employing resourceful means as the occasion demands, he wins not only the final duel but also the love of his fiancée.