How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Her father, a mason, had died in a fall from some scaffolding. Then her mother died, her sisters scattered, and a farmer took her in and employed her, small as she was, to look after the cows in the fields. She would shiver in her rags, drink pond water lying flat on her stomach, and be beaten for the slightest reason, and was finally thrown out over a theft of thirty sols which she had not committed. (2.2)
If they say bad things come in threes, Félicité must have some on credit. Her childhood is so tragic that it's hard to even imagine living through it. What's even more amazing is that she doesn't seem to be embittered by the suffering. It's more like she sees it as a normal part of life.
Quote #2
Her sorrow was extreme. She threw herself on the ground, screamed, appealed to God, and wept all alone in the fields until the sunrise. Then she returned to the farm and announced that she wanted to leave. (2.15)
Cut to the day Félicité's boyfriend leaves her standing alone in an oat field, having left her for a rich, old woman who can buy his way out of military service. Félicité is the kind of person who gets her suffering over with in quick bouts. Rather than moan on for years about it, she lets it all out that night and literally moves on the next day.
Quote #3
She would carry [Paul and Virginie] on her back like a horse, and Madame Aubain had to forbid her kissing them every minute, which mortified her. But she realised that she was happy. Her sadness had melted away in the warmth of her surroundings. (2.18)
Having lost the love of her life (who wasn't that much of a prize, if we're honest), Félicité finds a new source and object for love. There's nothing like little kids that can pull you out of your suffering, especially if they are jumping on your back and demanding that you neigh and eat hay. Félicité isn't a natural sufferer; she wants to be happy and allows herself to. Maybe it's her name.