Mad Shadows
..., Louis to some extent is responsible for Patrice’s madness since she housed him “for so long with mirrors, in front of mirror, inside mirrors” (Blais, 110) that he knew “nothing but his own beauty” (Blais, 18). Without Louis and his beauty, Patrice “had nothing else in the world but the water, [so] he plunged his head into the lake and sank after it, looking for [his] beautiful face” (Blais, 123). Patrice’s own obsessions had driven him to insanity, which eventually lead him to a deplorable death. Similar to Patrice, Louis also has an obsession with beauty; however, her obsession reveals the sombreness and deceit that lies within the novel. Early in the novel, Louis completely devotes herself to Patrice because his “beauty was to her… a reflection of her own” (Blais 24). “She treated him as an exceptional being and carefully spared him from failure” (Blais, 18); however, when Patrice’s beauty demolishes, Louis instantly abandons him. Obviously, her love for Patrice was solemnly based on her infatuation with beauty. Following Patrice’s horrific accident, Louis’ sentiment towards her son drastically changes. In other words, she finds Patrice hideous and nauseating. An example of Louis’ coldness towards Patrice is shown by the statements, “Patrice clawed at his mother’s ankles, crying out in pain. But Louis pulled away [and] with one … foot she pushed away Patrice’s forehead. Overcome with disgust, she fled” (Blais, 96). Louis not only found that “it was degrading to … have such a hopelessly disfigured monster for a son,” (Blais, 101) but she wanted to rid him from her sight because she detested his suffering and ugliness so much. When Louis discovered that Patrice “played [an] idiot so well,” (Blais, 109) she placed him permanently in an asylum. Surely, Louis’ unjust behaviour reflects the bitterness and callousness that helps to convey the title, Mad Shadows. As well, Isabelle-Marie has a crazy obsession with beauty, which causes her to become overwhelmingly jealous of Patrice. From the beginning of the novel, Isabelle-Marie had unspeakable desires to destroy Patrice’s extraordinary beauty. Once Isabelle-Marie believed that “by depriving him [Patrice] of food she could make him pale and wan, and this creature who had never known the touch of misery would become … her own spindly puppet” (Blais, 25). Excitingly, Isabelle-Marie thought how great it would be “to watch the slow disintegration of his beauty” (Blais, 25) while “enjoying his famished cries” (Blais, 29) of suffering. Frankly, it is terrifying and disturbing that Isabelle-Marie could find so much pleasure in her own brother’s misery. In addition, Isabelle-Marie’s envy of Patrice is further shown by her confession to Louis, “I was dying of jealously. I wanted to kill him. I gave him bread that was too fresh to poison him in the night, and when I bathed him, I hoped he would drown” (Blais, 105). The darkness that lurks within Isabelle-Marie is unimaginable and indescribable. If Isabelle-Marie’s intentions to hurt Patrice were not frightening enough, she even contemplates whether or not to murder Anne because of her innate ugliness. An example to demonstrate Isabelle-Marie’s intent to annihilate her daughter is shown by the statement, “When she thought about what this child would become later on, an ugly duckling whom everyone would avoid, she was almost tempted to kill her” (Blais, 91). Clearly, the wickedness and hatred embedded within Isabelle-Marie enhances the most fitting title for the novel, Mad Shadows. Secondly, Mad Shadows is a very appropriate title for the novel because it reflects strong imagery. The dominant type of image throughout the novel is nature. There are many references made to nature such as water/lakes, woods, forest, mountains, but most importantly animals. By using animals, Blais is able to illustrate how her characters are all savages in their own way. Patrice’s animal qualities are revealed when he beholds Louis and Lanz in a tight embrace, as shown by the statements, “A new madness took possession of him. His eyes became as wild as an animal’s; he bit his lip until he cried” (Blais, 73-74). In addition, Patrice’s animal qualities can be further shown by the phrases, “Patri...