Communication Gaps in the Marquise of O
...uce the moment, the place, and culprit of the crime. From the first few pages the reader suspects the Count to be the impregnator long before the Marquise or her family does. As the Count arrives at M- the family is shocked to see him alive. They had heard that he had died on the battlefield crying, "Gulietta, this bullet avenges you!" His marriage proposal is even more perplexing and the family cannot make sense of the situation; however, to the reader the Count's actions seem befitting of someone as noble and honorable as his reputation claims. The Marquise and her family observe unusual methods of courtship and when the Count admits that the only unworthy act he had committed in his life was unknown to the world and that he was in the process of making up for it the Commandant just smiles. The not-so-subtle-hints dropped by the Count may have been overlooked due to the fact that the family was having a conversation with someone who was presumed dead but now inexplicably alive and in their own house. The Count leaves to fulfill his duties and the Commandant declares that he does not want to hear anymore of the proposal or the peculiar behavior of the Count because it was "beyond his comprehension." Throughout the story the Marquises confesses that she feels the same sensations as if she were pregnant. She tells her mother this over tea but the Commandant's wife simply says that she does not understand what her daughter is saying. While her mother is away the Marquise calls for a doctor because she had experienced severe pains. She jokingly tells him that she believes herself pregnant and after an examination the doctor reaffirms her beliefs. The Marquise is an educated person and cannot understand how she is pregnant when she has no conscious memory of ever conceiving . Furthermore the Marquise cannot explain why the family doctor, who is close to her father, the Commandant, would lie and embarrass her for no reason. Her mother, who was told about the appointment later, tried to comfort the Marquise but after an examination by a midwife became enraged. The Commandant becomes furious with the news and even fires a pistol as he banishes the Marquise from the house. Both parents had believed their daughter to be as virtuous as an angel and are at a lost for words. They could not explain why their daughter would betray and disgrace them with such a terrible secret. One night the Marquise devises a plan to find the father of her child. She dwells on the idea for long periods of time, even reading and re-reading her written proposal. When her parents discover her advert in the local paper, they believe it is a trick. Some time later a response is published declaring that the mysterious father will reveal himself at M-. The Commandant receives a letter from the Marquis requesting that the mysterious man be sent to her new home in V-. If this was a trick, the Commandant thought, t...