| Paradise lost, that perfect state where death does not exist, is a central theme in the works of Antonine Maillet. In Pointe-aux-Coques, Mademoiselle Cormier, a young American, searches for the Paradise Lost of her father, Acadia. She is introduced to his Acadian community and discovers the history and cultural identity of her family.; Radi, the young girt in On a mangé la dune and Le Chemin Saint Jacques, is also on a quest for Paradise. She fears death, associated with age, and struggles to hold on to the paradise of her childhood, while searching for a way to return to the time before her birth, “l'empremier,” where immortality reigned.; The quest for Paradise lost continues in the works that follow, such as Pélagie-la-Charrette and Le huitième jour, centering on the battle against the death of Acadian culture, heritage, national identity, and language. But gradually, the quest is altered from that of Paradise Lost to a quest for self. In Les confessions de Jeanne de Valois, Mère Jeanne remembers her endeavors to guarantee the survival of the Acadian people, but at the end of her life, turns inward to a search for self.; This quest for self is amplified in Le Chemin Saint-Jacques. Radegonde, Radi now grown, returns to France, discovers the origins of her ancestors, and finds herself a pilgrim on the le chemin Saint-Jacques, a pilgrimage realized in the labyrinth in the Cathedral of Amiens, a pivotal moment in her life. She experiences a spiritual awakening which transforms her and returns to Canada to assist her dying sister and come to terms with her fear of death.; Aided by her inner child, Radi, Radegonde overcomes her fear and understands that life is made more precious by mortality. While she will never find the Graal of perfect and enduring happiness, the quest enriches her life. She accepts her mortality and reconciles with the world and with herself, concluding that it is the quest that counts, the Graal does not exist. |
