Characters
Léon Delmont
Léon Delmont (lay-AHN dehl-MOHN), the director of the Paris office of the Scabelli typewriter company, is a man caught between personal and professional dissatisfaction. At forty-five, success and financial security cannot shield him from the signs of aging, manifested in his thinning, graying hair. A smoker with a penchant for tan shoes and a watch with a distinctive purple leather band, Léon is a character marked by intellectualism and firm anticlerical beliefs, as evidenced by his choice of reading on the train: Letters of Julian the Apostate. His strong opinions on art further illustrate his discerning nature, often categorizing art into good and bad.
Léon’s family life is strained, with a marriage to Henriette that has soured over the years. Despite his concern for his family’s material well-being, he yearns for a new life with his Italian mistress, Cécile, in Paris. This longing prompts him to secure a job for her in Paris, planning to leave Henriette. However, a train journey to Rome prompts a change of heart. Dreams and nightmares disrupt his plans, revealing Cécile in a new, negative light akin to his wife's mistrustful demeanor. This revelation makes Léon realize that moving Cécile to Paris would alter her, much like his wife, leaving him at risk of losing her affection as well.
Ultimately, Léon's introspection leads him to understand that his love for Cécile is tethered to Rome. Their affair would not endure the change in locale to Paris. Ironically, when Cécile and Henriette meet, they find camaraderie, preferring each other's company to Léon's. This twist underscores Léon's misjudgment and self-centeredness, traits that make his emotional turmoil difficult for readers to sympathize with. Professionally, though well-paid, Léon finds his role as an office manager unfulfilling, and his egocentrism blinds him to the contentment—or lack thereof—of those around him. Léon Delmont emerges as a marvelously ambiguous character, masterfully crafted by Michel Butor in A Change of Heart.
Henriette Delmont
Henriette Delmont is the long-suffering wife of Léon Delmont and mother of their four children. Her once-black hair has faded, much like her feelings for Léon, who she perceives as degraded by his professional choices. Her contempt for him is palpable, viewing him through a lens of criticism and pettiness. Nearly three years before, she insisted on accompanying Léon to Rome, a trip that was a failure and possibly pushed him towards the arms of his mistress, Cécile.
Henriette's portrayal is heavily colored by Léon's perspective, hinting that she is not as self-centered as he believes. Despite growing suspicious and resentful, she remains a considerate and patient partner, struggling to comprehend Léon's apparent indifference to their family's unity and her companionship. Her eventual friendship with Cécile speaks volumes about her character, suggesting a depth and openness that Léon has failed to recognize.
Cécile Darcella
Cécile Darcella (say-SEEL darh-seh-LAH), Léon's mistress and a secretary at the French Embassy in Rome, stands as a symbol of youth and vitality to Léon. With striking jet-black hair and a glowing, silken complexion, she shares Léon's anticlerical views and appreciation for art. However, she views Léon as too bourgeois, anxious, and constrained, which creates friction in their relationship.
During their trip to Paris, Cécile's dissatisfaction with the limited time spent with Léon becomes evident, revealing cracks in their dynamic. Though she has rejected Catholicism and hesitates to visit the Vatican museum, she does not prohibit Léon from going, leading to his complaints about art appreciation in her absence. Her attempts to please him emotionally and physically are often met with his insensitivity, leaving her confused and hurt. Ironically, upon meeting Henriette,...
(This entire section contains 1351 words.)
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Cécile forms a bond with her, underscoring Léon's misjudgment and providing a poignant twist to their intertwined lives.
Henri Delmont
Henri Delmont, along with his brother Thomas, is one of the twin sons of Léon and Henriette. At about twelve years old, both boys are characterized as rascals who share a distrust of their father. They are keenly aware of the deteriorating relationship between their parents, an insight that adds to the familial tension surrounding them.
Thomas Delmont
Thomas Delmont mirrors his twin brother Henri in age and awareness of the family discord. His presence is symbolically echoed by a ten-year-old boy accompanying the Worried Little Woman on the train, reminding Léon of a younger Thomas. This connection highlights the universality of familial strains and the passage of time that Léon is grappling with.
Madeleine Delmont
Madeleine Delmont is the eldest child of Léon and Henriette, distinguished by her age of seventeen. Her character, while less explored, adds to the familial landscape that Léon must navigate and often neglects.
Jacqueline Delmont
Jacqueline Delmont is the youngest member of the Delmont family, her presence a testament to the family's complexity and Léon's inner turmoil as he struggles with his role as both a father and a conflicted lover.
Alexandre Marnal
Alexandre Marnal (a-lehk-SAHNDR mahr-NAHL) serves as an employee under Léon’s leadership, contributing to the professional backdrop against which Léon’s personal dramas unfold.
Jean Durieu
Jean Durieu (dyuh-REEYOO), the director of the Durieu Travel Agency, is integral to Léon’s plans to establish a new life with Cécile in Paris, having promised her a job there. His role underscores the logistical considerations of Léon’s personal aspirations.
The Intellectual
The Intellectual, possibly a law professor, is characterized by his tallish and pale demeanor. Under forty, with gray hair and bitten, tobacco-stained nails, he wears thick-lensed glasses. His prematurely bald forehead furrowed with deep lines suggests a life of contemplation and stress. Likely on his way to deliver a lecture in Dijon, he carries a dark red, ink-stained briefcase. His presence offers a subtle commentary on the scholarly and existential undercurrents that influence Léon’s journey.
The Young Marrieds
The Young Marrieds, likely honeymooners, are a youthful couple in their twenties. The husband's fair complexion contrasts with his wife's darker grace and consideration. Sharing dinner with Léon, their matching pale leather suitcases symbolize unity and the nascent stages of marital life, a theme that preoccupies Léon throughout his journey.
The Priest
The Priest, appearing between thirty to thirty-five years old, is plumpish with nicotine-stained fingers, yet maintains meticulous cleanliness. His calm yet vigorous demeanor hints at impulsivity. He emanates a sense of boredom, discontent, tension, and dissatisfaction, mirroring Léon's own contemplation of life changes. The cautionary sign "It is dangerous to lean out" is closely associated with him, suggesting themes of risk and transition.
The Englishman
The Englishman stands out with his short stature, rosy, florid complexion, and fishlike, greedy eyes. Likely older than Léon due to his pronounced baldness, he dresses sharply in a black raincoat and derby hat, possibly representing a London wine merchant. His presence adds a touch of international business intrigue to Léon’s journey.
The Traveling Salesman
The Traveling Salesman, characterized by a coarse profile and massive hands, exudes physical strength. Wearing a wedding ring and carrying a suitcase of cheap, reddish-brown imitation leather, his presence highlights the contrast between economic aspirations and personal realities, resonating with Léon’s own professional dissatisfaction.
The Italian
The Italian, approximately forty-five years old, dons a cobalt-blue scarf and black-and-white shoes splattered with mud. Wearing a wedding ring and carrying a traveling bag, he possibly represents a salesman promoting French goods in Italy. As Léon’s alter ego, he reflects the duality of Léon's professional and personal journeys, embodying the external and internal conflicts Léon faces.
The Worried Little Woman
The Worried Little Woman, with her lined face and hat adorned with a net and large hatpins, carries an air of anxiety. Accompanied by a ten-year-old boy reminiscent of Léon's son Thomas in his younger years, her presence evokes themes of familial concern and the passage of time, mirroring Léon's internal conflicts.
