Woman Is A Rational Animal Essay, Research Paper

Woman is a Rational Animal

& # 8220 ; But now what am I, when I suppose that there is some

supremely powerful and, if I may be permitted to state so,

malicious cheat who intentionally tries to gull me in any

manner he can? & # 8221 ; ( Decartes, 19 ) . These words by Descartes seem

to correlate straight with the subject of misrepresentation in the

Princesse De Cleves. In a universe where visual aspect is simply

a fiction created by necessity and nil is as it foremost

seems, the ability to ground through a state of affairs for public

addition is extremely desired and august. In this courtly sphere

of life, the ability to separate between that which is

existent and that which if deceitful is of extreme importance.

This differentiation is rationalism in a different signifier than

that of Decartes & # 8217 ; . The Princesse De Cleves advances the

Cartesian signifier of Rationalism and applies it to everyday

actions, go forthing room for some emotions without leting

them to command one & # 8217 ; s actions.

A cardinal subject in the Princesse De Cleves is how

actions are viewed in the public oculus. As Monsieur de

Nemours provinces, & # 8220 ; & # 8217 ; At least, Sire, if I embark on such an

excessive escapade on your Majesty & # 8217 ; s advice and in you

service, I beg you to maintain it secret until success justifies

my aspiration in the public eye. & # 8217 ; & # 8221 ; ( 9 ) Nemours is worried

about what the populace will believe instead than what the adult female

the King wants him to get married is like. Nemours does non

concern himself with what he feels or what the adult female feels,

instead, he rationally contemplates the effects of this

action in relation to how the nobility will comprehend him.

This rational reaction is the same attack that

Descartes would hold. Although Descartes may non hold with

the purpose for which this rational idea is directed, he

would hold with the logic of Nemours & # 8217 ; actions because they

are non taken because of emotion or rash reaction to the

senses. Conversely, Nemours becomes one of the least

rational characters in the narrative. By the terminal, he allows his

emotions to wholly catch him as he professes his love

for Mme of Cleves.

Descartes writes that the lone things that exist are

what we make through our senses, but that our senses

invariably deceive us. Descartes & # 8217 ; reason is merely

related to the believing ego because that is all that he

genuinely thinks exists. Descartes breaks down everything to

the head at the really beginning of his Meditations. The

head, nevertheless, can non be the focal point of the Princesse De

Clefs because the characaters are the cardinal subject.

Though the actions of every character in the Princesse De

Clefs are wholly egoistic, they are seen by

everyone else in the narrative. Clefs is viewed as the most

virtuous and honest character in the novel because she is

the lone 1 that uses rational thought the full clip.

Mme of Cleves thinks through things before she acts, and for

this she receives the greatest wages: award. When Mme of

Clefs is distressed over the manner she reacts towards her

hubby, she uses thought to alleviate her troubled head.

& # 8220 ; She asked herself why she had done something so parlous,

and she concluded that she had embarked on it about without

thought. The remarkable nature of such a confession, for

which she could happen no analogue, brought place to her all

the hazards it entailed. & # 8221 ; ( 98 ) The action of inquiring herself

this inquiry shows her as a rational being and is a recognition

to her award.

Stressing thought over emotions does non, nevertheless, seem

to give the Princesse any pleasance. The simple fact that

Mme of Cleves ends up in a convent in the terminal is an

illustration of this point. Mme of Cleves may be left with

her award, but she is still left entirely. The writer does non

attempt to give the reader the feeling that this stoping is

unhappy though. She states in the last line of the novel,

& # 8220 ; Her life, which was rather short, left inimitable illustrations

of virtue. & # 8221 ; ( 156 ) . The idea that Mme of Cleves controls

her emotions through reason is upheld as virtuousness by the

writer. This & # 8220 ; virtue & # 8221 ; is perceived as being much better

than the remainder of the degree Celsius

ourt. Though the result may non hold

made the Princesse & # 8220 ; happy & # 8221 ; , the feeling that she left on

the nobility was far better harmonizing to Madame de

Lafayette.

What separates the rational idea of Descartes with

the rational idea expressed in the Princesse De Cleves is

the function played by action. Descartes writes, & # 8220 ; I am now

concentrating merely on cognition, non on action. & # 8221 ; ( 16 ) .

Descartes rationalizes thought, but does non use it to

action. Mme of Cleves applies Descartes thoughts to her

mundane actions. She acts upon her ideas, by traveling to

the convent, in order to continue the perceptual experiences that

everyone has of her.

In the Princesse De Cleves, emotions are considered a

mark of failing. They are character defects that Mme of

Clefs does non hold. In the shutting pages of the novel,

Nemours tries to convert the Princesse that she can now

love him because her hubby is dead. Yet, she resists her

emotions because she thinks that they are non rational, and

even forces herself into a cloistral life to repress any hope

that Nemours may hold. Her pick is perceived as the right

one, nevertheless:

In the terminal, he was obliged to go, overwhelmed by

heartache as merely a adult male could be who had now lost all

possible hope of of all time seeing once more a adult female who he loved

with the most violent, the most natural, and the most

tenable passion in the universe. And yet he still

would non give up: he did everything he could believe of

to do her alteration her head. Finally, after old ages had

gone by, clip and absence diminished his hurting and

quenched his passion. ( 156 )

Nemours was merely hankering for Mme of Cleves because she was

unachievable. His & # 8220 ; passion & # 8221 ; would hold abated after he

received the object of his yearning. Mme of Cleves knows

this and does non follow her emotions and what her senses

state her. Rationalization helps her to continue her award and

virtue even when enticement is at its greatest. The impression

of rationalisation leads us to believe that Mme of Cleves is

really honest.

The Princesse De Cleves places the highest value on

award in a state of affairs where many did non look to possess it.

Everyone finally gives into their emotions except for the

Princesse herself. She doesn & # 8217 ; t let her emotions to

control her actions even when the opportunity to be with her true

love presents itself. Her honor root from her ability to

apologize a state of affairs and move without emotional struggle.

This thought of rationalisation before action takes Descartes

doctrine and applies it to the existent universe.

Yet, there is something to be said about emotion in the

Princesse De Cleves. Lafayette views emotion as a human

failing that can and should be overcome. As is seen in Mme

of Cleves, her emotions exist, they merely do non impact her.

She refuses to let them to make so. Her love for her

hubby, even though she truly loves Nemours, is cogent evidence of

this. Madame de Lafayette takes Descartes rational

doctrine one measure further and applies it to the societal

sphere. Madame de Lafayette makes reason more human

than Descartes could in his Meditations.

Descartes would hold liked the way that Madame de

Lafayette took his thought of & # 8220 ; R & # 8221 ; ationality and converted it

into more feasable & # 8220 ; R & # 8221 ; ational action. His thought of thought

things through before action is evidenced by Madame de

Clefs honor. Even though this reason is merely used for

societal standing, it can non be denied. It led to a lonely,

tortured, life for Mme de Cleves, but it served its intent

for her. Her award is seen in as a theoretical account to be followed,

and this award emmanates from witting, rational idea.

It could non hold been obtained through roseola emotion-filled

determinations. This is the way in which Descartes would

hold wanted his thoughts to flux: Action merely after thought & # 8230 ;

Rational thought commanding irrational emotions.

Bibliography

Descartes, Rene. & # 8220 ; Meditatations on First Philosophy & # 8221 ; . Translated by Cress, Donald A. 3rd Ed. Hackett: Indianapolis. 1993.

Madame de Lafayette. & # 8220 ; The Princesse de Cleves & # 8221 ; . Translated by Cave, Terence. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999.

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