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Analysis Of Mademoiselle La Rue In Charlotte Temple

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For the first fifty years after its publication, Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson endured as the bestselling novel in America. Its popularity in part came from concerned parents who wanted their daughters to learn the lessons that the novel had to offer. The character of Mademoiselle La Rue from this story helps to convey one of these lessons. Susanna Rowson uses the morally corrupt, yet socially successful, character of La Rue in Charlotte Temple to show that human beings should not confuse moral virtues with societal virtues. When La Rue is introduced in the novel, she lacks morals while managing to maintain a clean social reputation. When first describing how La Rue acts in society, the author shares that she is a “pleasing person and [has an] insinuating address, a liberal education and the manners of a gentlewoman” (26). These social attributes that La Rue possesses are positive, and they make her appear a decent person. However, as Rowson begins to describe her morality, the truth about La Rue’s character is exposed. When describing La Rue’s moral background, Rowson shares that she, “had eloped from a convent with a young officer, and, on coming to England, had lived with several different men in open defiance of all moral and religious duties” (26). By showing how La Rue openly lives with men to whom she is not married, the author effectively introduces the character as lacking any regard for moral virtues. Therefore, while La Rue’s mannerisms may make her pleasing to society, her acts in her private life lack morality. When readers first witness how La Rue interacts with the main character, Charlotte, the governess’ social charisma and faulty morals appear in full display. After Charlotte and La Rue meet Montraville and Belcour for the first time, Charlotte expresses unease at the way the two men conversed with La Rue and herself. Rather than support Charlotte and apologize for allowing her to enter the potentially dangerous conversation with the two soldiers in the first place, La Rue instead criticizes Charlotte and tells her to “[not] be such a foolish little prude’’ (30). Rather than act as a model of integrity like a mentor should, La Rue instead mocks Charlotte for her conscience. After

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