Rimbaud, Le mal, Linear Reading (with intro and conclusion) - The Douai Notebooks - French Baccalaureate

In 1870, 16-year-old Arthur Rimbaud ran away from home multiple times. One such escapade led him to Douai, where he met local poet Paul Demeny. Rimbaud entrusted Demeny with his poems for publication, which would later become "Les Cahiers de Douai", though they weren't published until 1919 after Rimbaud's death. These 22 poems, written by a poet who would stop writing at 20, already demonstrate a sharp and critical perspective on the world, addressing themes like adolescent love, religious hypocrisy, provincial bourgeoisie, and war. The sonnet "Le Mal" is particularly inspired by the Franco-Prussian War of July 1870. The analysis will focus on Rimbaud's uncompromising portrayal of his era through the denunciation of war and religion.

The sonnet opens with the adverbial phrase 'tandis que' (while), introducing simultaneous action. Rimbaud immediately creates a violent image with words like 'crachats rouges' (red spits) and 'mitraille' (grape-shot), emphasizing the vulgarity and bloodiness of war. The present tense 'sifflent' (whistle) and the duration marked by 'tout le jour' (all day) intensify the scene. The enjambment 'sifflent tout le jour par l'infini du ciel bleu' highlights the continuous flow of bullets, contrasting with the serene 'infini du ciel bleu'. The following lines use metonymy, referring to soldiers by the color of their uniforms, dehumanizing them. The word 'roi' (king) represents Emperor Napoleon III and all tyrants who disregard human life, viewing soldiers as 'chair à canon' (cannon fodder). The contempt is reinforced by the rhyme 'raille' (mock) with 'mitraille'. The verb 'croulent' (crumble) depicts exhausted masses of men dying in fire, contrasting the 'bleu' of nature with the 'feu' of human hell, symbolizing the dehumanization of war.

The second quatrain reprises 'tandis que' to continue describing the simultaneous horror. Rimbaud uses strong negative terms like 'folie épouvantable' (horrible madness) and verbs in the present tense 'broie et fait' (crushes and makes) to depict the war's destructive power. This madness reduces 'cent mille hommes' (one hundred thousand men) to an inhuman, 'tas fumant' (smoking heap), illustrating the horrific dehumanization and destruction. A dash marks a shift to the poet's own voice, intensifying the emotional impact through strong punctuation and exclamation marks. 'Pauvre mort' (poor death) lends a pathetic tone, moving beyond satire.

Nature, as often in Rimbaud's work, appears as a place of serenity and protection, in opposition to human actions. The enumeration 'dans l'été, dans l'herbe, dans ta joie' (in summer, in the grass, in your joy) strongly contrasts with the preceding description of war. Nature is personified ('ô toi qui fis ces hommes saintement' - oh you who made these men holily), emphasizing its benevolent creative power before men chose war. This leads to the central opposition of the sonnet: 'il est un Dieu qui rit aux nappes d'amassés' (there is a God who laughs at piled-up altar cloths). The impersonal 'il est' and indefinite 'un' diminish God's importance. This God, who laughs like the king who mocks, is indifferent to human suffering, amused by opulence (gold chalices, altar cloths) rather than piety. He sleeps amidst 'hosannas' (chants of praise), highlighting his cynicism and complete detachment from human misery.

The final tercet reveals God's awakening not to the sounds of war, but 'quand des mères ramassées dans l'angoisse' (when mothers gathered in anguish), mourning their dead sons, husbands, and brothers. The word 'ramassées' (gathered, also piled up) rhymes with 'damassés' (damask, from the rich cloths), highlighting the contrast between the mothers' suffering and God's luxurious comfort. The enjambment 'dans l'angoisse' emphasizes God's indifference. These mothers, 'pleurant sous leur vieux bonnet noir' (crying under their old black bonnets), symbolizing poverty and mourning, give God 'un gros sou lié dans leur mouchoir' (a big coin tied in their handkerchiefs). The 'gros sou' signifies their meager offering, tied in a handkerchief also used for tears, intensifying the pathos. Rimbaud suggests that this God is not only indifferent but also venal, awakening only for money, a sharp critique of religious institutions.

Through the interplay of temporal simultaneity and the opposition between ordinary people and the powerful—be it kings or God—Rimbaud's sonnet 'Le Mal' denounces multifaceted evil. God and his representatives are depicted as contemptuous of the common people, enriching themselves from their suffering. This sonnet is thus an engaged, rebellious, and at times cynical work from the young Rimbaud, an ethos also found in works like 'Le Dormeur du val'.