Nicole Renard

Nicole Renard

When Joey LeBlanc tries to flirt with her she just waves at him and Francis tells her "you've got a run in your stocking" she's described as "puzzled" and "quickening her step" walks off as she's clearly uncomfortable.
We do not get to witness what happened to Nicole until Chapter 11 but we get a sense that it's something bad. We learn that she becomes a "hermit" who would only leave the house to attend the 5:30 morning mass.
1. We learn the family leave quickly without telling anybody. This behaviour seems different to the happy outgoing girl earlier in the novel.
DESCRIPTION/APPEARANCE/PERSONALITY
1. "small and slender" which suggests a sort of fragility about her and a need for protection
  1. Her face is described as having a "pale purity" and she is compared to the statue of St Theresa which all suggests she is innocent and pure but Francis notices a "hint of mischief" in her eyes.
2. Makes friends with Marie Lacroix who lives in Francis's building she he hears "occasional bursts of laughter" showing her to be lively with a sense of humour.
3. She has a tendency to tease Francis "don't fall off, Francis" as she passes him causing him to indeed fall. This may be b/c Marie could've told Nicole that Francis likes her.
  1. Although she has a sense of humour and a tendency to tease, she is seen as pure and innocent throughout. Her purity is reinforced by Cormier as she's always seen wearing white and the fact she is deeply religious, spending much time with the nuns.
4. Cormier highlights her fragility during the rape as she's described as "whimpering like a small animal caught in a trap"
5. She shows kindness and maturity for forgiving Francis and quickly coming to the conclusion that he was not to blame. She goes to forgive him but he'd already enlisted.
6. She's selfless when she explains that she didn't go to the police as she worried about the effect it would have on her religious parents.
7. She's intelligent enough to realise that she couldn't prove her accusation of rape and it's be her word against Larry; the silver star hero.
8. "I'm starting to find out who I am, who I really am" this implies that she's strong enough to decide her own path in life and will never fall for a man like Larry's charms again.
RELATIONSHIP WITH LARRY
1. Nicole attends the Wreck Centre and, like Francis, she gains particular attention from Larry. It is her skill at dancing that gets her noticed.
  1. She had "dance lessons in Albany" and she's "the most talented of all" The dances with Larry are very physical and would be deemed inappropriate today. She will "slip down against his body" and at times "their lips are only an inch from a kiss"
    1. Their familiarity and closeness is shown in the informality of her calling him Larry whereas the other children call him Larry LaSalle or Mister LaSalle.
      1. Francis comments that it seems they may be "more than teacher and pupil" and this is a further clue that their relationship is not how it should be.
2. There is never a suggestion that Nicole has feelings for Larry - she's clearly interested in Francis.
3. She runs "breathlessly" to tell Francis the news of Larry's return and Silver Star but tells Francis to "stay close" as she might sense the danger Larry poses. She also pleads for Francis to "stay and watch" the last dance.
RELATIONSHIP WITH FRANCIS
1. She watches him play table tennis and it's clear her teasing has developed into affection and attraction as she "blew him a kiss" and invites him to her after show party at the end of the "double-header".
2. She appears impressed by his movements at the table which remind her of a dancer. After his victory over Larry, she indicates she would like them to be more than friends as she whispers "my champion" in his ear. These words might have been said by a damsel in distress to her knight showing that she thinks Francis will be able to protect her.
3. She thinks Francis will protect her from Larry as she may sense the danger he poses by telling Francis to "stay close" and "stay and watch" the last dance.
4. After the rape she sees Francis and feels betrayed by him. Her anger is evident when she sees him a few days later and blames him "Why didn't you do anything?" She sums up the terrible effects of the rape by saying "I hurt all over"
  1. She doesn't care for Francis's self pity by sarcastically calling him "poor Francis" before telling him to "go away"
5. She forgives Francis, understanding that the rape wasn't his fault and there was little he could do, she apologises for blaming him. She must've come to this decision quickly as she went to go apologise to find out he'd just enlisted.
6. To move on with her life she has to let go of the past, including Francis although she still has affection for him. But he's a reminder and doesn't wish to see him again.
7. In a final act of kindness, she gives him a reason to live through writing about his experiences.
She struggles to some to terms with her rape especially seen as her attacker escaped justice.
1. However, she shows signs of adjusting three years later as she replies to Marie LaCroix's letters, can think of Frenchtown without "shuddering" and she's prepared to see Francis.
  1. But she is reluctant to talk about Larry when Francis mentions him; she appears to recognise she was groomed.
    1. She comments he "made me think I was a ballerina" showing she understands he used flattery to get close to her.

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	Created by Alysia Bradley over 9 years ago