Introduction:
After reading the story of the novel “The Serpent and The Rope” written by Raja Rao we find that Madeleine is an important female character. She was a French girl who had fallen in love with Rama in the first sight and married him. After seeing her wonderful beauty and attraction Rama also fell in love with her in an equal way. Her love for him was related for Rama being an Indian Brahmin and a member of Hindu religion. Some other traits of her character are briefly described.
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| Character Sketch of Madeleine in Novel The Serpent and The Rope |
Her Beauty and Fascinating Personality:
This story shows that Rama had fallen in love with her in the first sight because Madeleine was a young girl with wonderful beauty and fascinating personality. She had golden hair and white skin like marble. It is said about her that her beauty and personality used to shine like the silvery moonlight. Her parents had died after leaving some property and she was brought up by her uncle Charles. Certainly she dominated the story both with her physical beauty and spiritual nobility.
This story shows that Madeleine loved her husband, Rama with a true heart and he also loved her in an equal measure. In this way, they continued to live a very happy married life. She loved him much but she ever felt in her heart of hearts that Rama could be happier with an Indian wife who was suggested to him when she had taken a legal divorce from him. Its main reason was that she had become a true follower of Buddhism both by her body and by her thoughts. She observed a 41 day fast when she had given up drinking water and taking honey. She lived a life of renunciation.
Her Mysterious Character:
As we read the first chapter of the present novel we find a long account of Madeleine's character and temperament by Rama himself. He said that she was a girl of mysterious nature because she regarded herself different from Rama because he belonged to India. Thus, she could not adjust with him even after her marriage. From her early life, she was devoted to any particular cause. She used to love Rama who belonged to India where the people had been wronged by the British. With this reason she had full sympathy with her Indian husband. It is very clear from Rama's these words, “What I think Madeleine really cared for was a disinterested devotion to any cause , and she loved me partly because she felt India had been wronged by the British, and because she would, in marrying me, know and identify herself with a great people.”
The mysterious character and temperament of Madeleine is very clear from her decision to follow Buddhism after taking a legal divorce from her husband. She said that she was taking a legal decision only to make Rama fully free. She went to the extent to suggest him that he should marry a young girl from India to make his life happy.
Her Love and Marriage to Rama:
The answer of the question why Madeleine had married Rama is given by C. D. Narasimhaiah in these words, she had married him “because he represented a country and a cause, he was an Indian and a Brahmin.” She thought that some virtues would come in her life from India as well as from her husband who was a true Hindu Brahmin. She regarded Rama a man with many virtues, so she could change her life towards religion and good life. Prior to her marriage with Rama she was a firm Catholic and her religion was in her blood. Later she adopted Buddhism out and - out because it had impressed her much. Her faith in Buddhism was more intellectual than religious. She had married an Indian because she thought him an ideal husband who could lead her to the path of spiritual uplift. She took divorce from him after her surrender to Buddhism both with her body and mind.
Madeleine as a Dutiful Wife and a Real Companion:
After reading “The Serpent and The Rope” we find that Madeleine was a loving wife and a devoted companion, so she used to give the greatest pleasure and satisfaction to her husband. Their married life proved a blessing to both of them because they had married because of their first and true love. Soon after their marriage Madeleine had given birth to a baby who had died after a short time. In the beginning she used to take a good care of her husband and served him in the best possible manner. Once when Rama had fallen ill she prayed to God to die in his place because she loved him much. It was not only a physical union but it was also a union of minds.
The Reasons of the Failure of Their Marriage:
There are some obvious reasons for the failure of their marriage. After the marriage Madeleine used to love her husband, Rama deeply and devotedly and he also loved her more than anything. Various reasons have been given for such failure. First of all, a woman gets satisfaction only in mother hood and it was denied to her t cause their first child, Krishna had died soon after his birth. His death had disturbed deeply. She could not get her mental peace after that tragedy. She developed a negative attitude from that time. Her surrender to Buddhism was the second cause of the failure of their marriage. It is true that she had no firm base in her religion, so she drifted to Buddhism. These words support this idea. “This is true that she had no firm base and was continually drifting.” Once Rama felt her cold behaviour and she admitted that she was kissing like a serpent, or the body of death. She was a Catholic with her opposite views than those of her husband.
Conclusion:
This story clearly shows Madeleine's double character. She lived a happy married life after her initial attraction and love for Rama in the first meeting. Both of them were very happy and highly satisfied because they loved each other out - and - out. The death of her son had disturbed her mental life. She drifted from him both in body as well as by her thinking. She managed to take a legal divorce from him when she had turned into a true Buddhist. She went to the extent to suggest Rama that he should marry an Indian girl for the sake of his freedom and future happy life.