Villette

M. Paul continues to be moody and difficult despite his and Lucy’s friendship. Lucy compares him to Napoleon Bonaparte. M. Paul enjoys arguing with women and pointing out deficiencies in their knowledge. He once interrupted the class of a history teacher called Madame Panache; she initially stood her ground, but he was so unkind to her that she finally left the school. However, M. Paul then later helped her find another job.

M. Paul discovers Lucy has not learned math, so he takes her on as a pupil. He is kind to her when she is learning, but when he sees Lucy has mastered the subject, he changes his tone, not liking to see her succeed. M. Paul’s anger at her achievement inspires her to work harder and learn more: “[W]hen M. Paul sneered at me, I wanted to possess them more fully; his injustice stirred in me ambitious wishes—it imparted a strong stimulus—it gave wings to my aspiration” (453). This puts Lucy and M. Paul at odds once again. Lucy gathers all her books and throws them on the floor. They do not speak for two days, but M. Paul returns her books.

Lucy’s godmother invited her to a lecture.