by DeVa Gantt
AVON A
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION AND AUTHOR INSIGHTS
FOR FOREVER WAITING
1. Three compelling themes drive the Colette Trilogy and are identifiable once Forever Waiting comes to a close. Discuss:
HOPE AMIDST HOPELESSNESS
An evening mist settled over the moss-scarred walls of the stone church, shrouding it in hopelessness … A resplendent serenity settled over him, bathing him in hopefulness.
The opening and closing lines of the Colette Trilogy are the very heart of the Duvoisin story. A Silent Ocean Away opens with a solitary man, John Duvoisin, praying for the death of his father, Frederic. In his despair, he contemplates the most wretched of solutions. At the close of Forever Waiting, John recites a very different prayer—Colette’s prayer. To understand the paramount message of the Colette Trilogy, the reader should compare and contrast John’s self-serving prayer in the prologue with Colette’s prayer in the epilogue. What deeper understanding about life’s tribulations had Colette achieved in her journey that John and Frederic had yet to learn? Think again about author insights at the end of A Silent Ocean Away. To what extent did Colette yield herself to death in the interest of restoring the Duvoisin family and achieving God’s greater good? Thus, the driving theme: Even in the most egregious of situations, there is always hope, and happiness is forever waiting, especially for those whose hearts are not hardened.
WHOLESOME LOVE VERSUS DESTRUCTIVE LOVE
Love—in all its forms—is explored in the Colette Trilogy: first love, passionate love, maternal love, fraternal love, selfish love, guilt-ridden love, deadly love, and ultimately, paternal love. Each one impacts the Duvoisins, bringing Forever Waiting to its sublime conclusion.
Conversely, several characters are beset by heartache yet choose to meet it in opposing ways. Identify the parallelism between the following characters:
Agatha and John
Agatha and Marie
Father Michael and Father Benito
Paul and John
Paul and Frederic
John and Pierre
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
AGATHA AND JOHN …
Frederic breaks his betrothal to Agatha, just as Colette does with John. Both Agatha and John are embittered; both eventually resume a love affair with their intended spouse. Despite his anguish, John takes the high road and bows out of Colette’s life. In contrast, Agatha chooses to nurture her hatred and, no matter the cost, claim what she desires.
AGATHA AND MARIE …
Marie finds herself alone and pregnant, as does Agatha. Where Marie sacrifices her own happiness for the welfare of her unborn child and the child’s father, Agatha clings to her anger and invests all her energy into planning retribution.
FATHER MICHAEL AND FATHER BENITO …
Both priests are disillusioned with their ministry. Michael stays the course, whereas Benito turns his back on all that is holy.
PAUL AND JOHN, PAUL AND FREDERIC …
Paul loses Charmaine to John much as John lost Colette to Frederic. Paul also loses his status of favored son. Though Paul’s “moral compass” is dubious in books 1 and 2, he epitomizes the man who learns from others’ mistakes and, faced with the same dilemmas as John and Frederic, chooses the noble path: He sets aside his enmity and brings the truth about Agatha, his mother, to John. Though he could exploit the opportunity to seduce Charmaine after John leaves in pursuit of Robert Blackford, he eschews this and sets out to bring John home instead. Likewise, he does not abandon Rebecca as Frederic did Agatha.
PIERRE AND JOHN …
Pierre and John are more than parallel characters; to Frederic and Colette, Pierre symbolizes John. Look back to Colette’s death in A Silent Ocean Away and discuss her enjoining words to Charmaine: “But him!” Colette struggled anew, as if Charmaine hadn’t understood. Frantically, she grasped at Pierre in an attempt to reach his governess. “He needs you the most … because he’s the most vulnerable … and I wasn’t able to give him … what he—” Of whom is Colette really speaking? Similarly, Frederic showers the love upon Pierre that he had never shown John, and at times speaks to John through Pierre: “I love you, son,” Frederic murmured heavily. The words were sincere, and though they were spoken to Pierre, Frederic’s eyes were on John, leaving Charmaine to wonder for whom they were meant. (page 190, Decision and Destiny). Lastly, Frederic keeps vigil at John’s sickbed in Forever Waiting, though in deference to John, he keeps away from Pierre’s deathbed in Decision and Destiny.
FORGIVENESS , TRANSFORMATION , AND REDEMPTION
Many readers have commented on the agonizing silence in book 1, thus the title A Silent Ocean Away. The first step toward forgiveness and redemption cannot be taken until key characters begin talking to one another and decide to behave constructively. Charmaine lays the groundwork for this in A Silent Ocean Away when she asks Yvette to apologize to her father. In Forever Waiting, Yvette and Jeannette follow Charmaine’s simple example by suggesting that Frederic write to John and apologize.
“Then why don’t you apologize?” Yvette offered. “That’s what Mademoiselle Charmaine tells us to do when we’ve made a mistake.”
“I’m afraid it is not that easy,” Frederic faltered.
“Yes, it is!” Jeannette chimed in. “I have an idea, Papa. You can write him a letter and tell him you’re sorry. We can help you write it, can’t we, Yvette?”
Though the seeds of transformation are planted in A Silent Ocean Away and begin to germinate in Decision and Destiny, they do not bear fruit until Forever Waiting. Discuss how John, Frederic, and Paul decide to behave differently—constructively—and are therefore transformed.
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
JOHN …
At the close of Decision and Destiny, John leaves Charmantes. This “stepping back” is a constructive decision not to manipulate circumstances as he had in the past. On their journey in pursuit of Blackford in Forever Waiting, John allows himself to understand his father’s actions and upon their return home, finally forgive him.
FREDERIC …
At the close of Decision and Destiny, Frederic abandons his self-imposed exile, retakes the helm of the Duvoisin empire, and begins to nurture a relationship with his daughters. In addition, he vows never to hurt John again, and though he falters on occasion, does his utmost to uphold this vow. In so doing, he discovers it is never too late to apologize, to ask for forgiveness, to abandon a destructive path and chart a new course. Even so, redemption comes at a high price. Frederic must experience John’s pain to receive absolution. Like John:
He endures a three-year exile of isolation in his own home
He loses those whom he loves dearly: Colette and Pierre
He suffers an agonizing deathbed vigil
Finally, Frederic rectifies his transgressions against John by rescuing and comforting him when Blackford is finally apprehended. The Duvoisin family is restored when Frederic and John share a mutual quest to avenge Colette’s and Pierre’s murders.
PAUL …
Paul redeems his family’s passive indifference to John’s original exile from Charmantes. This indifference was the crux of John’s anger with Paul: “Hurt him? What about me? There was a time you were sympathetic to me.” (page 66, Decision and Destiny) and “All these years—and that’s what you think happened? No wonder you sided with Father” (page 265, Decision and Destiny). Only after Paul experiences his own heartache can he finally empathize with John. Thus, he confides in John when confronted with the truth about his mother. Conclusively, Paul makes reparation for all the evil leveled upon John. He does this by forsaking self-interest and setting out to bring John home at the end of Forever Waiting.
Readers should further note the transformation that occurs with John’s three returns to Charmantes: Initially, he is met with—and harbors— disdain (A Silent Ocean Away, chapter 9) then uncertain hopefulness (Forever Waiting, chapter 2) and finally, sheer joy (Forever Waiting, chapter 9).
Readers should al
so discuss Charmaine’s influence on each of these men. Through her words, insights, and actions, she plays an integral role in all three transformations.
2. Symbolism and foreshadow are effectively employed throughout the trilogy, but not fully grasped until the close of Forever Waiting. Discuss the significance of the following objects:
Pierre’s lamb
Frederic’s cane
John’s cap
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
PIERRE’S LAMB …
Pierre’s lamb symbolizes Pierre. Pierre is the sacrificial lamb that redeems his family. The evil that Agatha and Blackford set out to commit—annihilation of the Duvoisin family—is thwarted and, in fact, turned to good.
FREDERIC’S CANE …
Frederic’s cane symbolizes Frederic’s spiritual malady: his soul is crippled more so than his body. Though his physical impairment seems improved at the beginning of Forever Waiting, it is not until he rescues John that he is healed emotionally. Ironically, he throws down the cane to help John to his feet and never picks it up again.
JOHN’S CAP …
John wears two caps throughout the trilogy. The first symbolizes his cynicism. Just as he places it on each of the children’s heads to shield them from cruel reality, he, too, uses it as a shield. Thus, the first cap embodies John’s life until the climax of the story. That cap is lost, but Charmaine—his salvation—purchases a new one. The second cap signifies the new and happy direction his life will take, even through immeasurable heartache: assuming his rightful place as a beloved member of the Duvoisin family.
3. Discuss the relevance of:
The lightning and thunderstorm the night John first arrives home
Colette’s horses: Charity and Chastity
Colette’s portrait
The three hairbrushes
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
The thunder and lightning symbolize John and Paul; the storm, their rivalry, as well as the story itself. But the worst did not come … Though it rumbled, it did not roar, as if is were purposefully holding back, circling them, waiting for the kill (page 287, A Silent Ocean Away). Charmaine equates the storm with Colette’s death, and during this storm, the French doors in the children’s bedchamber open for the first time, signifying Colette’s presence as a herald of John’s return.
COLETTE’S HORSES: CHARITY AND CHASTITY
Charity and Chastity signify Colette’s dual personalities. Much like her twin daughters’ dramatically different personalities, Colette has two sides, as John suggests to Charmaine in Decision and Destiny (page 71): “Miss Ryan,” he snarled, “the mistress Colette was a very different woman than the one you have painted … ” Charity—the spirited and pert personality—is the Colette Frederic knows. Ironically, Chastity— the subdued and mothering personality—is the Colette John knows. Readers should examine John’s story about the two horses in Decision and Destiny (page 116) and identify the foreshadow in this passage.
COLETTE’S PORTRAIT
Colette’s portrait demurely oversees all that transpires in the Duvoisin manor. It is the focal point of three powerful scenes: The painting is a poignant reminder of Colette’s loss in Decision and Destiny (page 196): “That’s my mama … Isn’t she boo-ti-ful? … She’s not alive no more.” The portrait becomes Agatha’s undoing and triggers the first sign of her insanity in Forever Waiting (page 183): Agatha confronted her adversary—the woman who taunted her even in death … The blue eyes stared back, so lifelike, they condemned her from the lofty perch upon the wall … Like the wife, it was time for the painting to go. Most important, it sends John into the chapel to forgive his father at the close of Forever Waiting (page 415), fulfilling Colette’s prayer: “No, Father,” John breathed, “ don’t remove it. I feel secure knowing Colette is watching over us.”
THE THREE HAIRBRUSHES
Each of the three hairbrushes is symbolic. On the night of John’s return in A Silent Ocean Away, he steps on and breaks the hairbrush Charmaine had tossed across the room. It is John’s first step toward breaking with his past. In Decision and Destiny Agatha uses her hairbrush to ruthlessly spank Pierre, and John wrenches it from her, throwing it across her boudoir. At this moment, John glimpses Charmaine’s integrity and valor, marking the turning point in their relationship. Lastly, John’s Christmas gift to Charmaine in Forever Waiting is an ivory hairbrush. It embodies their untainted relationship, which stands in stark contrast to the one he shared with Colette.
4. The supernatural seems to play an integral part in the conclusion of Forever Waiting. Consider the following:
Did Colette’s ghost coax Agatha into the waters off Espoir?
Who induced the dream shared by both Frederic and John?
Did John experience an out-of-body experience where Colette, Elizabeth, and Marie sent him back to the realm of the living?
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
For the nonbeliever, each question can be logically explained: First, Agatha was insane. Second, John and Frederic’s shared dream was a coincidence fed by mutual guilt and obscure memories. Third, John’s out-of-body experience was a hallucination, nurtured by subconscious images and a grave illness. However, it is far more interesting to entertain the idea: What if … ?
5. The Colette Trilogy has multiple triads. The following are the more significant sets of three. Discuss their importance, then see how many others you can identify:
THREE PRAYERS
The prologue of A Silent Ocean Away opens with John’s prayer of death. After Pierre’s death in Decision and Destiny, John offers his prayer of grief. At the close of Forever Waiting, he recites a prayer of absolution and redemption.
THREE CHAPEL/CHURCH SCENES
The prologue of A Silent Ocean Away, opens with John praying in the St. Jude Refuge church. At the close of Decision and Destiny, Charmaine and John grieve Pierre’s death in the Duvoisin chapel. At the end of Forever Waiting, John forgives Frederic in the same chapel.
THREE PIANO SCENES
In A Silent Ocean Away, Colette finds Charmaine at the piano, playing John’s unfinished composition. Through Charmaine’s eyes, this encounter evokes melancholy and yearning. In Decision and Destiny, Charmaine finds John at the piano, playing the very same piece. Through her eyes, this encounter offers wonder and possibilities. In Forever Waiting, Charmaine beholds John’s resolution to his poignant composition—symbolic of his life; yet unlike the first two encounters, this one is surrounded by family and love. It heralds happiness and promise.
THREE BOYHOOD RECOLLECTIONS
George’s recollection in A Silent Ocean Away is brimming with humor and camaraderie, John’s in Decision and Destiny with mischief and daring, Paul’s in Forever Waiting with imagination and adventure. All three allude to deep boyhood bonds and a simpler time, in sharp contrast to their present lives.
THREE IMPORTANT LETTERS
Colette’s letter to John, Marie’s letter to Michael, Frederic’s letter to John—each pivotal to the plot.
THREE RETURNS AND THREE DEPARTURES
John departs Charmantes three times and returns three times. The reader should consider character evolution with each return. Upon his first return, John is hate-filled and Frederic is hesitant; upon the second, John is hesitant and Frederic is hopeful; upon the third, Frederic and John are both joyous.
ADDITIONAL TRIADS:
Charmaine comes across Colette’s letter three times.
Chapter 7 of each book contains a dramatic death.
Charmaine and John share three kisses before their marriage; each one highlighting Charmaine’s maturation: She’s indignant with the first kiss, submissive with the second, and willing with the third.
Charmaine receives three gifts from John: the horse, the hairbrush, and the diamond ring.
6. Agatha, Robert, and Benito are the primary villains of the story. Discuss whom you consider the most nefarious and why.
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
Though abhorring Agatha
, one reader expressed sympathy for her, citing that Agatha never knew the predominant part Robert played in scripting her life and pushing Elizabeth into Frederic’s arms. As for who is the most evil, we leave the reader to decide.
7. Pierre’s death is more painful than Colette’s. Discuss the necessity of his death in driving the story to its dramatic conclusion.
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
Like his lamb, Pierre is the sacrifice that opens the door to healing. The loss of Pierre is the turning point of the entire story. The death of an innocent demands that key characters take responsibility for their behavior and decide to change. The reader should contemplate if this is true to life: Does a family tragedy move people to change?
8. Contemplate Charmaine’s journey through the trilogy and her growth from innocent young woman to mistress of the Duvoisin manor.
AUTHOR INSIGHT:
Charmaine’s interaction with Paul and John contributes to her maturation as a woman. Although she evolves from naïve admirer to intelligent pragmatist, her inner innocence and integrity remain steadfast. These qualities have a subtle yet tremendous influence on those around her, including her coworkers (Mrs. Faraday) and her employer and father-in-law (Frederic Duvoisin). Ultimately, the dream for which Charmaine is forever waiting is fulfilled. The reader should compare the Duvoisin family table at the close of Forever Waiting with the wretched Ryan table at the trilogy’s opening in A Silent Ocean Away.
9. In twenty years, the States will be marching toward a Civil War, and the Duvoisins will find themselves embroiled in it. With John and Paul holding opposing convictions concerning slavery, predict what will happen to the family as the conflict escalates.
The workday is over, the dishes put away, and the children are tucked into bed. That’s when DEVA GANTT settles down for an evening with the family. The other family, that is: the Duvoisins.
DeVa Gantt is a pseudonym for Debra and Valerie Gantt: sisters, career women, mothers, homemakers, and now, authors. The Colette Trilogy, commencing with A Silent Ocean Away, continuing with Decision and Destiny, and culminating with Forever Waiting, is the product of years of unwavering dedication to a dream.