Alistair Rolls - Résumé (anglais)

Australian journal of French studies (41 :1) 2004

Of Mice and Murder : Playing Cat and Mouse with Boris Vian’s L’Ecume des jours

Alistair Rolls

While reading L’Ecume des jours, one may wonder the significance of the mice. Some suggest that the mice are just mice as everything is taken au pied de la lettre in Vian’s world; but some others argue that mice have an important role in this book such as representing the text’s ability to arrange various elements (Gilbert Pestureau).  Mice first can represent the social history of occupied Paris by referring to the female soldiers of the Wehrmacht. Secondly, the whole idea of mice in a house and acceptance, whose presence is not usually a sign of good housekeeping, can symbolise a fairytale. It is obvious that the presence of mice makes people think about the legitimacy of the 2 main characters’ relationship, about marriage, happiness and rules of society. The mice are clearly not only witnesses to events but provide a textual counterpoint to Chloé.

The narrative tension driving L’Ecume des jours introduces two opposing theses. First, Chloe’s death is pre-ordained by virtue of her status as jazz theme and pre-ordained by human intervention such as a lack of love from self-centred and selfish Colin. On the other hand, by charging Nicolas with the murder of Chloé and mices, the protagonists are reinvested with the responsibility for the outcomes of the narrative.

Chloe’s death is the responsibility of each character but it is clear that it is Nicolas’ plan.  The several ‘confessions’ made by Nicolas provide examples of the text’s ability to hide the facts, but it is obvious that Nicolas is having a great deal of trouble dealing with the crimes he has committed.