Bright Summaries - My Mothers Castle by Marcel Pagnol (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

Marcel and his family are enjoying the holidays, and Marcel often goes hunting with his uncle Jules and his father Joseph. One day, he is trying to flush the game out of hiding when he meets Lili, a local boy who is collecting the many traps he has set. The two children become friends and Marcel discovers the joys of this new hunting technique. This admiration is mutual: while Marcel is fascinated by Lilis knowledge of hunting and the countryside, Lili is impressed by Marcels wisdom and, above all, by Josephs feat of catching two bartavelles (royal partridges) the previous year.

Marcels brother Paul plays with his little sister, while Marcel and Lili roam the hills and trap all kinds of fowl and other animals. However, the young friends are taken by surprise when a storm blows up, and they take shelter in a cave which runs the whole way through Mount Taoum, as Lili reveals to Marcel that day. However, when they discover that a terrifying eagle-owl has made its nest there, they run back to the Bastide Neuve, the Pagnol familys country home, as fast as their legs can carry them.

When he hears Lili say October, Marcel realises that it will soon be time for him to go back to school. Soon after, the news is announced: they will have to go home on Sunday. Marcel is distraught, and tries to convince his parents to commute every day, making the argument that the city air is no good for Maman. However, everyone seems to have well and truly made up their mind to go back to work, much to his despair.

Saturday soon arrives, and Marcel decides to run away. First, he writes a letter to his parents, telling them that he wants to become a hermit and live in the hills. He packs his bags, takes some provisions and flees under cover of night, helped by his accomplice Lili. The two friends head for the cave, and Lili is impressed by Marcels bravery, even though he seems to grow more afraid the further they walk. When they arrive at the cave, they are startled by therbiggowl, which they had forgotten about and which tries to pluck their eyes out.

The two friends decide to attack the bird the next morning, and head to the spring that Marcel is planning to use as his water supply during his sojourn. However, they are dismayed to realise that the spring only provides ten litres of water per day, which sounds the death knell for their plan. Marcel resigns himself to going back to the villa, where he finds his letter and destroys it. Ashamed, he eventually falls asleep.

On Sunday, the Pagnol family bids Lili farewell, and Joseph promises him that he will see Marcel again during the Christmas holidays, so long as Marcel is well-prepared for the scholarship exam that he will sit in June in order to get into high school. When Marcel starts back at school, he studies intensively in order to prepare for the test. One day, he returns home from school to find a letter from Lili, who misses him desperately.

The day of their reunion finally dawns, and Lili waits for Marcel with a hidden impatience that fools absolutely no-one. Pagnol tells us that The Christmas week passed as quickly as a dream and, since the whole family has had a marvellous time during the holidays, Augustine decides to come to Provence every Saturday. Her friendship with the wife of the schools headmaster lets her nudge the latter into adjusting Josephs timetable so that he can have longer weekends. As a result, we were able to go up into the hills almost every Saturday after Shrove Tuesday.

One Saturday in April they meet Bouzigue, one of Josephs former pupils, on the way to the Bastide Neuve. He tells them about a shortcut which could shave two hours off their journey: he has been made an overseer of the canal that runs the length of four gigantic properties, separated by a gate. He suggests that Joseph could monitor the canal in his stead, giving them a reason to use the private path. After contemplating the distance that they still have to travel, Joseph eventually accepts his offer.

From then on, they get into the habit of taking the shortcut. While they had never previously met any of the owners, the aging aristocrat who owns the first castle comes out to meet them one Saturday in May. To their great surprise, he is very considerate towards them, suggests that his guard Wladimir escort them, offers Augustine some roses and invites them inside. They pass through the grounds of the second property, Sleeping Beautys castle, without a hitch.

However, when they cross through the third property, which belongs to a lawyer, they meet Dominique, a gardener who seems like he is going to reprimand them, but who then advises them on how to avoid drawing the lawyers attention and offers them baskets of fruit. All that remains is for them to pass through the fourth property, which is the largest and the most intimidating due to the alcoholic guard who stands watch with his dog. Augustine grows extremely nervous as they approach this castle, but they do not see anyone.