Letters
Letters are the prime example of a communiqué. Cecile asks her father, “what is the earliest possible time that Aunt Clothilde and Aunt Blanche can get our letters?" her father responds, “if La Bonne Espérance has good luck, she can make La Rochelle in six weeks. Of course, it has been done in five. But let us say six; then, if the roads are bad, and they are likely to be in December, we must count on a week to Paris." Based on the time setting (1697), letters are the optimal form of communiqué between individuals. However, the letters are not optimal for relaying pressing messages specifically during emergencies due to the time interval that lapses before they are conveyed to the intended recipient.
Dark Eyes
Cather writes, “After such admonition Madame Auclair would look intently into the child's eyes that grew so dark when her heart was touched, like the blue of Canadian blueberries, indeed.” The dark eyes are emblematic of Cecile’s evident melancholy. Darkness manifests after her mother’s forewarnings which are alarm signals of her forthcoming death.
Notre Dame de la Victoire
Cather elucidates, “Auclair put his basket down on the church steps and went inside to say a prayer. Notre Dame de la Victoire was a plain, solid little church, built of very hard rough stone. It had already stood through one bombardment from the waterside, and was dear to the people for that reason.” The church is emblematic of Christianity which offers evidence concerning the principal religion in Quebec. French connotations in the name suggest that its patrons were French Christians.
