Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice

Feast of All Saints

The Quest for a Meaningful Life in the Feast of All Saints

Poignantly, the setting for Anne Rice's book The Feast of All Saints is that of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Even in the 19th century, this area was racially divided between Whites, Blacks, and Mulattos like the protagonist's childhood friend Anna Bella. Marcel and his sister Marie form a kind of unique stratum, in that they are descended from both African slaves and French and Spanish settlers. This makes them Free People of Color who are both wealthy and respected within their small community of mixed race peoples, although in larger New Orleans society they are seen as one class above the enslaved, because of their whiteness, yet far below the stratum of society occupied by White people.

Both Marcel and Anna Bella search for ways to make their lives meaningful in a society that spurns them beyond the conventional roads of love and marriage. Physically, Marcel embodies this paradox of his society as he is blond and blue-eyed, but with distinct African features, unlike his white-appearing sister. Thus, his 'Whiteness' is tenuous in this society, and he must be careful to police this in his friends and continue to make good on the family fortune, even though Marcel hates the racism of his society. His life and status is dependant upon wealth and enslavement, despite the fact that Marcel is searching for a greater meaning in his life.

Anna Bella, in contrast to Marcel, shows her Black heritage in her appearance far more markedly. She eventually seeks meaning, not in marriage, although Marcel and she attempt to become involved, but in religious devotion to the Virgin Mary and Catholicism, as religion, as opposed to earthly society is not judgmental. Marcel seeks to find meaning in more secular forms of knowledge, in an attempt to understand his precarious condition in society, but is thwarted in his search to find a secure haven or sense of purpose in his existence.

Anna Bella is more stigmatized than Marcel for her appearance, however, one reason that her decision not to become embittered against a world that despises her color impresses the reader. Even another Free Person of Color, Richard is said to be repelled by Anna Bella's African appearance because it represents to him the degraded condition of slavery that, in Richard's mind, threatens all peoples with Black blood and especially a Black appearance. As Marcel's father expresses concern early on, those like Marcel who stand on the borders of Black and White most evidently in their appearance must spurn those who evidence Blackness, like Anna Bella and Marcel's later mistress, Cecile.

Marcel's spirit is immune to such racism, in contrast to Richard who "would never have considered for an instant infusing by marriage into his own line those strong indications of Negro blood which had proved so obvious and profound a disadvantage." (160) Society will never be equal, because the people still are not White, thus it seems foolish to Richard to lower himself. Richard is practical, but in contrast, Marcel sees Anna Bella as a kind of perfect person, because of her selflessness, despite what society says.