THE BLACK TULIP

Black Tulip

The novel The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas opens with a tense political situation. He includes various elements in order to accomplish this. The De Witt brothers are at the center of the conflict, being framed for murders they did not commit simply to remove them from power in favor of the corrupt and unethical William of Orange. William of Orange having been raised by one of the brothers, John, is resentful of the latter's power and finally succeeds in orchestrating his and his brother's brutal murders. Orange is described as a lank, pale person who would go to any lengths to achieve his aims.

One important element of the political situation is the mob. The collective mob is described as murderous, almost to the point of insanity. They will not listen to reason, and fail to investigate allegations before assuming them as the truth. The fuel that fires them is anger. Not even the calm demeanor of Count Tilly, or indeed his own threats, succeed in defusing their collective rage. The culmination of this rage is tragedy.

In terms of revolution, the mob mentality certainly parallels revolutions of other times. One important difference is however that a revolution generally has an outcome that is more favorable than the one before it, whereas in the Tulip, this is not the case. The "burghers" are exchanging rulers who care about their well-being for a decidedly corrupt head of state.

In terms of suspense, the novel is very fast-paced. Dumas masterfully arranges the events in episodes that are slow and mesmeric on the one hand, and almost frantic on the other. A good example of this is the meeting of the De Witt brothers in prison at the beginning of the novel, which is quiet and calm, despite the desperate situation. This is juxtaposed with their flight from the mob, and their subsequent murder.

The chapter endings are also significant in building tension. Each chapter ends with an indication of future events, encouraging the reader to continue through the book. At times these endings are mesmeric, while at others they increase the pace to integrate smoothly with the subsequent chapter.

Dumas also uses characterization to create suspense. One good example of this is William of Orange, who makes his initially anonymous appearance in Chapter 3 of the novel. He is described as a pale, thin, and almost creepy person. The reader learns only later that this is William of Orange. After the murders, the reader also learns that William's inner being is quite as uncomely as his physical appearance, when it is revealed that he is behind the murders of the De Witt brothers.

Dumas' addressing the reader directly gives the impression of being taken into the author's confidence, as if secret information is to be revealed. This contributes to the suspense of the overall plot by creating parallel between the reader-author relationship and the lives of the characters.

Romance in the novel is represented by Rosa. Her relationship with Cornelius is initially quite innocent, with Cornelius taking an almost fatherly disposition towards the young girl. Some elements of Romanticism are also evident in Dumas' description of her as almost supernaturally beautiful and kind. She is a typical Romantic heroine, who plays the role of savior and helper to those in need.