Music Lessons and a Future at Sea: Chapter 11 of Isola

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with a period of relative comfort while the secretary resides in the house. Marguerite and her nurse Damienne enjoy better food, clothing, and new devotional items. Marguerite receives a virginal from the secretary and practices diligently, improving rapidly. One morning she hears a cittern played by the secretary, who hides his instrument. Alys suggests they play together, but Damienne rebukes her for impertinence. Alys later shares news that Lord Roberval will return in winter with a treasure chest.

Roberval arrives in December with businessmen and a navigator, but he does not immediately summon Marguerite, causing her to fear she offended him with her letter of thanks. Eventually, he calls her alone, without Damienne. Nervous, she recites Psalms under his instruction. He questions her understanding, then reveals he knows she wants to study. He offers to teach her music himself. The next day, he shows her a magnificent virginal and begins lessons. He corrects her hand position by covering her hands with his, a strange and uncomfortable intimacy. She begins to hope he will treat her like a daughter. However, his temper shows: he raps her knuckles with a ruler and verbally abuses her when she falters. During a memory test, he seizes her arms and pulls them behind her back until she recites the verse “The arms of the wicked shall be broken.” He leaves her distressed. The secretary emerges from an adjoining room, helps her up, and tells her Roberval sails in May. He quietly vows never to hurt her.

Despite the violence, Roberval treats her kindly in subsequent lessons, confusing her. As spring approaches, Roberval is preoccupied with his ships. Alys hints that he favors Marguerite. Finally, he calls her and reveals he has sold her estate to fund his expedition. When she asks where she will go, he declares she will sail with him to New France. She falls to her knees begging not to be forced, but he insists, saying “You will belong to me.”

Key Events

• The household improves during the secretary’s residence; Marguerite gets a virginal.
• Marguerite hears the secretary playing a cittern; Alys jests about duets.
• Alys reports Roberval’s return; Marguerite fears she has offended him.
• Roberval summons Marguerite alone and tests her psalm recitation.
• He offers to teach her music; their lessons begin with hand-over-hand contact.
• Roberval becomes violent during a lesson, pulling Marguerite’s arms until she recites.
• The secretary reveals Roberval’s May sailing date and vows not to hurt her.
• Roberval sells Marguerite’s estate and tells her she must accompany him to New France.
• Marguerite begs and collapses; Roberval states she will belong to him.

Character Development

Marguerite: Matures from a hopeful ward into a trapped young woman. She initially craves Roberval’s approval, but after his violence she begins to doubt her own memory and agency. Her desperate plea shows her fear of being erased.

Roberval: Reveals his dual nature: charming teacher and sadistic disciplinarian. His final act of selling her land and insisting she sail exposes his utter control and exploitation. He sees her as property.

The Secretary: Emerges as a sympathetic figure. He secretly listens, helps Marguerite, and gives a vital promise. His vow contrasts with Roberval’s cruelty, but he remains powerless.

Alys: Continues to be a source of information and cautious rebellion, risking Roberval’s displeasure by warning Marguerite.

Damienne: Protective but sidelined; her fears about Marguerite being alone with Roberval are realized.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Music as power and control: Roberval uses music lessons to dominate Marguerite physically and emotionally. The virginal becomes a site of both intimacy and violence. The secretary’s hidden cittern symbolizes secret knowledge and the possibility of harmony.

Psalms as mirror and weapon: Roberval forces Marguerite to recite psalms, demanding they reflect her soul, then uses a verse to justify his physical assault. Scripture becomes a tool of manipulation.

Belonging and dispossession: Marguerite’s estate is sold without her knowledge; she asks “Where will I go?” Roberval’s answer—that she will belong to him—strips her of any independent identity.

Birds and prisoners: Marguerite repeatedly feels like a prisoner throughout the chapter, from the narrow stairs to her final kneeling plea. The upcoming sea voyage is a new cage.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the pivotal chapter where Marguerite’s fate is sealed. Roberval’s mask of the kind guardian falls away, revealing a man who sees her as cargo for his colonial venture. The secretary’s promise introduces a potential ally, but his powerlessness underscores Marguerite’s isolation. The chapter sets up the central conflict of the novel: Marguerite’s struggle to survive in a world where her will is irrelevant. The decision to force her to New France transforms her from a ward into a captive, launching the journey that defines the rest of the story.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Roberval test Marguerite’s memory of the Psalms, and what does his method reveal about him?
Roberval tests her memory to assert dominance and reshape her mind. His violent method—twisting her arms until she recites—reveals his belief that learning must be coerced through pain. He treats scripture as a tool to break her will, not to enlighten her.

2. How does Marguerite’s relationship with the secretary differ from her relationship with Roberval?
The secretary offers gentleness and a private promise not to hurt her, while Roberval uses his authority to inflict physical and emotional pain. The secretary’s touch is supportive; Roberval’s is possessive. However, the secretary cannot protect her, highlighting her vulnerability.

3. What does Roberval mean when he says “You will belong to me” at the end of the chapter?
He means she is his property, legally and personally. Having sold her estate, he has erased her past and future. She has no home, no family, and no recourse. The phrase confirms that her identity will be entirely subsumed by his will during the voyage to New France.

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