Mademoiselle Hortense Character Analysis

Mademoiselle Hortense, a French woman, is Lady Dedlock’s maid. She is an extremely jealous and proud woman and cannot stand to be treated as an inferior in her role as a servant. She despises Lady Dedlock because of her haughty manner and leaves her service when Lady Dedlock replaces her with Rosa and seeks to punish her for her arrogant behavior. While they are at Chesney Wold, Esther Summerson, Ada Clare, and Mr. Jarndyce watch Mademoiselle Hortense walk through wet grass in bare feet when Lady Dedlock dismisses her from her service and chooses Rosa over her. Mr. Jarndyce suggests that Mademoiselle Hortense does this so that she will become ill and will possibly die, which she feels will punish Lady Dedlock. This demonstrates the intensity of Mademoiselle Hortense’s pride and her obsessive hatred of her mistress. After she leaving Lady Dedlock’s service, Mademoiselle Hortense harasses Mr. Tulkinghorn and Mr. Snagsby, who she thinks may have incriminating evidence about Lady Dedlock’s past. Both these men find her unnerving and suggest she may be mad. This is confirmed at the end of the novel, when Mademoiselle Hortense murders Mr. Tulkinghorn and tries to frame Lady Dedlock for his murder. She confesses this when she is arrested by Mr. Bucket and is frenzied in her hatred for Lady Dedlock.