Other branch
Catherine Maheu
/ka.tʁin ma.ø/
Coal hewer (herscheuse)
Toussaint Maheu's daughter and Étienne Lantier's great love in Germinal. She works underground alongside the men, has been Chaval's unwilling companion since she was fifteen, and loves Étienne but cannot break free of Chaval's hold. She and Étienne finally come together in the flooded mine after Chaval's death. She dies there; Étienne survives and is rescued after eleven days underground. Her death beside him in the dark is the novel's most harrowing personal tragedy.
Fille de Maheu et amour d'Étienne dans Germinal. Mineure de charbon, retenue par Chaval, elle retrouve Étienne dans la mine inondée après la mort de Chaval. Elle meurt là ; Étienne est secouru onze jours plus tard. Sa mort à ses côtés dans le noir est la tragédie personnelle la plus déchirante du roman.
Small, slight, pale as chalk from years underground, with the quiet eyes of someone who has learned not to expect much.
Small, slight, pale as chalk from years underground, with the quiet eyes of someone who has learned not to expect much.
Family & Relationships
- Lover Étienne Lantier
- Partner Chaval — An unwilling relationship — Chaval took her at fifteen and dominates her through fear.