Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris connects the daily urban life of Eveline Hutchins and Eleanor Stoddard with the religious rituals they turn to amid wartime uncertainty. Seen from their apartment across the Seine and visited for mass, it is both a familiar feature of the city and a place where private concern takes ceremonial form.

Setting and Appearance

From the mansard apartment on the Quai de la Tournelle, Eveline looks across the Seine toward the island opposite. Beyond the river and a small park, the church’s flying buttresses rise around its apse, making Notre-Dame de Paris a prominent feature of her view through the apartment’s wrought-iron balcony. Toy steamers and brightly painted barges move along the water in the foreground; the church anchors the far side of this everyday panorama.

A Landmark in Daily Life

The view is part of Eveline’s ordinary domestic routine. She lives with Eleanor and returns each evening from their office on the Rue de Rivoli, where they spend the day preparing scrapbooks of ruined French farms and orphaned children for American Red Cross drives. Their tea by the window places Notre-Dame de Paris within a working life shaped by wartime relief, rather than separating the landmark from the city’s practical burdens.

Mass and Wartime Concern

After Eleanor says she thinks she will become Catholic, she asks Eveline to stop at Notre-Dame de Paris on their way to work to hear mass. The two women light candles for Maurice’s safety at the front. Eveline finds the service impressive, despite her impatience with the statue of the Virgin near the main door, and hopes Maurice will not be killed. The visit gives their concern a shared religious gesture: the church is not only part of the view outside their home, but also a place where fear for someone at the front can be expressed through ritual.