Annie Duchesne and P

Happening

This character flow traces how P’s absence and Annie Duchesne’s unresolved attachment shape the search for an abortion.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Summer Encounter A Summer Encounter from "Happening". A Summer Encounter A New Relationship Annie Duchesne meets P during the summer and visits him in Bordeaux.

A Summer Encounter from "Happening". A Summer Encounter A New Relationship Annie Duchesne meets P during the summer and visits him in Bordeaux.

A Summer Encounter A New Relationship Annie Duchesne meets P during the summer and visits him in Bordeaux. Their intimacy becomes the setting for the conception neither expects. Trust Without Protection They rely on the Ogino method, and Annie believes pregnancy is unlikely to happen to her. Their confidence proves fragile against the method’s limits.

News from Rouen News from Rouen from "Happening". News from Rouen A Difficult Letter Annie Duchesne writes to P that she is pregnant and will not keep the child.

News from Rouen from "Happening". News from Rouen A Difficult Letter Annie Duchesne writes to P that she is pregnant and will not keep the child.

News from Rouen A Difficult Letter Annie Duchesne writes to P that she is pregnant and will not keep the child. The announcement tests whether their relationship can become a source of practical care. Relief and Resentment She expects P to be relieved, yet telling him also gives her a way to disrupt his carefree distance. The relationship becomes entangled with anger and dependency.

A Distant Partner A Distant Partner from "Happening". A Distant Partner Infrequent Letters P writes from Bordeaux about obstacles to a solution, while Annie Duchesne believes he is leaving her to cope alone.

A Distant Partner from "Happening". A Distant Partner Infrequent Letters P writes from Bordeaux about obstacles to a solution, while Annie Duchesne believes he is leaving her to cope alone.

A Distant Partner Infrequent Letters P writes from Bordeaux about obstacles to a solution, while Annie Duchesne believes he is leaving her to cope alone. His distance sharpens her isolation. Plans Kept Alive She hesitates to end the relationship because separation would add another loss. A planned holiday remains in place despite the growing imbalance between them.

The Mountain Holiday The Mountain Holiday from "Happening". The Mountain Holiday Temporary Escape Annie Duchesne travels with P to Le Mont-Dore despite the expense and delay.

The Mountain Holiday from "Happening". The Mountain Holiday Temporary Escape Annie Duchesne travels with P to Le Mont-Dore despite the expense and delay.

The Mountain Holiday Temporary Escape Annie Duchesne travels with P to Le Mont-Dore despite the expense and delay. She needs a few weeks before facing the planned procedure. A Solitary Purpose P does not share the secret with their companions, and the holiday’s lighthearted routines leave Annie isolated. She throws herself into strenuous skiing in hopes of ending the pregnancy.

The Break

The Break Ending Contact After the procedure begins, Annie Duchesne writes that she never wants to see P again. The relationship’s imbalance has become impossible to ignore. A Lasting Interpretation She later wonders what P meant to her and whether the abortion had felt like an act of love. The unanswered question preserves the complexity of attachment without excusing his absence.

Summer 1963

November 1963

November to December 1963

Late December 1963 to January 1964

January 1964