Rodin and the Household of Control

This flow follows Rodin’s use of education, medicine, and household authority to conceal abuse and silence those who resist him.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Respectable Professions

Respectable Professions Public standing Rodin presents himself as a surgeon and educator, maintaining a household and school. The appearance of respectable service conceals the personal authority he exercises over pupils and dependents. A dangerous refuge Justine accepts his offer of shelter while recovering from Bressac’s attack. Her need for safety places her inside another system where a powerful employer controls access to work and protection.

The School’s Hidden Use

The School’s Hidden Use A controlled institution Rodin’s school accepts attractive pupils and keeps them within his own instructional system. Rosalie reveals to Justine that the arrangement supplies dependents whom Rodin can control. Abuse behind discipline Justine observes punishment used as a cover for private appetites. The school’s routines transform institutional authority into a shield, while children’s dependence makes open resistance hazardous.

Rosalie’s Disclosure

Rosalie’s Disclosure A trusted confidante Rosalie tells Justine that Rodin has abused her and other pupils. Her candor gives Justine a clearer picture of the household and deepens their friendship. Faith under pressure Rosalie explains that Rodin has discouraged religion and restricted her education. Justine responds by teaching her, making their relationship a quiet effort to restore the beliefs Rodin has tried to extinguish.

A Murder Framed as Science

A Murder Framed as Science Scientific pretext Rodin and Rombeau discuss killing Rosalie for anatomical study, invoking the advancement of medicine to disguise a decision rooted in power over her. A challenge to parental authority Rodin argues that a father may dispose of his child. His reasoning strips Rosalie of personhood and exposes how appeals to knowledge, family, and history can be made to serve violence.

Escape Without Justice

Escape Without Justice The rescue collapses Justine finds Rosalie locked in a cellar and tries to free her before the planned killing. Rodin and Rombeau catch them before they reach safety. Branding and expulsion The men brand Justine, threaten her into silence, and abandon her in the forest. Rosalie’s fate is left unresolved as Justine is driven onward with a mark that will later deepen public suspicion.

When Justine seeks refuge at Saint-Marcel

As the pupils return after the holidays

During Justine’s convalescence at Rodin’s house

The evening Rosalie is kept in the cellar

After Justine’s failed rescue of Rosalie