"Père Antoine's Date-Palm" by Thomas Bailey Aldrich is a heartfelt story set in old New Orleans. It follows the life of a Catholic priest named Père Antoine and the deep affection he holds for a date-palm he planted. The story looks at themes of love, friendship, and dealing with loss through Antoine's relationships. He forms strong bonds with his friend, Emile, and Anglice, a young girl they came to care for. His heart is broken when Emile and Anglice run away together as they grow older. After Anglice dies she sends a messaged to Antoine seeking forgiveness, and Antoine then takes her daughter in, also named Anglice. The grief of her old home leads to her death soon after. The palm becomes a lasting symbol for Antoine of those he has loved and lost, and he guards it, refusing to leave his home.
Père Antoine's Date-Palm
By Thomas Bailey Aldrich
In old New Orleans, a priest’s unwavering devotion to a date-palm reveals a lifetime of love, loss, and enduring memory.
Summary
About the AuthorThomas Bailey Aldrich was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of The Atlantic Monthly, during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt. He was also known for his semi-autobiographical book The Story of a Bad Boy, which established the "bad boy's book" subgenre in nineteenth-century American literature, and for his poetry.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of The Atlantic Monthly, during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt. He was also known for his semi-autobiographical book The Story of a Bad Boy, which established the "bad boy's book" subgenre in nineteenth-century American literature, and for his poetry.
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