Character Relationship Map: Boudu Saved from Drowning

Characters

• Priape Boudu (played by Michel Simon) — protagonist

  Parisian tramp who survives a suicide attempt and becomes an agent of anarchic chaos within the bourgeois Lestingois household, serving as the film's central satirical force.

• Emma Lestingois (played by Marcelle Hainia) — protagonist

  The bookseller's wife who represents traditional domestic values and struggles to maintain order amidst Boudu's anarchic intrusion.

• Chloë Anne Marie, la Bonne (played by Sévérine Lerczinska) — supporting

  The household maid whose practical role is constantly disrupted by Boudu's unruly habits, highlighting the class friction within the Lestingois home.

• Édouard Lestingois (played by Charles Granval) — supporting

  Well-to-do bookseller and head of the household who attempts to civilize Boudu, embodying the comfortable but fragile bourgeois order targeted by the film's satire.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Emma Lestingois → Chloë Anne Marie, la Bonne (Professional Householder And Maid) — They share responsibility for tending to Boudu within Emma's household, though the plot gives no further detail about their relationship.

  Chloë is identified as the household maid, and the plot says Emma and Chloë both help attend to Boudu.

• Priape Boudu → Chloë Anne Marie, la Bonne (Romantic Unwanted Suitor) — Boudu openly pursues Chloë despite her initial reluctance; later, he discusses becoming a bookseller and making her his wife, and she says she wants that future now.

  Boudu asks Chloë to kiss him. She says she dislikes his beard, and after he has it cut he continues pressing her for a kiss.

• Édouard Lestingois → Chloë Anne Marie, la Bonne (Romantic Secret Lovers) — Their clandestine relationship is threatened by Boudu's intrusion and by Emma's growing suspicion of Édouard's behavior.

  Édouard and Chloë have a secret affair and meet at night. Boudu's presence makes it difficult for them to continue the relationship privately.

• Édouard Lestingois → Emma Lestingois (Family Husband And Wife) — Their marriage is strained by Édouard's secret affair and by Emma's questions about his feelings and loyalties.

  The plot identifies Emma as Édouard's wife and says she remains unaware of his nighttime meetings with Chloë.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Priape Boudu → Emma Lestingois (Social Guest And Host) — Emma participates in caring for Boudu but must contend with the disruption his behavior brings to her domestic life.

  After Édouard invites Boudu home, Emma helps attend to him. Boudu's habits and presence unsettle the household she tries to keep orderly.

• Priape Boudu → Édouard Lestingois (Narrative Rescuer And Rescued) — Édouard's rescue brings Boudu into the Lestingois household, where Boudu's resistance to being rescued collides with Édouard's attempt to help and civilize him.

  Édouard pulls Boudu from the water after Boudu jumps in intending to drown himself. He then invites Boudu into his home and provides dry clothes and a...

Story Analysis

A drowning rescue draws a disruptive outsider into a bourgeois household, unsettling its routines and relationships.

Plot Progression

1. A Household Secret — Édouard and Chloë carry on a secret nighttime affair while Emma remains unaware. A neighborhood search for a missing dog and Boudu's solitary distress precede his jump into the water.
2. Rescue and Invitation — Édouard pulls Boudu from the water despite Boudu's resentment at being rescued. After neighbors help revive him, Édouard brings him home and offers shelter.
3. Anarchic Domestic Life — Boudu rejects the household's comforts and disrupts its routines. Lottery tickets prompt Édouard to imagine a possible windfall, while Boudu gives an impractical account of what he would buy.
4. Affection and Suspicion — Boudu pursues Chloë, leading Édouard to intervene when Boudu continues pressing her for a kiss. Emma notices Édouard's behavior and questions his feelings and loyalties as Boudu continues to disturb t...
5. Honor and Uncertain Plans — A neighbor announces that Emma and the neighbor arranged an honor for Édouard's rescue, leaving him embarrassed. Boudu and Chloë discuss a possible future together and a lottery ticket, but the availa...