Item Contributed by
Maine Historical Society
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Maine's native son, is the epitome of Victorian Romanticism. Aroostook County is well acquainted with Longfellow's epic poem, Evangeline, because it is the story of the plight of the Acadians, who were deported from Acadie between 1755 and 1760. The descendants of these hard-working people inhabit much of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
The opening lines discuss the Norman-French village of Grande Pré. Because I am familiar with the rocky coast of Maine, the Forest Primeval appears to me much like the coast of Maine.
The village of Grand Pré, complete with the local character, such as Michael the fiddler, is having a good time.
The deportation of the Acadians is imminent. The local priest admonishes the soldiers for interrupting the people of Grand Pré from their prayers. I depict the reading of the proclamation in the upper right.
Evangeline, set to wed Gabriel, comforts him and tells him not to worry, that they can weather the storms that are before them, as long as they are together.
It is now the start of the deportation. Grand Pré is burning, and the townspeople are heading to the beach to get on their assigned ships. Evangeline's father stumbles and then dies in Evangeline's arms while Father Felician administers the last rites. Gabriel cannot go back to be with her. He sails away without his childhood sweetheart, Evangeline.
The priest and Evangeline are determined to find Gabriel and their people. Much of the poem takes place on her journey. Although the priest remains at a mission, I show Father Felician in several scenes to remind the viewer that the Acadians have a strong connection with their Catholic faith. Here, Evangeline just misses Gabriel, who takes the other side of the river in his canoe. He is a voyager.
The priest and heroine find Gabriel's father who is now a wealthy rancher. She just misses Gabriel, who sets off on another canoe trip that morning.
...a passage rude to the wheels of the emigrants wagon...
Item Contributed by
Maine Historical Society
On their adventures, they travel through the prairie. Buffalo and elk are described in their travels.
Around the campfire, an old Indian woman tells the story of her Acadian husband who was murdered. The priest and Evangeline tell of their search.
This is a camp meeting. I was unsure what it was like, although it was clear that they recognized a crucifix nailed to a tree and heard friendly voices in prayer.
Evangeline seeks her sweetheart for over twenty years. She has numerous adventures with Creoles, Indians, and Blacks. This shows the Rocky Mountains in winter.
Evangeline is old and tired. She has become a Daughter of Wisdom in Philadelphia. She spends her days administering care to the poor, sick, and dying at an almshouse. Influenza is rampant. Suddenly she hears, "Evangeline," from the grieving lips of the dying Gabriel. As true with a romantic drama, the heroine is reunited with her beloved Gabriel so briefly.
Not wanting to end the saga with a picture of the dying and aged, I illustrated the final resting place of Gabriel and Evangeline under a sturdy tree, next to each other and their beloved Grand Pré.
