The Family Under The Bridge

“Once there was an old hobo named Armand who wouldn’t have lived anywhere but in Paris. So that is where he lived. Everything that he owned could be pushed around in an old baby buggy without any hood, so he had no worries about rents or burglars. All the ragged clothing he owned was on his back, so he didn’t need to bother with trunks or dry-cleaners. It was easy for him to move from one hidey-hole to another so that is what he was doing one late morning in December.”

This early description of Armand establishes him as a man who is without burdens or responsibilities, rather than without a home. The description fits within the tradition of Bohemians or les clochards as it presents Armand as someone living a deliberately chosen nomadic lifestyle. Instead of presenting Armand as a man who is lacking something—a home, a job, a family—the text gives him agency in enjoying his way of life.

“But Armand did not mind because he had a tickly feeling that something new and exciting was going to happen to him today.”

This quote, combined with the subsequent fortune-telling that Mireli does for Armand (“You will meet with adventure today” (3)) foreshadows Armand meeting the Calcets. Finding a family was not the adventure Armand planned or hoped for, and it seems more of a burden than an adventure at first. However, the meeting does prove to be life-changing and leads to Armand having new life experiences.

“‘I can’t abide children,’ grumped Armand. ‘Starlings they are. Witless, twittering, little pests.’”

Armand claims not to be able to “abide” or tolerate children. This establishes his demeanor and his perspective, emphasizing his dislike of attachments and obligations. However, Mireli counters this by saying he merely fears showing them his heart since Armand knows he would grow fond of them if he had them. This sets Armand up as an unreliable narrator because what he says contradicts what he actually does.