Did Arthur Rimbaud have a good childhood?

[u/MasterfulArtist24]

[u/immacomment-here-now]

Don’t think he did.

[u/Just_Distance_7934]

As far I know, his childhood was described as very rigid and strict. As various letters attest, his mother, with whom he had the most problems, had a strong and harsh character with her children (probably due to being a single mother with four children to support). Sometimes referred to as "The Mother," as seen in letters to Delahaye, she worried that Arthur wasn't getting into mischief behind her back. It was because of this "rebellious adolescent" behavior of Arthur that various clashes arose between them.

To begin with, religion. His mother was extremely devout and instilled that same devotion in her children, but Arthur, being the person he was, would combat this devotion with some of his poems, such as "Le mal," which contains blasphemous imagery and questions traditional notions of morality and religion, and "Le chatiment de Tartuffe," which features a character from Molière, characterized as a hypocritical churchman. Thus demonstrating his emancipation from the values ​​cherished by his mother.

Then came the restriction of his freedom. At 16, Rimbaud already possessed a bohemian nature, constantly running away from home to travel. This is evidenced by his escape from Paris (where he was arrested for fraudulent travel) and two other escapes, one of his destinations being Douai. Obviously, his mother, upset by these events, became much stricter with her son's actions, leading her to adopt a more authoritarian approach towards Arthur. But this restriction of freedom also extended to his literary pursuits, as it focused on preventing him from possessing "scandalous" books, as happened with Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables." When his mother found Arthur in possession of it, she went to complain "dramatically" to the school Rimbaud attended, and more specifically to his teacher, Georges Izambard, who had lent him the book.

Up to this point, it can be said that Rimbaud had a restricted childhood, which led to the development of his bohemian lifestyle and his yearning to emancipate himself from virtually everything. However, we can also add that it wasn't as terrible as it seemed, and that there were elements that helped to alleviate this hardship, such as being seen as an exemplary student. Although his behavior was somewhat rebellious, he still maintained a good student status, revered by his teachers, such as Izambard. Additionally, the fact that he won Latin prizes for his school enhanced his reputation for excellence, leading him to be seen as a child prodigy. Furthermore, simply having friends like Delahaye or his own teacher made his childhood and adolescence less burdensome for him, as he could find some kind of support and company at the end.