In the chapter “The Day after the Wedding,” Undine by Froqúe, Undine reveals she is a water spirit, a being a nature with no human soul. Undine opens herself vulnerably to her husband, recalling to him her life as an elemental spirit and her journey of acquiring a soul through their love. In this confession she contrasts her previous life of natural joy and unburden to this new change of life through love and marriage, “Hence we have also no soul; the element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live, though it scatters us to dust when we die; and we are merry, without having aught to grieve us — merry as the nightingales and little goldfish and other pretty children of nature.” (Penguin,105). Within this confession, the reader can understand the differences between the beliefs of the elemental creatures and their way of live, to the biblical path of “soul” created by humans. In these differences, Froqúe reveals the destruction of the human consciousness, this devotion to purpose, and its detriment to the unity between humans and the environment. 

Undine begins her confession by stating her lack of a human soul, “Hence we have also no soul,” demonstrating that elemental beings are naturally separate, but nature itself does not possess them. They are guided by the elemental spirit. There is no definitive ‘bible’ for the elemental way to live; there are no ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs’. They do not have the consciousness to feel guilt or judgment. Undine’s element of water is the giver of her life: “The element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live, though it scatters to us when we die.” Undine’s element is clearly water, which sustains her life, although her relationship with it does not embody loyalty over death, unlike human religion or marriage. There is no single all-powerful being or creator of all elementals, and when an elemental dies, its body is returned to the environment. There is, in fact, no afterlife for the elementals. Their bodies are  “scattering to dust,” emphasizing that Undine has never had to put pressure on her death; when she passes, there is no hope for a “heaven”, there is no conscious idea of lifelong judgment of a higher power, or the importance of a legacy one leaves behind on earth. Undine will not have to face her creator and have her fate decided.  For Undine, life was meant to be lived simply, not to seek a purpose until she found love. Her life before marriage, “ we merry, without aught to grieve us – merry as the nightinggales and little goldfish and other pretty children of nature.” Undine highlights her past life of innocence, comparing the nature of nightingales and goldfish, creatures that do not experience complex feelings of grief and love, suggesting that before gaining a soul, she did have the emotional capacity for despair. This comparison demonstrates that acquiring a human soul through love has now awakened these feelings of suffering. This moment is an emotional and spiritual turning point for Undine as she reminisces on her old life and commits to the moral world. Undine is no longer a “pretty child of nature, she is a woman, vulnerable, soulful, and capable of deep happiness and suffering. 

The idea that nature was “often obedient” to Undine shows that her relationship with her element is a mutual one, where both respond and listen to each other, rather than one trying to dominate the other There is a natural rhythm between them, as there is no open space for betrayal between Undine and the water, no grief, soul, or moral burden. This demonstrates the idealized natural state where humans can be part of the ecosystem rather than the master over it, living a balanced life. Humans want a simple relationship with the environment, but their self-awareness complicates harmony because their own motives become their worst enemies. Undine’s transformation of acquiring her soul through love mirrors the separation humans gain by their consciousness. These complexities of despair disconnect them from the natural world, and the sense of solidarity dissolves into selfish actions. Undine becomes more disconnected from her element as civilization distances her from her natural rhythm and environment. The cycle of life and death of the elemental showcases the dual role of the environment, the nurturing and indifferent. As “the element moves us…though it scatters us to dust when we die..” illuminates that when the elementals are alive, nature nurtures and obeys, but in death, it reclaims and dissolves, once again demonstrating this rhythm, the elemental creatures live within the environment. In terms of humans, this cycle just emphasizes our lack of control over the environment. Froqúe showcases that nature will always outlast and outpower humans. 

This story of Undines demonstrates the human imbalance and tension within the relationship to the environment. When humans reject what they cannot control, this leads to destruction. Froqúe considers whether humans can live meaningfully with a soul while still honoring and remaining in harmony with the natural world.