pere goriot

7/24/2019 Pere Goriot

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The story takes place in Paris in the year 1819, in a decrepit, dirty, ill-smelling

boardinghouse on the left bank of the Seine.

Mme. au!uer, a stingy old "ido" "ho o"ns the place, rules o#er her tenants. They

are people "ith modest means and desires, like Mlle. Michonneau, the old maid$

Poiret, a puppet-like human being$ and a young orphan, ictorine Taillefer. Three

tenants stand out in this company% &ug'ne de (astignac, a young student from the

pro#inces, of noble origin, but poor and eager to try his luck in the capital$ autrin,

the )strong) man, bon #i#ant and humorous, but mysterious and alarming$ and P're

*oriot, a retired merchant, "ho seems to be suffering from a mysterious sorro".

(astignac soon disco#ers that strange e#ents are taking place at the seemingly

respectable boardinghouse% +ld *oriot pressing sil#er dishes into ingots, autrin

furti#ely returning to the house in the middle of the night in spite of the bolteddoors, *oriot being #isited by pretty girls "hose bills he pays.

(astignac is going to find out the solution of one of the mysteries. Pursuing his

ambitions, he manages to be introduced into Parisian high society "ith the help of

his influential cousin, Mme. de eausant. erything seems to be "orking

according to his plans, but for mentioning the name of *oriot, he finds himself shut

out of the ountess de (estaud/s salon, the meeting place of the cream of society.

restfallen o#er his first faux-pas, he learns from Mme. eausant the secret of P're

*oriot/s life. The old man has ruined himself and has accepted a miserable life in

order that his t"o daughters might be "ealthy. 0nastasie has married a nobleman,

ount de (estaud$ elphine an 0lsatian banker, aron of 2ucingen. *oriot,

"elcomed as long as his fortune had lasted, found himself ostraci3ed by his sons-in-

la" "hen he became poor.

autrin, "ho has sensed ambition in (astignac, cynically offers him a bargain% The

young student should "in the lo#e of the fair ictorine, "hose father is e4tremely

rich but "ho has diso"ned her. 0s the only obstacle to ictorine/s inheriting the

fortune is her brother 5rederic, autrin for the sum of 677,777 francs "ould manage

to get rid of young Taillefer, thus insuring ictorine/s and (astignac/s fortune.(astignac is indignant, but one feels that he is secretly tempted by the proposal.

0fter (astignac/s failure in high society, he "ill try, aided by his cousin, to con!uer

the )middle "orld.) e is introduced to Mme. de 2ucingen and, "ith the help of

*oriot, soon becomes her lo#er. n the meantime, autrin has started his

Machia#ellian plan and has ictorine/s brother murdered. erything seems to be in

his fa#or "hen Mlle. Michonneau, a spy for the police, disco#ers autrin to be an

escaped con#ict and has him arrested. This ends the detecti#e story.

*oriot/s daughters come to him for help. Their husbands ha#e disco#ered their

affairs and are trying to ruin them. n a pathetic scene, the t"o daughters sho"


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their monstrous egoism and pride. P're *oriot is afflicted by a stroke. e soon

becomes delirious, muttering incoherent "ords, re#ealing also his e4treme lo#e for

the daughters "ho ha#e left him, one to go to a dance, the other to protect her

fortune.

*oriot dies blessing his daughters, "ith only (astignac and ianchon, a medical

student, at his bedside. (astignac attends to the funeral arrangements and, after

saying a last goodbye to *oriot in the gra#eyard o#erlooking Paris, declares "ar on

the capital% )e"are, Paris, here come) and goes to Mme. de 2ucingen/s for dinner.

LE PRE GORIOT- SUMMARY & COMMENTARY


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The story starts in 1819. Madame Vauquer has run the boarding house for 40 years.

Balzac calls the story a drama but fears it cannot be understood outside !aris as it

is essential to understand the local colour of this area of !aris. !age ".Les particularits de cette scne pleine dobservations et de couleurs locales

ne peuvent tre apprcies qu'entre les buttes de Montmartre et les hauteurs de

Montrouge, dans cette illustre valle de pltras incessamment prs de tomber et

de ruisseaux noirs de boue; valle remplie de sourances relles, de !oies

souvent ausses, et si terriblement agite qu'il aut !e ne sais quoi d'exorbitant

pour " produire une sensation de quelque dure,

True dramas cause the !arisian only to #ause for a second then mo$e on. %fter

reading of the secret misfortunes of &e !'re (oriot readers may comfortthemsel$es that there is artistic e)aggeration. *o+e$er Balzac maintains all that

he relates is true. !age ",#h$ sache%&le ce drame n'est ni une iction, ni un roman( #ll is true, il est si

vritable, que chacun peut en reconna)tre les lments che% soi, dans son c*ur

peut&tre(

*e con$eys the dismal character of this neglected bac-+ater of !aris !age .+l'herbe cro)t le long des murs( L'homme le plus insouciant s'" attriste comme

tous les passants, le bruit d'une voiture " devient un vnement, les maisons "

sont mornes, les murailles " sentent la prison .

There follo+s a descri#tion of the outside of the Vauquer boarding house and thenthe gardens. *e then mo$es on to gi$e a detailed descri#tion of the inside of the

house. *e #iles on the details of the squalor of the house to gi$e a #icture +hich ismagnificent in its cumulati$e effect.

The sitting room, its odeur de pension. !age 11.lle sent le renerm, le moisi, le rance; elle donne roid, elle est humide au ne%,

elle pntre les vtements; elle a le go-t d'une salle o. l'on a d)n; elle pue le

service,& l'oice, l'hospice.

But this is an elegant scented boudoir in com#arison +ith the dining room +ith itsgreasy furniture and chi##ed croc-ery. The furniture is com#osed of the things

other #eo#le ha$e thro+n a+ay. !age 11./l s'" rencontre de ces meubles indestructibles, proscrits partout, mais placs l0

comme le sont les dbris de la civilisation aux /ncurables.

*e sums u# the room as follo+s//nin, l0 rgne la misre sans posie; une misre conome, concentre, rpe( 1i

elle n'a pas de ange encore, elle a des taches; si elle n'a ni trous ni haillons, elle

va tomber en pourriture(


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There is a descri#tion of Mme. Vauquer.hubby full bosomed her set smile easily changed to a money lenders sco+l she

ma-es the boarding house +hat it is and the boarding house ma-es her +hat she is.!age 12.

3..enin toute sa personne explique la pension, comme la pension implique sapersonne

The same shabbiness is seen in her dress as in the furniture of her house.%ged about 0 she is ready to betray anyone if it +ill ma-e her lot any better.

&ittle is -no+n of her husband but that he had beha$ed badly to her dis#ensing herthus of the need e$er to feel sorry for anyone else5s misery. *e had endo+ed her

+ith this right for life. !age 14./l s'tait mal conduit envers elle, ne lui avait laiss que les "eux pour pleurer,

cette maison pour vivre, et le droit de ne compatir 0 aucune inortune, parce que,

disait&elle, elle avait souert tout ce qu'il est possible de sourir(

In 1819 there were seven b!r"ers#

The first floor 6the best 7 rooms, 1 The smaller to Mme. Vauquer.

7 The larger to Mme. outure andVictorine Taillefer. 6They #aid 1800

francs.

The second floor, 1 %n old man called !oiret

7 % man of about 40/ Vautrin

The third floor, 1 Mlle. Michonneau / an old maid.

7 !'re (oriot a former dealer in$ermicelli

ooms 2 : 4/for im#o$erished

students. ;nly one occu#ied no+ byastignac. 6*e #aid 7 francs a

month.

the ser$ant.

7 hristo#he / the odd ?ob man.

astignac +as one of those students +ho had calculated in ad$ance ho+ to satisfy

the ho#es his #arents had in him by his studies +hich he aimed to ada#t to futurede$elo#ments of society being the first to e)#loit them. !age 1"


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6*e is one of those students.3.qui se prparent une belle destine en calculant

d!0 la porte de leurs tudes, et, les adaptant par avance au mouvement utur de

la socit, pour tre les premiers 0 la pressurer


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T+o #ersons in com#lete contrast +ith the rest +ere Mlle. Taillefer and Mme.outure.

Victorine /frail al+ays loo-ing sad had the melancholic grace of a mediae$alstatuette.


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The author sees this little +orld as re#resentati$e of the greater +orld. [email protected]. Balzacthe social historian. !age 748ne runion semblable devait orir et orait en petit les lments d'une socit

&complte(

%s in all com#anies there +as one unfortunate +ho +as #ic-ed on as the butt of allthe ?o-es. This +as !'re (oriot.

The author generalises saying that a trait of human nature seems to ma-e us +ishto #ro$e oursel$es at the e)#ense of a +ea-er neighbour.

!age 79'aimons&nous pas tous 0 prouver notre orce aux dpens de quelqu'un ou de

quelque chose5

!'re (oriot +as about "9 years old.

*e had come to Madame Vauquers house in 1812. %t that time he +as +ealthyand had li$ed in the best room on the first floor / Mme. outures room no+.

Being res#ected he +as referred to in those days as Mns(e'r (oriot.!roud of his a##earance he had a fine +ardrobe. *e brought cu#boards of

sil$er+are. *e sho+ed Mme Vauquer his most #rized #ossession / a bo+l +ith alid that re#resented t+o turtle do$es. This had been his +ife5s #resent to him on

their first +edding anni$ersary/ !age 7

3o"e%&vous, madame 5 :aimerais mieux gratter la terre avec mes ongles que de

me sparer de cela( ieu merci$ :e pourrai prendre dans cette cuelle mon ca

tous les matins durant le reste de mes !ours(Ahen Mme. Vauquer found out his +ealth she decided to become Mme. (oriot.eading his #hysiognomy [email protected]. the influence of &a$ater Mme. Vauquer

recognised the highly emotional nature of (oriot +hich #romised satisfaction forher sensual a##etite. !age 72.2e devait tre une bte solidement btie, capable de dpenser tout son esprit en

sentiment(

Ahen (oriot arri$ed she +ent to bed that night and sizzled +ith #assion at thethought of becoming (oriot5s +ife

+(le !our o. monsieur *u 0 la Mode(


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=he as-ed Mme. de l%mbersnil to act as her go/bet+een. Mme. de l%mbersnilagreed ho#ing to +in (oriot for herself. *o+e$er her attem#t at seduction +as

rebuffed by (oriot in a manner that caused her great offence and the ne)t day she+ent off o+ing her rent and lea$ing no belongings behind.


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To+ards the end of the third year 6181" (oriot had mo$ed u# to the third floor. *ega$e u# his snuff no longer #o+dered his hair and ga$e u# his good clothes for

rough old clothes. ;nce +ell/built he +as no+ losing +eight. and his face becamegaunt and e)cessi$ely +rin-led

Curing the fourth year he no longer loo-ed the same man./!age 28 ,Le bon vermicellier de soixante&deux ans qui ne paraissait pas en avoir

quarante, le bourgeois gros et gras, rais de btise, dont la tenue grillarde

r!ouissait les passants, qui avait quelque chose de !eune dans le sourire,

semblait tre un septuagnaire hbt, vacillant(

=ome thought he +as a cretin

;ne e$ening after dinner Mme Vauquer taunted him by saying as if as a ?o-e thathis daughters did not come to see him any more > meaning that they had ne$er

been his daughters. (oriot ?um#ed as if $iolently startled. Then he re#lied in anemotional $oice that they came from time to time. %s the moc-ery bro-e out

around him he +ent into his #ri$ate meditation that some too- for seniledementia. e$en though he merely re#eated the

+ords s#o-en by the #re$ious #erson +hereas (oriot +as zero.

Dug'ne astignac had ?ust returned from a holiday on his family estates.*is first year studies as a la+ student had allo+ed him enough free time to sam#lethe material delights of !aris life. Aithout being a+are of it he had begun to en$y

the rich.;n holiday he had been made a+are of the limited fortunes of his family/ a noble

family +ith ?ust a small estate and li$ing off income inadequate for all the familymembers. astignac +as aiming for success and as ha##ens +ith high/minded

#eo#le he +anted to succeed by $irtue of his merits/ !age 41,2omme il arrive aux mes grandes, il voulut ne rien devoir qu'0 son mrite(

*o+e$er in #ractice he +as a+are of the benefit of +inning for himself a rich#atroness >


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Mme BeausJant5s ball too- #lace a fe+ days later. The story begins +hen Dug'nede astignac arri$es bac- at his lodgings at t+o in the morning after his night at

the ball %s the ser$ant hristo#he ha##ened to be loc-ing the door ?ust at thatmoment no one else in the building -ne+ that astignac had come bac- in. *e

+as e)#ected to be a+ay until the ne)t morning but Dug'ne still theconscientious student had $irtuously decided to sit u# studying la+ for the rest of

the night to ma-e u# for the hours he had lost.

%=T


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This noise disturbs the slee# of Mme. Vauquer. The $oice from belo+ that assuresher that all is +ell is the $oice of Vautrin.

Dug'ne falls aslee# +ithout doing any studying. .

The ne)t day a thic- fog co$ers !aris. Mme. Vauquer o$erslee#s. =yl$ia and

hristo#he discuss Vautrin and the mysterious $isitors +ho came to his room in thenight. / Vautrin #ays him generously to -ee# quiet about anything he sees.

The t+o ser$ants tal- bout a stranger +ho had sto##ed them in the street to as-information on Vautrin. % fe+ days ago hristo#he +as as-ed if Vautrin dyed his

+his-ers and =yl$ie +as as-ed if she had seen him #utting on his shirt.

Victorine and Mme.outure +ho are $ery de$out are not in the house ha$ing gone

to church.

(oriot too is out. *e had been seen lea$ing the house in the early morningcarrying something that +eighed hea$ily.

Mme. Vauquer comes do+n. The cat has drun- out of one of the bo+ls of mil- setout for brea-fast and so she tells the ser$ants to to# it u# +ith +ater and gi$e it to

(oriot.Vautrin comes in. *e has seen (oriot sell the sil$er +hich he had ta-en out of the

house to a (oldsmith. Then had gone to see a money lender called (obsec-

notorious for the hea$y interest he e)acted.

(oriot returns and sends hristo#he off +ith the recei#ted bill he had settled +iththe moneylender to be deli$ered urgently to the #erson +ho had borro+ed this

large amount of money. The en$elo#e is addressed to Mme %nastasie de estaud.

Victorine returns. Vautrin offers to hel# her +ith her father. *e ma-es a sinister

suggestion that a friend could $ery quic-ly sort out this +ealthy $illain. They aretal-ing on different le$els. Victorine the #erfect romantic heroine is totally

innocent. !age 4 /

Eh $ monsieur, dit 3ictorine en !etant un regard 0 la ois humide et br-lant 03autrin, qui ne s'en mut pas, si vous savie% un mo"en d'arriver 0 mon pre,

dites&lui bien que son aection et l'honneur de ma mre me sont plus prcieux

que toutes les richesses du monde.

Vautrin cuts off her sentimental +ords +ith a comic song.

%ll the boarders then con$ene in the dining room.

The countess %nastasie de estaud as she +as #ortrayed in a Hrench TV #roduction


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Dug'ne tells ho+ he sa+ a beautiful +oman at the ball last nightin all her magnificence and today he sa+ her in the ue de (r's

a shady area of the city.

Vautrin says her name is %nastasie de estaud and she +as going

to the money lender. 6*e sees he has guessed right.(oriot is startled by astignac5s +ords. *e is afraid that hristo#he did not arri$e

in time and the young lady is ruined. *e had been #reoccu#ied in an e$en dee#erstate of a##arent stu#our but he becomes eager for astignac to tell ho+ Mme. de

estaud loo-ed the #re$ious night at the ball. This confirms to the others theothers that the young lady is his -e#t +oman.

Dug'ne rha#sodises on her beauty/ (Anastasie was the shapely brunette who hadpreviously called to see Goriot !age F Eh$ oui, elle tait urieusement e belle, reprit ugne, que le pre eausant n'avait pas t l0, ma divinecomtesse e-t t la reine du bal, les !eunes gens n'avaient d'"eux que pour elle,

!'tais le dou%ime inscrit sur sa liste++

Vautrin a+are of the dealings +ith the money/lender that morning cynicallycomments on the life of the !arisian +oman/ !age .

Gier en haut de la roue, che% une duchesse, dit 3autrin; ce matin en bas de

l'chelle, che% un escompteur; voil0 les 6arisiennes( 1i leurs maris ne peuvent

entretenir leur luxe ern, elles se vendent( 1i elles ne savent pas se vendre,

elles ventreraient leurs mres pour " chercher de quoi briller( nin elles ont

les cent mille coups( 2onnu, connu$

Ahen (oriot lea$es Mme Vauquer says that (oriot has ruined himself for these

+omen. Dug'ne refuses to belie$e that (oriot #ays for se)ual fa$ours from such alady.

Vautrin says Dug'ne is too young to -no+ !aris. *e e)#lains E les hommes des

passions(O !age 8.F h bien$ reprit&il, ces gens&l0 chaussent une ide et nen dmordent pas( /ls

n'ont soi que d'une certaine eau prise 0 une certaine ontaine et souvent

croupie; pour en boire, ils vendraient leurs emmes, leurs enants; ils vendraient

leur me au diable( 6our les uns, cette ontaine est le !eu, la >ourse, une col&

lection de tableaux ou d'insectes, la musique; pour d'autres, c'est une emme qui

sait leur cuisiner des riandises(

(oriot is such a man. Aithout his #assions he is nothing a brute beast but this one#assion of his gi$es him life.

Vautrin e)#lains ho+ (oriot +as #aying %nastasies debts +ith the sil$er.Dug'ne says he +ill go to see %nastasie to #ro$e Vautrin +rong. Vautrin says he

+ill find (oriot there +ho has come to get his re+ard for +hat he as #aid for her.


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Dug'ne is disgusted +ith this $ie+ of !aris. *e says it is a slough. !age 9.F Mais, dit ugene avec un air de dego-t, votre 6aris est donc un bourbier(

Vautrin says there is a la+ for the rich and for the #oor. !age "0 ,F t un dr=le de bourbier, reprit 3autrin( 2eux qui s'" crottent en voiture sont

d'honntes gens, ceux qui s'" crottent 0 pied sort des ripons( #"e% le malheur d'"

dcrocher n'importe quoi, vous tes montr sur la place du 6alais&de&!ustice

comme une curiosit( 3ole% un million, vous tes marqu dans les salons comme

une vertu( 3ous pa"e% trente millions 0 la


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#vec la rage roide d'un homme s-r de triompher un !our, il reKut le coup

mprisant des gens qui l'avaient vu traversant la cour 0 pied, sans avoir entendu

le bruit d'une voiture 0 la porte(

*e sees a smart carriage at the door and is e$en more acutely a+are of his

inferiority.The ser$ant in$ites him into the salon to +ait but the im#ulsi$e astignac +ishing

to sho+ his familiarity +ith the house goes through the door the $alet had ta-enbefore. *e finds himself in a -ind of storeroom and has to beat an embarrassed

retreat but before coming out he sees at the end of a corridor a hidden staircase+here (oriot is -issing Mme. de estaud goodbye.

*a$ing made his +ay bac- into the ante/chamber and the salon astignac is?oined by another young man angry to be -e#t +aiting. H9(>( 3autrinss c"nical

predictionJ

astignac sees (oriot lea$ing almost -noc-ed do+n by a coach +hosedistinguished dri$er gi$es him a brief cool +a$e of the hand.

%nastasie $olu#tuous in a dressing go+n after her bath greets her lo$er the omteMa)ime de Trailles and then notices Dug'ne.

Dug'ne is a+are that Ma)ime is signalling for him to be got rid of. *e feels hatredand ?ealousy and he feels his inferiority. /!age 0,

Le spirituel enant de la 2harente sentit la supriorit que la mise donnait 0 ce

dand", mince et grand, 0 l'*il clair, au teint pale, un de ces hommes capables de

ruiner des orphelins.

astignac ho+e$er follo+s the cou#le into the salon / una+are that %nastasie5s

lo$er +as an e)#ert mar-sman and had no qualms about using his talent.

%nastasies husband arri$es the dri$er of the coach that had nearly hit (oriot. *e

greets Ma)ime de Trailles amicably.%nastasie introduces Dug'ne as a cousin of Mme. de BeausJant to her husband.

This name changes his cold e)#ression magically.%nastasie tries to sli# a+ay +ith her lo$er as Dug'ne chats to her husband but the

latter calls her bac-. D$entually they sli# into the other salon but Dug'ne is not+illing to lea$e before de Trailles.

%nastasie thin-s she can use the nai$e Dug'ne as a lightning conductor for any#ossible ?ealousy of her husband. *er lo$er lea$es first.

Dug'ne +ho has been +aiting for the o##ortunity as-s +hat his neighbour +homhe disres#ectfully calls Fle #'re (oriotN +as doing there.

The atmos#here becomes electric and after some moments of embarrassmentDug'ne lea$es a+are that he has said the +rong thing.

M. de estaud tells the ser$ants not to let astignac into the house again.


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Bac- outside Dug'ne recognises that he needs a coach and clothes to go intosociety. *o#ing to a$oid the same mista-e on his ne)t social $isit of the day

Dug'ne gets into a coach returning from a +or-ing class +edding. *e is eager tosee Mme. de BeausJant in order to as- her +hy his mention of (oriot #ro$ed such

a dramatic fau) #as.

%t Mme. de BeausJants the ser$ants laugh at his +or-ing class coach.


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Ahen astignac finally comesinto her #resence she is still

thunderstruc- and absentminded. =he ta-es offence

+hen Dug'ne #resum#tuouslyaddresses her as his cousin.

%t this astignac #uts aside his#ride #leading his hel#lessness

and his need for her #rotection.=he is charmed by his youthful

ambition.

This +as the first #iece of calculation by Dugene/ !age 84,

La vicomtesse s'intressa vivement 0 l'tudiant pour une rponse d'ambitieux(Le mridional en tait 0 son premier calcul( ntre le boudoir bleu de madame de

Cestaud et le salon rose de madame de >eausant, il avait ait trois annes de ce

roit parisien dont on ne parle pas, quoiqu'il constitue une haute !urisprudence

sociale qui, bien apprise et bien pratique, mne a tout(

*e had begun to tell her about his fau) #as +ith %nastasie +hen he is interru#ted

by the arri$al of the Cuchesse de &angeais.

The t+o +omen tal- and Dug'ne realises that these su##osedly intimate friends are

each taunting the other about the loss of their lo$ers. =eeing d%d?uda/!into goingto the ochefide5s she had come to gi$e herself the #leasure of telling Mme. de

BeausJant.

To change the sub?ect Mme. de BeausJant as-s Dugene to continue the story they

had interru#ted.

astignac uses the situation to ma-e a #lea for his social clumsiness. *e ma-es acomment on !aris manners / you continue to see some/one +ho +ounds you

deliberately but scorn as a fool some/one +ho does it inad$ertently. 6


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(oriot5s daughter.


18/61

*urt by the cruelty of her friend Mme. de BeausJant indicts !aris society anddecides to fight it on its o+n terms. =he offers to hel# Dug'ne to succeed. !age 92.

F h$ bien, monsieur de Castignac, traite% ce monde comme il mrite de ltre(

3ous voule% parvenir, !e vous aiderai.

=he tells him to be ruthless. !age 92.4uoique !'aie bien lu dans ce livre du monde, il " avait des pages qui cependant

m'taient inconnues( Maintenant !e sais tout( 6lus roidement vous calculere%,

plus avant vous ire%( Drappe% sans piti, vous sere% craint(

=he goes on to tell him that he must sim#ly use the #eo#le he meets and then mo$eon. !age 92

9accepte% les homes et les emmes que comme des chevaux de poste que vous

laissere% crever 0 chaque relais, vous arrivere% ainsi au a)te de vos dsirs(

=he says Dug'ne needs a rich elegant young +oman. =he thin-s of a #lan.D$en +orse than %nastasies and Cel#hines betrayal of their father is their ?ealousy

of each other. %nastasie is recei$ed in high society but Cel#hine is not. =he +illstoo# to anything to achie$e this.


19/61

se dit/il. 6@B &ouis R the last argument of -ings

The terrible squalor of Mme. Vauquer came as a shattering contrast/ !age 9,Le spectacle de ces misres et l'aspect de cette salle lui urent horribles( La

transition tait trop brusque, le contraste trop complet, pour ne pas dvelopperoutre mesure che% lui le sentiment de l'ambition(

(N.B. The importance of the lengthy scene setting in the first pages of the book inorder to explain the growth of ambition in ugene,#The unacce#tability of his #resent lifestyle ma-es Mme de BeausJant5s offerirresistible !age 9"

Les enseignements que la colre d'une emme abandonne avaient arrachs 0

madame de >eausant, ses ores captieuses revinrent dans sa mmoire, et la

misre les commenta(

astignac still belie$ed that he could combine his studies +ith a social life. !age9"

Castignac rsolut d'ouvrir deux tranches parallles pour arriver 0 la ortune, de

s'appu"er e sur la science et sur l'amour, d'tre un savant docteur et un homme

0 la mode( /l tait encore bien enant d $ 2es deux lignes sont des as"mptotes qui

ne peuvent !amais se re!oindre

The relationshi# bet+een Vautrin and astignac goes from bad to +orse. Vautrin

further angers him by calling him M. le Marquis. Dug'ne re#lies bitterly that youneed money for that title.

Vautrin guesses that Dug'ne is in a bad mood because he has failed +ith thebeautiful omtesse de estaud.

Ta-ing no account of (oriot at table astignac tells all at the dinner table that theestauds had closed the door on him for saying that (oriot +as his fello+ boarder.

This brings a tear to (oriot5s eye. But astignac #ities the old man and says thathenceforth +hoe$er attac-s (oriot attac-s him as +ell. [email protected]. The noble Dug'ne.

*e says (oriot is a better man than any #resent there.The ne+s stuns all #resent. Ahen Vautrin #ro$o-es him further o$er the bra$ado of

his aggressi$e defence of (oriot Dug'ne hints about Vautrins secret acti$ities that

he had heard in the night. This causes an angry e)change bet+een them.Mme Vauquer quietly e)#resses amazement that (oriot5s claims about his s#lendid

female $isitors ha$e #ro$ed to be true.Bianchon says (oriot has the bum#s of an eternal fatherN. [email protected]. &a$ater

(oriot +ants to tal- alone to Dug'ne about his meeting +ith his daughter.astignac #ays tribute to (oriot/ !age 98,

Cveill de sa mditation par le bonhomme, ugne lui prit la main, et le

contemplant avec une sorte d'attendrissement F 3ous tes un brave et digne

homme(

Dug'ne is in a hurry. *e +ants to follo+ Mme. de BeausJants ad$ice and is -eento set about raising money for this #ur#ose.


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*e goes to his room and +rites a letter to his mother and to each his sisters as-ingthem to raise as much money as #ossible for him. *e tells his mother it is a

question of ma-ing his +ay or staying in the mire/ !age 98,:e sais toutes les esprances que vous ave% mises en moi, et veux les raliser

promptement(

*is conscience #re$ents him at first from #osting the letters. Hinally the ne)t day

he #osts the letters saying F< shall succeed. !age 100/l hsita !usquau dernier moment, mais les lanKa dans la bo)te en disant :e

russirai( Le mot du !oueur, du grand capitaine, mot ataliste qui perd plus

dhommes, quil nen sauve(

The follo+ing days he +ent three times to see Mme. de estaud only to be told she+as out. Dug'ne +as no+ determined. *e +ould #ut off his studies until ?ust

before the final e)ams in t+o years time and he +ould s#end the ne)t 1 monthsin !aris society fishing for a fortune by means of a +oman/ !age 100,

// avait ainsi quin%e mois de loisirs pour naviguer sur l'ocan de 6aris, pour s'"

livrer 0 la traite des emmes, ou " pcher la ortune .

% #eriod of a##arent reconciliation too- #lace in the follo+ing +ee-s bet+eenMme. de BeausJant and her lo$er. *e and his future +ife +ere ho#ing that this

+ould gi$e her time to acce#t the ine$itability of their marriage. !age101,N #u lieu de sauter noblement par la entre, elle se laissait rouler dans les

escaliers O

Mme. de BeausJant +ho +as e)#eriencing such emotional turmoil +elcomed the

genuine sym#athy and friendshi# of Dug'ne.

The in$estigations of astignac into the (oriot Hamily

Dug'ne +as careful to ma-e himself +ell/informed before he made the a##roach toCel#hine that Mme de BeausJant had #lanned for him. *e had no intention of

ma-ing a further fau) #as. Hirstly he found out further details of the biogra#hy ofher family > the (oriots.

(oriot had been a sim#le +or-man em#loyed by a flour merchant until thee$olution bro-e out in 189 and is boss had fallen $ictim. (oriot had bought the

business. By +isely getting himself a##ointed !resident of the e$olutionary=ection he +as able to get #rotection and amassed ca#ital by s#eculation in the

#eriod of food shortage that follo+ed the o$erthro+ of the monarchy. 6@ote the

im#ortance of money/ !age 107,6endant cette anne, le cito"en


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servirent 0 aire son commerce avec toute la supriorit que donne une grande

masse d'argent 0 celui qui la possde(


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Aith a high income and little #ersonal e)#ense he la$ished his money on theeducation and #leasures of his daughters to ma-e them into ladies.

*e #aid for the $ery best tutors so that they +ere endo+ed +ith the talents of thebest educated children. Hor their lady com#anion he chose a +oman +ith +it and

good taste. They +ent horse riding and had their o+n carriage.

(oriot #ro$ided %nastasie and Cel#hine +ith the lifestyle that rich old noblemen

ga$e to their mistresses > !age 104+ elles vivaient comme auraient vcu les ma)tresses d'un vieux seigneur riche

%nastasie married for social standing Cel#hine for money. 6The different #rioritiesof the t+o daughters

*e ga$e them half his fortune each as do+ry.

*is daughters thought his business too lo+ly and #ersuaded him to retire after years. *e had all the +ealth from the sale of his business and he +ent to li$e +ithMme. Vauquer / in des#air because his daughters5 husbands ordered them not to

gi$e him a home in their houses and also not to entertain him #ublicly.Dugene found this out this information from the man +ho bought (oriots business.

Balzac ends this detailed e)#lanation of (oriot5s life +ith this comment. !age 10/ci se termine l'exposition de cette obscure, mais ero"able tragdie parisienne.

(oriot5s life/story is tragic.

Entr) (nt s$(et)

%t the end of the first +ee- in Cecember astignac recei$ed a letter from his

mother. =he sends him all the money she and his %unt ha$e a$ailable. =he counsels$irtue #atience and resignation. =he #raises Dugene/ !age 10,

1i tu sais quelles sont tes obligations, !e sais, moi, combien ton c*ur est pur,

combien tes intentions sont excellentes( #ussi puis&!e te dire sans crainte 3a,

mon bien&aim, marche$

Dug'ne feels remorse > +hich hel#s to absol$e crime in the eyes of the angels/

!age 108,/l prouva ces nobles et beaux remords secrets dont le mrite est rarement

apprci par les hommes quand ils !ugent leurs semblables, et qui ont souvent

absoudre par les anges du ciel le criminel condamn par les !uristes de la terre .

There is enclosed also a charming letter from his sister &aura +ho adores him andhas sent him all she can.

@o+ he had money the +orld +as his. *e had summoned a tailor -no+ing fromhis encounter +ith. Ce Trailles the im#ortance of fashionable dress.

*e had 1 00 francs and this for a student meant a #rofound change/ !age 117,


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/l se passe en lui des phnomnes inou7s veut tout et peut tout, il dsire 0 tort et

0 travers, il est gai, gnreux, expansi(

The money arri$es in a #arcel. Vautrin ad$ises him to learn to duel if he is goinginto society. Vautrin ti#s the #ostman on behalf of Dug'ne and the t+o quarrel

+hen Dug'ne insists on #aying Vautrin bac- at once refusing to be in his debt.Dugene is $ery conscious of the force of Vautrins character and magnetic

#ersonality.The character of Vautrin

Dug'nes #ersonal qualities ha$e also de$elo#ed in the last month. These includedboth the ne+ character defects im#osed on him by the +orld in +hich he no+ li$ed

and also his inborn qualities, his southern $i$acity and the directness +ith +hich hetac-led his #roblems/ !age 114,

epuis un mois il s'tait d'ailleurs dvelopp che% ugne autant de qualits quede dauts( 1es dauts, le monde et l'accomplissement de ses croissants dsirs

les lui avaient demands( 6armi ses qualits se trouvait cette vivacit mridionale

qui ait marcher droit 0 la diicult pour la rsoudre,

Vautrin ta-es Dug'ne outside to ha$e the matter out. *e then returns to gou#stairs for his duelling #istols. Victorine #leads +ith him not to -ill Dugene. %t

this Vautrin gets another idea/ he +ill ma-e both of the young #eo#le ha##y.

astignac5s bra$ery and also his fiery nature

Vautrin goes out and ta-es Dugene by the arm. *e recognises Dug'nes courage andthat to sho+ Dug'ne that he is a crac- shot +ould not deter the fiery young man.

envenuto 2ellini, tel que vous me vo"e%, et en italien

encore$ :ai appris de cet homme&l0, qui tait un ier luron, 0 inviter la

6rovidence qui nous tue 0 tort et 0 travers, et 0 aimer le beau partout o. il se

trouve.

6ellini +as a fiery indomitable character +ho lin-ed brute force +ith refinedbeauty

Vautrin is against duels as they are a matter of chance. *e sho+s a +ound herecei$ed from a man +ho had ne$er fired a shot before.

*ad Dug'ne by chance shot him he +ould ha$e had to flee Hrance and li$e ine)ile.

*e goes on to clarify Dug'nes situation. The choice is either stu#id obedience orre$olt/ !age 119,


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:e vais vous clairer la situation dans laquelle vous tes; mais !e vais le aire

avec la supriorit dun homme qui, aprs avoir examin les choses d'ici&bas, a

vu qu'il n'" avait que deux partis 0 prendre ou une stupide obissance ou la

rvolte( : e n'obis 0 rien, est&ce clair5 Vautrin5s $ie+ of the ne+ o#tions for

astignac

Dugene needs a million francs and he +ill gi$e them to him. *e outlines Dugenes

#ossibilities, his family of limited means. *e recognises Dug'nes ambition. *e#raises him for it/ !age 171,+((mais nous avons le sang ivreux des lions et un apptit 0 aire vingt sottises

par !our( 3ous succombere% donc 0 ce supplice, le plus horrible que nous a"ons

aperKu dans l'ener du bon ieu( astignac5s ambitious and fiery nature

Vautrin traces astignac5s modest career if he becomes a la+yer,

%t 20 he +ill earn 17000 francs a yearG at 40 it +ill be "000 li$res.Aith connections at 20 he could earn 1 000 cro+ns.

*e could marry the mayor5s daughter and +ith the hel# of corru#tion at the age of40 he +ill be an attorney general then de#uty/ !age 177,

1i vous aites quelques&unes de ces petites bassesses politiques, comme de lire

sur un bulletin 3illle au lieu de Manuel HKa rime, Ka met la conscience en

reposJ,

This +ould be after 70 years hard +or- and bending ones conscience and yet there

are only 70 attorney generals and there are 70000 men ho#eful for the #ost. =ome

of these +ould sell their family to mo$e u# one rung on the ladder.

Thirdly astignac could be a barrister. Let there arent more than in !aris +hoearn more than 0000 a year.

Hourthly he could marry a +oman for her money / ho+ honourable is that/ !age172,3oule%&vous vous marier5 2e sera vous mettre une pierre au cou; puis, 1i vous

vous marie% pour de l'argent, que deviennent nos sentiments d'honneur, notre

noblesse$

This leads to misery.

But astignac has ambition. *e has seen lu)ury at Mme. de BeausJant5s. *e hasseen the charms of a !arisian +oman +ith %nastasie.

*e +ont get serious money ?ust from +or-ing hard. This leads to a retirement li-e

!oiret5s in Mme Vauquers boarding house/!age 172,Le travail, compris comme vous le comprene% en ce moment, donne, dans les

vieux !ours, un appartement che% maman 3auquer, 0 des gars de la orce de

6oiret.


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0000 young men in !aris are de$ouring each other to ma-e a fortune. @.B.orru#tion in !aris/!age 174,

1ave%&vous comment on ait son chemin ici5 6ar l'clat du gnie ou par

ladresse de la corruption(

orru#tion is found in abundance talent is rare.


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vos opinions qu0 vos paroles( 4uand on vous les demandera, vende%&les( 8n

homme qui se vante de ne !amais changer d'opinion est un homme qui se charge

d'aller tou!ours en ligne droite, un niais qui croit 0 l'inaillibilit( /l n'" a pas de

principes; il n'" a que des circonstances l'homme suprieur pouse les

vnements et les circonstances pour les conduire(

Dug'ne is angry at the suggestion that he might beha$e li-e this.

Vautrin recognises the com#romises that astignac is already ma-ing transgressing

strict moralityVautrin insists that he should thin- about it. *e recognises that Dug'ne is trying to

ma-e his fortune through a +oman and so his aim is not so $irtuous/ !age 121,3ous ire% coqueter che% quelque !olie emme et vous recevre% de l'argent( 3ous "

ave% pense$ dit 3autrin; car comment russire%&vous, si vous n'escompte% pas

votre amour5 La vertu, mon cher tudiant, ne se scinde pas elle est ou nestpas(

Men +ho steal fortunes from a family by such lo$e intrigues ho+e$er are not

regarded as thie$es. [email protected]. orru#tion is the basis for ma-ing a fortune in !aris. eausant me disait en " mettant des

ormes( /l me dchirait le c*ur avec des grilles d'acier(

Ahile trying to cling to his belief that $irtue does not broo- any com#romises he

has to admit to himself that he has already robbed his family and is no+ thin-ingof ta-ing ad$antage of Cel#hine.

The moral com#romises of astignac.*e decides that he +ill not stoo# to ignoble acts in order to succeed. *is youth is

still blue as a cloudless s-y/ !age 122,Ma !eunesse est encore bleue comme un ciel sans image vouloir tre grand ou

riche, n'est&ce pas se rsoudre 0 mentir, plier, ramper, se redresser, latter,

dissimuler5

astignac5s determination to maintain his moral standards

*e +onders +hether the difference is one of age. *is relationshi# +ith life is li-e a

ne+ly engaged cou#le. Vautrins is li-e a man after 10 years of marriage. 6


27/61

ait voir ce qui arrive aprs dix ans de mariage( iable$ Ma tte se perd( :e ne

veux penser 0 rien, le c*ur est un bon guide

Dug'ne tries on his smart ne+ clothes.(oriot has found out from his daughters5 ser$ants that they are going to the ball of

the MarJchal de arigliano. This a ma?or occasion in !aris high societyastignac5s $irtuous resolution soon e$a#orates

=eeing himself dressed u# Dugene forgets his resolution of +or- and honesty andloo-s for+ard to shining in society/!age 124,

n se vo"ant bien mis, bien gant, bien bott, Castignac oublia sa vertueuse

rsolution(

Dug'ne and old (oriot had become good friends. Aith the #rimiti$e instincts youfind in a dog (oriot recognises the -indness and com#assion of. Dug'ne /!age

12,Le pre


28/61

#ut u# +ith e$erything and decides that in this +orld it is a case of e$ery man forhimself / !age 128,4uoique touch de ce retour soudain, ugene se dit en s'en allant N Campe,

supporte tout( 4ue doivent tre les autres, si, dans un moment, la meilleure des

emmes eace les promesses de son amiti, te laisse comme un vieux soulier52hacun pour soi, donc5

*o+e$er Mme. de BeausJant softens and in$ites him to dinner. Let these littlethings +ere #ushing him into battle in !aris/ !age 128,

#insi, par une sorte de atalit, les moindres vnements de sa vie conspiraient a

le pousser dans la carrire o., suivant les observations du terrible sphinx de la

Maison 3auquer, il devait, comme sur un champ de bataille, tuer pour ne pas

tre tu, tromper pour ne pas tre tromp; o. il devait dposer 0 la barrire sa

conscience, son c*ur, mettre un masque, se !ouer sans piti des hommes+(

astignac ma-es a further ste# on the do+n+ard #ath.

%t dinner +ith the Viscountess of BeausJant astignac is amazed by the lu)ury ofthe meal ty#ical of the estoration #eriod. The o#ulence of the BeausJant home.

The setting forms an absolute contrast +ith the Maison Vauquer. !age 129++( en vo"ant cette argenterie sculpte, et les mille recherches d'une table

somptueuse, en admirant pour la premire ois un service ait sans bruit, il tait

diicile 0 un homme d'ardente imagination de ne pas prrer cette vie

constamment lgante 0 la vie de privations qu'il voulait embrasser le matin(

astignac is o$er+helmed by the lu)ury and taste he sees in the home of the to#

nobility

D$en though astignac is totally amazed by this ne+ e)#erience he has the self/com#osure to act +ith some of the a#lomb +hich +as to become later a feature of

his character, !age 129L'aplomb qui le distingua plus tard si minemment, et qu'il commenKait 0

prendre, l'empcha de s'bahir niaisement(

The author muses on the tem#tations of !aris and +onders +hy any schools are

located there as this only leads to the seduction of the scholars.

6Ene o the main themes o the booQ is the struggle o the student Iith thetemptations o 6aris(J

Balzac e)#resses his confidence in the dramatic #otential of such a story. !age 129,1'il tait bien peint dans sa lutte avec 6aris, le pauvre tudiant ournirait un des

su!ets les plus dramatiques de notre civilisation moderne.

%=T


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They see Cel#hine de @ucingen at the theatre. Mme. de BeausJant5s eye sees theyoung lady5s faults but Dug'ne is struc- by her beauty and directs his attention to

her o#enly.Mme. de BeausJant agrees to get Dug'ne an in$itation to the MarJchal de

ariglianos ball +hich she is attending +here he +ill ha$e the o##ortunity tomeet Cel#hine.

This is in accordance +ith their #re$ious #lan for astignac5s acce#tance in highsociety.

Ahen d%d?uda comes to their bo) Dugene recognises that Mme. de BeausJant iscom#letely in lo$e +ith her !ortuguese lo$er. =he gets him to ta-e Dug'ne to

Cel#hine.The bad side of astignac is no+ sho+n #erha#s. Aith less than total accuracy he

recounts his gaffe +ith Cel#hine5s sister %nastasie and lets her -no+ that hishighly #laced friends Mme. de BeausJant and Mme de &angeais merely regarded

it as amusing.*e says untruly that Cel#hine is admired for her true concern for (oriot unli-e hersister.

6By mentioning the t+o noble ladies astignac is cunningly targeting Cel#hines+ish to associate +ith the to# social set to +hich they belong. *is +ords also

e)#loit her -no+n animosity to+ards her sister.*e succeeds in charming Mme. de @ucingen. =he is ready to blame her sister and

claims it +as in order to obey her husband5s ruling that she sto##ed seeing herfather. =he lets astignac -no+ that her marriage is unha##y and that this conduct

on her husband5s #art +as re#resentati$e of his treatment of her/. !age 144,:e pleurais( 2es violences, venues aprs les brutalits du mariage, ont t l'une

des raisons qui troublrent le plus mon mnage .

=he ?ustifies her intimate tal- to astignac because he is her fathers friend.

Dug'ne5s +ords are $ery direct and audacious. *e offers himself to her describing

himself as, young full of illusions faithful to death. astignac the im#etuousyoung man from the south

*e tells her that he had thought of her so much before and then on seeing her hadfound her to be the most attracti$e lady imaginable !age 14 /n vous vo"ant, quand !e suis entr, !e me suis senti port vers vous comme par

un courant( :'avais d!0 tant pens 0 vous $ Mais !e ne vous avais pas rve

aussi belle que vous l'tes en ralit( Madame de >eausant m'a ordonn de ne

pas vous tant regarder( lle ne sait pas ce qu'il " a d'attra"ant 0 voir vos !olies

lvres rouges, votre teint blanc, vos "eux si doux(

Cel#hine is #leased by the flattery. Hinally they are interru#ted by her husband.

The character of Cel#hine5s husband can be seen by the sha#e of his face. [email protected].

Balzac5s interest in #hysiognomy. / !age 14",


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33le baron, pais #lsacien dont la igure ronde annonKait une dangereuse

inesse

astignac +as ha##y +ith this first meeting +ith Cel#hine. 6*e is one ste# furtheralong the deliberately calculated #ath to his ambitions. Cel#hine has ta-en the bit

no+ he has to master her. *e is to see her at the ball of the MarJchal de arigliano..

Ahat astignac +as una+are of +as that Cel#hine +as absorbed by the end of heraffair +ith omte *enri de Marsay.

Aal-ing home astignac +as also cheered by the -no+ledge that %nastasie deestaud +ould also no+ be #re#ared to recei$e him. *er glances to+ards him at

the theatre had made that clear.

astignac has a sense that Cel#hines ban-er husband might be of hel# to him in

ma-ing his fortune, %lthough he did not thin- this in so many +ords he had this inthe bac- of his mind/ !age 14,2e mari ait des aaires d'or, il pourra m'aider 0 ramasser tout d'un coup une

ortune( /l ne se disait pas cela crument, il n'tait pas encore asse% politique pour

chirer une situation, l'apprcier et la calculer;

Balzac says that there are no+ fe+er honest and straightfor+ard #eo#le to be found

than at any time in the #ast./!age 14Les hommes arrivent, par une suite de transactions de ce genre, 0 cette morale

relche que proesse l'poque actuelle, o. se rencontrent plus rarement que

dans aucun temps ces hommes rectangulaires, +(

The author again mentions the drama of astignacs story but ma-ing it clear thatalthough astignac +ill ma-e com#romises +ith his conscience he +ill li$e side

by side +ith the corru#tion of !aris he +ill not see- to become #art of it./ !age148,

6eut&tre l*uvre oppose, la peinture des sinuosits dans lesquelles un homme

du monde, un ambitieux ait rouler sa conscience, en essa"ant de c=to"er le mal,

ain d'arriver a son but en gardant les apparences, ne serait&elle ni moins belle,

ni moins dramatique(

astignac finds himself in lo$e +ith the beautiful Cel#hine as he +al-s home. *egoes to see #'re (oriot on his return. *e is struc- again by the contrast of the

squalor of (oriots room and the lu)ury of the salons of high [email protected]. The im#ortance of the detailed lengthy earlier descri#tion of the squalor to

ma-e the tragedy of (oriot fully a##reciated and to ma-e the reader understandastignac5s o$er+helming ambition to succeed.

There is a full descri#tion of (oriot5s room summed u# as a #rison cell/ !age 149,L'aspect de cette chambre donnait roid et serrait le c*ur, elle ressemblait au

plus triste logement d'une prison.


31/61

(oriot is delighted to ha$e ne+s of his daughters. *e tells of the ?oy +hich he getsfrom -no+ing his daughters are ha##y. %lthough a sim#le man +ith difficulty in

e)#ressing himself he becomes eloquent on tal-ing of his daughters/ !age 10,++!e ne sais pas dire deux paroles de suite comme il aut( ?out est l0, a!outa&t&

il en se rappant le c*ur( Ma vie, 0 moi, est dans mes deux ines( 1i elless'amusent, si elles sont heureuses, bravement mises, si elles marchent sur des

tapis, qu'importe de quel drap !e sois vtu, et comment est l'endroit o. !e me

couche5

*e is illuminated by the fire of his #aternal #assion.The character of (oriot

(oriot is #leased that Dugene lo$es Cel#hine and that Ce Marsay is lea$ing her.Ae see the $iolent side of (oriot5s character +hen he threatens astignac if he

does anything to hurt his daughter.Cel#hine had sent no message for her father but Dugene lies and ma-es him

ha##y by saying she sends a -iss.*e realises that Cel#hine gi$es no thought to her father/ !age 17,

F Le pauvre homme, se dit ugne en se couchant, il " a de quoi toucher des

c*urs de marbre( 1a ille n'a pas plus pens 0 lui qu'au grand&?urc(

(N.B. ug!ne"s compassion for the innocent.

%s Dug'ne +as in$ol$ed in the only area of (oriots life +here the old manbecame ali$e/ his lo$e of his daughters/ the t+o became close friends/ !age 12Le bonhomme se prit donc pour son voisin d'une amiti qui, alla croissant et

sans laquelle il e-t t sans doute impossible de conna)tre le dnouement de cette

histoire

This brought about a change in (oriot noticed by the other boarders > !age 12Le lendemain matin, au d!euner, l'aectation avec laquelle le pre


32/61

astignac struggles +ith his conscienceastignac is debating +ith his conscience in the &u)embourg gardens +hen he

meets Bianchon. *e #oses the moral #roblem to his fello+ student,


33/61

The slim blond Cel#hine +ith her some+hat bossy femme de chambre Therese

That e$ening Cel#hine de @ucingen did not thro+ herself at him ho+e$er as hehad too com#lacently e)#ected. =he had other #reoccu#ations.

Ahen she had told him she +as unha##y +ith her husband Dugene had thought it+as a #relude to the fulfilment of his ho#es. =he tells him she has great troubles

+hich she cannot confide in him. astignac says he +ill dri$e her troubles a+aye$en if he has to -ill ten men.

Cel#hine im#ulsi$ely ta-es Dug'ne out in her husband5s cou#J. =he gi$es him 100francs and as-s him to go to a gambling house and +in her "000 francs.

The be+ildered Dug'ne does as commanded. *e -no+s that by this act Cel#hineis com#romising herself +ith him and after re$ealing herself to him in this manner

she can refuse him nothing.

Aithout any self consciousness Dug'ne +ho has ne$er gambled before as-s atthe tables ho+ he goes about laying his bet /!age 1"2.

# l'tonnement des habitus, le garKon de salle le mne devant une longue table,

ugne, suivi de tous les spectateurs, demande sans vergogne o. il aut mettre

l'en!eu*e is ad$ised by a former #refect of @a#oleon +ho is no+ #ractically #enniless.

Dugene comes a+ay +ith 000 francs.Cel#hine is o$er?oyed. =he embraces him e)citedly and -isses him > bur +ithout

#assion.


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=he tells Dug'ne that @ucingen +ill not gi$e herenough money. =he had found it unacce#table that she

+as e)#ected to earn her marital allo+ance accordingto the le$el of affections she offered her husband and

she refused to share his bed.%t first she had tried to be inde#endent using u# all her

sa$ings and getting money from her father. =he tellsDug'ne #age 1"4+((!e mangeais largent de mes conomies et celui

que me donnait mon pauvre pre+

*o+e$er she then #iled u# so much debt that she +asforced to tell her husband. *e +as furious to disco$er

her e)tra$agance. Cel#hine calls them her young+oman5s debts / ?e+els and things that caught her fancy

and she relates these s#ending habits to the +ay herfather had ne$er refused them anything !age 1"4uand il a allu lui dclarer mes dettes de !eune emme, des bi!oux, des

antaisies Hmon pauvre pre nous avait accoutums 0 ne nous rien reuserJ, !ai

souert le

Mart"re ;

Aith some reticence she then lets astignac -no+ that at this #oint she met her richlo$er de Marsay and her financial #roblems +ere ta-en care of.

@o+ she urgently needed money because she her lo$er had mo$ed on. Ahen sheconfidently belie$ed that their lo$e +ould last fore$er she had had no qualms

about acce#ting money from him. *er #ride no+ demanded that she should #ayhim bac- to sho+ that she +as ne$er his -e#t +oman.

=he had been des#erate because she had no money of her o+n to do this. %ll@ucingen ga$e her +as a small allo+ance +hich +as less than he ga$e each

month to his mistress a young actress at the ;#Jra

=he could not ha$e got the money from her father [email protected]. =he realises that she and

her sister ha$e ta-en e$erything from him. /!age 1",#nastasie et moi nous lavons gorg; mon pauvre pre se serait vendu s'il

pouvait valoir six mille rancs( :'aurais t le dsesprer en vain(

=he says she is ty#ical of half the +omen of !aris/!age 1"/1"",3oil0 la vie de la moiti des emmes de 6aris un luxe extrieur, des soucis

cruels dans lme( :e connais de pauvres cratures encore plus malheureuses

que !e ne le suis(

@o+ than-s to Dugene5s good luc- she can regain her #ride by #aying de Marsaybac-. Dugene is o$er+helmed by this mi)ture of bad and good sentiments +hich is


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im#osed by the contem#orary order of society. !age 1"",2e mlange de bons sentiments, qui rendent les emmes si grandes, et des autes

que la constitution actuelle de la socit les orce 0 commettre, bouleversait

ugne

=he gi$es bac- to astignac 1000 francs as she had only as-ed him to +in "000francs. *e acce#ts under #rotest

.They arri$e at her house and she sends the money to de Marsay.

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+ill see a la+yer to ma-e @ucingen release his daughters do+ry. (oriot has totalfaith in astignacs honesty/ !age 10,

F 3ous russire% dans la vie, lui dit le vieillard( ieu est !uste, vo"e%&vous5 :e

me connais en probit, moi, et puis vous assurer qu'il " a bien peu d'hommes qui

vous ressemblent(

Dugene finds satisfaction in ha$ing beha$ed honourably. The author says that

astignac +as a true hristian doing good in secret/ !age 10,I+ n) ! .e't-/tre 0'e $e' 0'( $r(ent en 2(e' 0'( %nt +e b(en en se$ret3 etE'45ne $r)!(t en 2(e'#

%=T


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1i le !eune homme assis au balcon d'un thtre ore a la lorgnette des !olies

emmes d'tourdissants gilets, il est douteux qu'il ait des chaussettes;

%t this #oint astignac5s luc- turned for the +orse. *e lost his money and ran intodebt. *e sa+ he could not continue this life +ithout some means of su##ort. *e

could not gi$e u# this e)tra$agant life no+./#age 14,Ltudiant commenKait 0 comprendre quil lui serait impossible de continuer

cette existence sans avoir des ressources ixes( Mais, tout en gmissant sous les

piquantes atteintes de sa situation prcaire, il se sentait incapable de renoncer

aux !ouissances excessives de cette vie, et voulait la continuer 0 tout prix(

astignac is fi)ed in this e)tra$agant lifestyle

*is dreams faded and he faced reality. *e sa+ he had to sacrifice ideas of honour. /!age l4,

n s'initiant aux secrets domestiques de monsieur et madame de 9ucingen, il

s'tait aperKu que, pour convertir l'amour en instrument de ortune, il allaitavoir bu toute honte; et renoncer aux nobles ides qui sont l'absolution des

autes de la !eunesse(

Dug'ne #ondered on Vautrins scheme. ;ne day after dinner he remained behind tobe +ith Victorine.

*e +as frustrated and disa##ointed because Cel#hine +as still refusing to gi$eherself to him. =he +as acting not out of calculated flirtatiousness but because she

had been betrayed before and out of self/res#ect. =he +as no+ the #arty in controland Dug'ne5s turbulent emotions made him all the more attached to her /!age 1,

#imante ou coquette, madame de 9ucingen avait ait passer Castignac partoutes les angoisses d'une passion vritable, en dplo"ant pour lui les ressources

de la diplomatie minine en usage 0 6aris(

N7 The !rts % the w6!n % P!r(s#

%t all e$ents it cost Dug'ne a lot of money and he +as #enniless.*e +as no+ thin-ing of Vautrin5s murderous #lan in s#ite of his conscience as he

sat tte U tte +ith Victorine after dinner. Victorine told him that should shebecome rich and ha##y she could still lo$e for e$er the unfortunate man she had

lo$ed in her days of misfortune.

Vautrin interru#ts them. *e tells astignac he doesnt +ant him to ma-e u# his

mind +hen he is do+n on his luc-. Dug'ne #rotests and Vautrin #raises him./!age19,3ous tes un beau !eune homme, dlicat, ier comme un lion et doux comme une

!eune ille( 3ous serie% une belle proie pour le diable.

*e is a fit #rey for the de$il but after a fe+ final gestures of $irtue to im#ress foolsin the gallery he +ill be theirs.


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character /*e can be $ery generous/!age 19,:e vous permets de me mpriser encore au!ourd'hui, s-r que plus tard vous

m'aimere%( 3ous trouvere% en moi de ces immenses ab)mes, de ces vastes

sentiments concentrs que les niais appellent des vices; mais vous ne me

trouvere% !amais ni lche ni ingrat(

*e refuses to e)#lain his interest in Dug'ne. Dug'ne acce#ts the money. Vautrin

#romises to lea$e his fortune to Dug'ne.Vautrin tal-s of himself, a man is either e$erything or nothing to him/ !age 181,8n homme est tout ou rien( /l est moins que rien quand il se nomme 6oiret on

peut l'craser comme une punaise, il est plat et il pue( Mais un homme est un

dieu quand il vous ressemble

Vautrin5s great regard for astignac

There is to Vautrin only one real feeling that counts, the friendshi# of one man for

another/ !age 181,h$ bien, pour moi qui ai bien creus la vie, il n'existe qu'un seul sentiment rel,

une amiti d'homme 0 homme( 6ierre et :aier, voil0 ma passion(

*e recognises Dug'ne as a su#erior man +ho +ill not allo+ himself to get boggeddo+n /!age 181,

Mais vous, vous tes un homme suprieur, on peut tout vous dire, vous save% tout

comprendre(

Dugene is shoc-ed by Vautrins cynicism.

*e re#ays his debts +ith the money. That night astignac gambles at +hist and

+ins the money bac-. *e is sure this is a re+ard for $irtue.*e is thus able to re#ay Vautrin the ne)t day. *e tells Vautrin he is not his

accom#lice. Vautrin says he -no+s that Dugene is still ?ust #laying around.

Ch!.ter III - Tr6.e-+!-Mrt!oiret and Mlle. Michonneau are tal-ing to a mysterious gentleman in the #ar-.Ahen the latter mentions the name of the Minister of !olice !oiret sits u# / the

name of the minister is for these humble ci$il ser$ants +hat the name of the !o#eis to atholics 6M. (ondureau #lays on this connection deliberately/ !age 184,2e que ces pauvres gens ne eraient pas dans leur intrt, ils s'empressent de

l'accomplir ds que le mot 1on xcellence est prononc.

*e tells them the minister thin-s Vautrin is the famous esca#ed con$ict Trom#e/la/Mort/ a nic-name that he has truly earned. [email protected]. Vautrin5s character / !age 18,2e sobriquet est d- au bonheur qu'il a eu de ne !amais perdre la vie dans les

entreprises extrmement audacieuses qu'il a excutes( 2et homme est

dangereux, vo"e%&vous$ /l a des qualits qui le rendent extraordinaire(


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The #rison sentence that this con$ict had been ser$ing could be $ie+ed as theresult of an honourable deed. *e had ta-en the blame and had been committed to

#rison for the crime committed by some/one else / an


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;nly a miracle could sa$e him.Victorine belie$ed it +as the $oice of an angel and the hea$ens +ere o#ening for

her but Dug'ne +as shining +ith des#air +ith the fires of hell in his heart/ !age192,

n se dbattant contre sa conscience, en sachant qu'il aisait mal et voulantaire mal, en se disant qu'il rachterait ce pch vniel par le bonheur d'une

emme, il s'tait embelli de son dsespoir, et resplendissait de tous les eux de

l'ener qu'il avait au c*ur(

The miracle occurs +hen Vautrin interru#ts him and Victorine runs a+ay full ofha##iness. This +as the most tender interlude of her life /!age 194,

n cette heure, elle avait prodigu plus de trsors d'me que plus tard, riche et

heureuse, elle n'en aurait donn en se livrant tout entire

Vautrin sees the deal as fi)ed +ith Dugene. *e +ill get young Taillefer -illed in aduel by a lunge to the head he has #erfected. Vautrin again #raises Dug'ne. !age

194.>ien, mon petit aiglon$ vous gouvernere% les hommes; vous tes ort, carr,

poilu; vous ave% mon estime(

Vautrin5s #raise for astignac5s character

astignac refuses his hand to Vautrin. *e is o$ercome +ith remorse and sees a#ool of blood before him.

Vautrin +his#ers that his +ealth +ill absol$e his guilt but after Vautrin has goneastignac decides to +arn messieurs Taillefer to #re$ent the duel.

(oriot ta-es astignac to his room. *e tells him that he +as silly to belie$e thatCel#hine did not lo$e him.


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Dug'ne still u#set by the #ossibility of the -illing of Taillefer as-s (oriot to go tothe Taillefer to ma-e him an a##ointment +hile he goes to see Cel#hine. (oriot

thin-s Dug'ne is courting Victorine and $iolently threatens him.Dug'ne e)#lains that he has heard that Victorine5s brother is to fight a duel

tomorro+ and he +ants to sto# it.Vautrin hears Dugene tal-ing of the duel and interru#ts them. Vautrin is in a $ery

ha##y mood. *e moc-s Mlle Michonneau calling her the Venus of the !ariscemetery. *e orders +ine for all and #ours for Dug'ne and (oriot. They drin-. *e

#ours for himself tastes it says it tastes of the cor- and gi$es the rest tohristo#he. Aine flo+s and there is a lot of noise and ?o-ing.

The eyes of Dug'ne and (oriot close Vautrin +his#ers that Dug'ne can5t outsmarthim/ !age 702,

Mon petit gars, nous ne sommes pas asse% rus pour lutter avec notre papa

3autrin, et il vous aime trop pour vous laisser aire des sottises( 4uand !'ai

resolu quelque chose, le bon ieu seul est asse% ort pour me barrer le passage .Ahile they slee# his


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But this merry e$ening +as Vautrin5s do+nfall. Bianchon got too drun- to as- themeaning of the +ord Trom#e/la/Mort and thus Vautrin +as not alerted. Mlle.

Michonneau +as angered by the nic-name gi$en her by Vautrin and changed hermind about +arning Vautrin.

!oiret and Michonneau had gone to see (ondureau +ho +as in fact the head ofthe ?udicial #olice. *e gi$es them the drug to administer to Vautrin. *e s#ea-s of

the im#ortance of Vautrin to the criminal fraternity/!age 711,+((il est leur drapeau, leur soutien, leur >onaparte enin; ils laiment tous( 2e

dr=le ne nous laissera !amais sa tronche en place de


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astignac has gone out for air shoc-ed to be the accom#lice of an e$il crime./!age 718,2e crime commis 0 heure ixe, il avait voulu l'empcher la veille( 4u'tait&il

arriv5 4ue devait&il aire5 // tremblait d'en tre le complice( Le sang&roid de

3autrin l'pouvantait encore.%s astignac is honourable he is dee#ly shoc-ed

*e meets Bianchon +ho has read ho+ the omte Hranchessini has in?ured Tailleferin a duel. Dug'ne sends Bianchon to loo- after the sic- Vautrin

astignac5s honesty stands the test of these trials/. !age 719,1'il rotta, sil sexamina, sil hsita, du moins sa probit sortit de cette pre et

terrible discussion prouve comme une( barre de er qui rsiste a tous les essais(

*e thin-s he +ill sho+ his goodness by loo-ing after (oriot +ho has suffered so

much /. !age 770,2c pauvre vieillard a bien souert par le c*ur( /l ne dit rien de ses chagrins,

mais qui ne les devinerait pas$ h$ bien, !'aurai soin de lui comme d'un pre, !e

lui donnerai mille !ouissances(

The -indliness of astignac*e #ersuades himself that there is nothing +rong in this liaison +ith Cel#hine/

!age 770,/l n'" a dans cette liaison ni crime, ni rien qui puisse aire roncer le sourcil 0 la

vertu la plus svre( 2ombien d'honntes gens contractent des unions sem&

blables$ 9ous ne trompons personne;

*e argues that he is being o#en and not/lying to anyone. Cel#hines marriage to@ucingen does not e)ist.

Thus the $irtues of youth +on the combat.The conscience of astignac

urious to -no+ ho+ Vautrin is he returns to the Maison Vauquer. Vautrin hasreco$ered and boasts of his strength. !age 771

:ai selon ces dames, soutenu victorieusement un coup de sang qui aurait d-

tuer un b*u(

Bianchon mentions that he had heard Mlle. Michonneau say the name Trom#e/la/Mort.

The name causes an e)traordinary change in Vautrin. *is magnetic eye falling onMichonneau ma-es her colla#se in a chair. !oiret mo$es bet+een in her defence.

Pust then the gendarmes arri$e and all esca#e is cut off. The chief of #olice -noc-soff Vautrins +ig and the con$ict ollin a##ears in all his horrible menace. / !age

777.#ccompagnes de cheveux rouge&brique et courts qui leur donnaient un

pouvantable caractre de orce mle de ruse, cette tte et cette ace, en

harmonie avec le buste, urent intelligemment illumines comme si les eux de

l'ener les eussent claires( 2hacun comprit tout 3autrin, son pass, sonprsent, son avenir, ses doctrines implacables, la religion de son bon plaisir, la


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ro"aut que lui donnaient le c"nisme de ses penses, de ses actes, et la orce

d'une organisation aite 0 tout(

!'tr(n*s $h!r!$ter*e is about to lea# li-e a +ild cat to esca#e +hen he hears the guns coc-ed to

shoot him. ealising their intentions he masters himself +ith great self control andsurrenders.

Vautrin #reaches to the others and as-s +hy they should be horrified by him +hois less +ic-ed than they/. !age 774,

F tes&vous meilleure que nous5 9ous avons moins d'inamie sur l'paule que

vous en ave% dans le c*ur, membres lasques d'une socit gangrene le

meilleur d'entre vous ne me rsistait pas( 1es "eux s'arrtrent sur Castignac,

D$en astignac the best of them +as not his equal.

Vautrin has assumed the character of a member of the criminal class. *is diabolicalnature. /!age 774,

n un moment 2ollin devint un pome inernal o. se peignirent tous lessentiments humains, moins un seul, celui du repentir( 1on regard tait celui de

l'archange dchu qui vent tou!ours la guerre(

*e is concerned about +ho has betrayed him. *e forgi$es Michonneau but +ill#unish the fello+ croo- +ho told the #olice. *e boasts of his loyalty. !eo#le fear

him but this is a more flattering reaction than the disgust that Michonneau arouses.*e is a rebel against the social system and a disci#le of P.P. ousseau./ !age 77" ,8n orKat de la trempe de 2ollin, ici prsent, est un homme moins lche que les

autres, et qui proteste contre les proondes dceptions du contrat social, comme

dit :ean&:acques, dont !e me gloriie d'tre l'lve( nin, !e suis seul contre le

gouvernement avec son tas de tribunaux, de gendarmes, de budgets, et !e les

roule(

*e bids a flamboyant fare+ell to the guests. Tal-ing to Dug'ne in a gentle sad

manner he reminds him of his duelling friend to +hom Dug'ne can a##ly for hel#.D$en at this moment the loyal Vautrin is concerned for astignac5s +ell/being

The guests are fa$ourable to the de#arting Vautrin. =yl$ie $oices this./!age 77,.F h$ bien, dit&elle, c'tait un bon homme tout de mme(

%ll the guests at Mme. Vauquers +ith the e)ce#tion of !oiret insist that she sendsMichonneau #ac-ing. Ahen astignac agrees she maliciously suggests she -no+s

+hy astignac is Vautrins friend.Mme. Vauquer finally agrees to send Michonneau a+ay and +hen !oiret inter$enes

he is also forced to lea$e. *e hesitantly follo+s ta-ing Michonneaus arm amid themoc-ery of the rest

% coach arri$es. Victorines brother has died at 2 #.m. and Victorine and her auntare to go and li$e +ith Victorine5s father.

Mme. Vauquer thin-s only of her o+n misfortune because of the number ofboarders lost in one day./ !age 721,

4uatre appartements vacants, cinq pensionnaires de moins$ lle s'assit et parutprs de pleurer( Le malheur est entr che% moi, s'cria&t&elle(


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%nother coach arri$es and =yl$ie fears another shoc- but it is merely a sur#rise.


46/61

Cel#hine is hurt. =he as-s (oriot to #ersuade Dug'ne. (oriot#ro#hetically says that Dug'ne +ill succeed and +ill be able

to re#ay all. /!age 72,+(vous trouve% une barrire insurmontable pour

beaucoup de gens, une main de emme vous l'ouvre, etvous recule%$ Mais vous russire%, vous ere% une brillante

ortune,

(oriot5s confidence in the qualities of astignac

*e tells Dugene that it is he +ho has #aid for e$erything.


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=he is then told that they too are lea$ing the ne)t day. Mme. Vauquer feels it is herfinal blo+ and goes to bed to +ee#.

Mme. Vauquer +as in a different mood the ne)t day. =he had had a #remonition ofdeath +ithin ten days.

%t midday Dugene recei$ed an in$itation addressed to M : Mme de @ucingen forthe grand ball. This is the in$itation to Cel#hine +hich Mme de BeausJant had

#romised to hel# Dug'ne in his conquest of !aris society.

Dug'ne realises that Cel#hines husband is not in$ited and that he +ill get the

re+ard of this in$itation from Cel#hine. *e is im#atient to ta-e #ossession of her atlast.

Balzac comments that the first +oman you lo$e in !aris has no ri$al throughoutyour life. !age 744

2'est des motions qui ne se rencontrent pas deux ois dans la vie des !eunesgens( La premire emme rellement emme 0 laquelle s'attache un homme,

c'est&dire celle qui se prsente 0 lui dans la splendeur des accompagnements que

veut la socit parisienne, celle&l0 n'a !amais de rivale( L'amour 0 6aris ne

ressemble en rien aux autres amours(

Let e$en lo$e in !aris is com#licated and destructi$e.

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Cel#hine also has a foreboding of disaster thin-ing her ha##iness must be #aid for.

*o+e$er bac- at Mme. Vauquers Dug'ne finds (oriot li-e him filled +ith

ha##iness about +hat the future holds.

Ch!.ter I LA MORT 2U PERE

The ne)t morning Dugene +as in his room #re#aring his de#arture. (oriot ne)tdoor belie$ed him out. Cel#hine arri$ed in a coach in a hurry and +ent into

(oriots room. Dug'ne o$erheard the con$ersation.

Cel#hine says she is des#erately +orried +hether her father had ta-en the ste#so$er her do+ry in time to sa$e her from ruin.

=he sees a sudden dramatic change in (oriot5s a##earance. *e has been badlysha-en by her dramatic arri$al and her des#erate +ords.

=he has come because she needs her fathers business e)#erience to ad$ise her.(oriots solicitor had found @ucingen uncoo#erati$e. @ucingen had been to

Cel#hine after the la+yers $isit to say that all her money and his +as in$ested andcould not be touched.


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# ce mot lugubrement !et, comme un son du rle d'un mourant, et qui accusait

l'agonie du sentiment paternel rduit 0 l'impuissance, les deux s*urs irent une

pause( 4uel go7sme serait reste roid 0 ce cri de dsespoir qui, semblable a une

pierre lanc dans un goure, en rvlant

la proondeur5

Cel#hine consoles her sister. %nastasie says

the #re$ious day her husband hadsummoned her. *e had bought bac- the

family diamonds from (obsec- the usurer.*e tal-ed of -illing her lo$er -no+ing that

the consequence +ould be that he +ouldface the death #enalty..

*e as-ed her of +hich of the children she

had gi$en him he had fathered. =he admitted that there +as only the eldest /Drnest.Then he had told her that the only +ay for her to a$oid tragedy to the family +as toagree to ma-e o$er all her #ro#erty to him.

(oriot forbad her to gi$e in to her husband5s demands and in anger says he +ould-idna# his o+n grandson Drnest to ma-e him gi$e %nastasia bac- her o+n

#ro#erty. (oriot is in a state of great hysteria. /!age 78.?onnerre$ :e ne sais pas ce que !ai dans les veines( :'" ai le sang d'un tigre, !e

voudrais dvorer ces deux hommes( R mes enants$ voil0 done votre vie5

%nastasie has further troubles, the diamonds she sold raised only 88000 francsher lo$er still o+es 17000 francs. =he lo$es him and +ants to sa$e him for hersa-e from debtor5s #rison and also for the sa-e of their children. =he as-s (oriot

to gi$e her the remainder.

(oriot tells %nastasie he hasnt got the money. *e is in des#air. /!age 79,:e ne les ai pas, 9asie( 6lus, plus rien, plus rien$ 2'est la in du monde( Eh$ Le

monde va crouler,

The sisters quarrel angrily +hen %nastasie disco$ers he has s#ent the money on ana#artment for Cel#hines lo$er astignac.

Cel#hine re#lies that %nastasie bloc-ed her +ay into society and that she Cel#hinene$er as-ed for money from her father. =he did not close her door on him. =he

didnt as- him for the 17000 francs for the a#artment and. (oriot had al+ays gi$enher #resents +ithout her as-ing.

%nastasia said Cel#hines lo$er de Marsay +as richer.

%s the sisters quarrel (oriots head is enflamed. ;n his -nees and in tears he begsthem to ma-e #eace. Cel#hine sees his +ild e)#ression and they embrace.


50/61

(oriot thin-s of +ild mad schemes for raising the money including robbing aban-. *is head is bursting and he +ants to beat it against the +all.

Dug'ne +ho had -e#t Vautrins bill of e)change ma-es it out for 17000 francs to(oriot to re#ay him for the a#artment. Ahen Dug'ne comes into the room

%nastasie is furious thin-ing that he has been listening and Cel#hine has allo+edher to com#romise herself in front of astignac.

(oriot tells her to acce#t as astignac as his o+n son. astignac offers his #aymentbut %nastasie still furious lea$es the house. Let/ she still holding astignac5s

financial document.

(oriot ma-es e)cuses for her. =he is in a difficult #osition. %nastasie returns

as-ing #ardon and as-ing astignac to consider himself her brother. The sisters arereconciled.

%nastasie as-s (oriot to sign the bill. Cel#hine belie$es her sister is good heartedunderneath. *o+e$er Dug'ne belie$es she came bac- to get the bill signed.

Cel#hine sho+s affection for her sic- father(oriot is des#erately ill they lay him do+n and he falls aslee#. They go to

Dug'nes room and hear (oriot moan in his slee#. /!age 7"/7"",F lles ne sont pas heureuses$ 4uil dorm)t ou quil veillt, l'accent de cette

phrase rappa si vivement le c*ur de sa ille, quelle s'approcha du grabat sur

lequel gisait son pre, et le baisa au ront( /l ouvrit les "eux en disant( 2'est

elphineI

%n)ious about (oriot Dug'ne returned for dinner at Mme. Vauquers after ta-ing

Cel#hine home.*e as-ed the o#inion of Bianchon. %fter close obser$ation Bianchon said (oriot

+as done for. *e +as on the brin- of a stro-e. There +as little to be done.Bianchon +anted to -no+ +hat shoc- had brought it on. 6N7# The s$ene th!tGr(t*s "!'4hters h!" en!$te" (n %rnt % h(6 w!s res.ns(b+e %r h(s"e!th#./ !age 7",

1ais&tu par quel vnement la maladie a t cause il a d- recevoir un coup

violent sous lequel son moral aura succomb(

F Eui, dit Castignac en se rappelant que les deux illes avaient battu sans

relche sur le c*ur de leur pre(

Dug'ne meets Cel#hine that e$ening at their +ee-ly theatre date. *e is an)ious notto alarm her +ith his ne+s about her father5s health. *o+e$er she is quite

com#lacent that her father is strong enough to reco$er e$en though she and hersister ha$e u#set him.

Cel#hine says her only #reoccu#ation no+ is her lo$e for astignac. To her shame

she admits that this lo$e comes before her lo$e as a daughter. =he lo$es her father


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but there is no +ay in +hich she can sto# him from suffering from the outcome oftheir de#lorable marriages for +hich he too is res#onsible.

Dug'ne had thought #re$iously that she did not lo$e him as he lo$ed her. @o+Cel#hine tells Dug'ne ho+ dee# is her lo$e for him./#age 7",

/l nest plus au!ourd'hui qu'une seule crainte, un seul malheur pour moi, c'est

de perdre l'amour qui m'a ait sentir le plaisir de vivre( n dehors de ce

sentiment tout m'est indirent, !e n'aime plus rien au monde( 3ous tes tout

pour moi( 1i !e sens le bonheur d'tre riche, c'est pour mieux vous plaire( :e

suis, 0 ma honte, plus aimante que !e ne suis ille(

Balzac e)#resses his admiration for the de#th of #assion of the ladies of !aris,/

!age 7"81i les 6arisiennes son souvent ausses, ivres de vanit, personnelles, coquettes,

roides, il est s-r que quand elles aiment rellement, elles sacriient plus desentiments que les autres emmes 0 leurs passions; elles se grandissent de toutes

leurs petitesses et deviennent sublimes,

Cel#hine had ne$er before e)#erienced a young sincere lo$e li-e that of Dug'ne./

!age 7"8,lle n'avait !amais entendu les expressions vibrantes dun amour !eune et

sincre( 4uelques mots de plus, elle ne se serait plus contenue .

Cel#hine says that the -ing is due to sign d5%d?uda5s contract of marriage to

Madame de ochefide the ne)t day. Mme. de BeausJant does not -no+ yet. Theball at her house cannot be cancelled. %ll !aris +ill be going to see her in her

suffering.astignac is shoc-ed at the cruelty of society. /!age 7"9,

F t le monde se rit d'une inamie, et il " trempe$ 3ous ne save% donc pas que

madame de >eausant en mourra5

*o+e$er astignac belie$ed it +as a stu#id rumourDug'ne stayed in his ne+ a#artment until 4#.m the ne)t day almost forgetting

(oriot.astignac distracted by the comfort of his ne+ a#artment.

Dug'ne decided not to bring (oriot to the a#artment. ;n returning to MmeVauquer5s he finds neither (oriot nor Bianchon at table. *e is told (oriot has

colla#sed. Mme. Vauquer +aylays him on the stairs. They ha$e stayed 2 dayslonger than they said and they must both #ay for another +ee-. =he doesnt trust

(oriots daughters to #ay and (oriot +ill ha$e nothing left +hen he dies. =he tellshim that (oriot too- a+ay his last remaining cutlery that morning after %nastasie

had been. Then he +ent out made u# to loo- li-e a young man. Mme Vauquertells astignac > !age 70

/l a emport ce matin ses derniers couverts, !e ne sais pourquoi( /l s'tait mis en


52/61

!eune homme( ieu me pardonne, !e crois qu'il avait du rouge, il m'a paru

ra!euni(

Dug'ne trembles at the shoc- ne+s. *e finds (oriot conscious and the old manas-s ne+s of his daughter.

Bianchon says (oriot has had a stro-e. They cannot mo$e him from that room. *isefforts on some strange mission that morning had been the final stra+./ !age 71,

/l est sorti vers le matin, il a t 0 pied dans 6aris, on ne sait o.( /l a emport

tout ce quil possdait de vaillant, il a t aire quelque sacr traic pour lequel il

a outrepass ses orces$ 8ne de ses illes est venue(

(oriot e)#lains, %nastasie needed 1000 francs /for her dress for the ball. =he

could not get credit. *e sold his last belongings for "00 francs and made o$er one

year of his yearly income to (obsec-. for 400 francs / for this he had madehimself loo- young.*e has +ild ideas of starting in the grain business again. The t+o students -ee#

+atch by (oriot5s bedside through the night.The ne)t day they gi$e him all the un#leasant medical treatment necessary.

%nastasie did not come herself for the money raised by her father as (oriot hadho#ed she sent a ser$ant instead. (oriot hid his disa##ointment.

Cel#hine sent a note to astignac as-ing +hat he had been doing.Mme de BeausJant has no+ found out that d5%d?uda is lea$ing her. !aris is going

to the ball to see her suffer. > !age 74,

?out 6aris va se porter che% elle, comme le peuple encombre la


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/l vo"ait le monde comme un ocan de boue dans lequel un homme se plongeait

!usquau cou, sil s" trempait le pied( S /l ne s" commet que des crimes

mesquins $ se dit&il( 3autrin est plus grand( /l avait vu les trois grandes

expressions de socit l Ebissance, la Lutte et la Cvolte ; la Damille, le

Monde et 3autrin( t il nosa prendre parti( l Ebissance tait ennu"euse, laCvolte impossible, et la lutte incertaine

*e has thoughts of true $irtue +hich he retained from his u#bringing. *o+e$er he

no longer has the heart to #reach to Cel#hine. *is e)#eriences had already madehim selfish. / !age 7"

CJ?U son Jducation commencJe a$ait #ortJ ses fruits. ourgognese montra suprieure 0 son mal, et domina !usqu'0 son dernier moment le

monde dont elle n'avait accept les vanits que pour les aire servir au triomphe

de sa passion(

6=ome #eo#le thin- that Balzac is o$er im#ressed by noble ran-=he recei$ed her guests quite im#assi$ely. Ahen astignac arri$esG she is relie$ed

as he is the only #erson she can trust. =he as-s him to go and collect her lettersfrom her e) lo$er. Dugene does +hat she requests.

astignac finds d%d?uda sad +ith misgi$ings at his forthcoming marriage and

conscious of his less than honourable conduct to+ards Mme de BeausJant. *egi$es Dug'ne a cas-et of letters. Dug'ne returns to Mme. de BeausJants house and


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she follo+s him to her room. !age

780.Nte M!"!6e "e 7e!'s!nt*s res.e$t %r R!st(4n!$,:e voudrais vous donner un gage de mon amiti( :e penserai souvent 0 vous, qui

m'ave% paru bon et noble, !eune et candide au milieu de ce monde o. ces

qualits sont si rares(

%=T


55/61

F Mon ami, lui dit ugne aprs avoir regarde le vieillard endormi, va,

poursuis la destine modeste a laquelle tu bornes tes dsirs( Moi, !e suis en ener,

et il aut que !" reste( 4uelque mal que l'on te dise du monde, crois&le$ /l n'" a

pas de :uvenal qui puisse en peindre l'horreur, couverte d'or et de pierreries(

astignac5s dee# shoc- at the corru#tion of !aris

They need money for medicine. There is nothing at all in (oriot5s room. Bianchon

has been trying to get the room +arm +hose +alls are running +ith dam#. Dugenethin-s bitterly of the life of his daughters/ !age 784,

/l aisait humide, l'eau dgouttait des murs( # peine ai&!e pu scher la chambre(

2hristophe l'a bala"e, c'est vraiment une curie( :'" ai br-l du genivre, Ka

puait trop(Mon ieu$ dit Castignac, mais ses illes$

Bianchon thin-s (oriot might ha$e a moment of delirium and as-s Dug'ne to

listen to decide medically +hat has ha##ened to his mind in the stro-e.(oriot comes round momentarily and as-s if the girls had a good time at the ball.Bianchon said he had tal-ed about them all night > dancing/ %nastasie5s dress/

calling their names.


56/61

(oriot tal-s of his daughters lo$e for him +hen they +ere little. !age 786our un pre, l'ener c'est d'tre sans enants, et !'ai d!0 ait mon apprentissage

depuis qu'elles sont maries( Mon paradis tait rue de la :ussienne++:e crois

les voir en ce moment telles qu'elles e taient rue de la :ussienne( lles

descendaient le matin( >on!our, papa, disaient&elles( :e les prenais sur mesgenoux, !e leur aisais mille agaceries, des niches( lles me caressaient

gentiment(

*e regrets dying as he +ill not see his daughters again. Their #resence +ould ma-e

him forget his #ain. /!age 788,Mon ieu$ 1i !'avais seulement leurs mains dans les miennes, !e ne sentirais

point mon mal( 2ro"e%&vous qu'elles viennent5

(oriot dozes off and +hen hristo#he returns astignac lets him gi$e his re#ort in

the same room.

hristo#he tells Dug'ne he +ent first to%nastasie5s home and +as told she +as busy.

Ahen hristo#he insisted saying her father+as dying M de estaud came in a $ery bad

tem#er and said it +as the best thing (oriotcould do. The omte de estaud said he had

business +ith %nastasie and she +ould come+hen it +as o$er. %nastasie managed furti$ely

to catch hristo#he as he left to tell him she+as in$ol$ed in something that +as a matter of

life or death for her children. =he #romised tocome to see her father after+ards.

%t Cel#hine5s house her maid told him that she +as still aslee# after coming bac-from the ball at .1a.m.and her maid said she +ould be in trouble if she +o-e her.

astignac e)claims indignantly that neither +ill be coming Knfortunately (oriot+as conscious enough to hear this and sits u# in des#air. /!age 789,

/l aut mourir pour savoir ce que cest que des enants( #h$ Mon ami, ne vous

marie% pas, n'a"e% pas d'enants$ 3ous leur donne% la vie, ils vous donnent la

mort( 3ous les aites entrer dans le monde, ils vous en chassent( 9on, elles ne

viendront pas$ :e sais cela depuis dix ans( :e me le disais quelqueois, mais !e

nosais pas " croire(

*e bitterly says that if he +ere still rich they +ould be loo-ing after him.

*e sees their heartlessness. Ahat he had done +rong +as to lo$e them too much,

/!age 709,


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Ma oi, qui sait5 lles ont toutes les deux des c*urs de roche( :'avais trop

d'amour pour elles pour qu'elles en eussent pour moi(

*e describes ho+ lo$ing they +ere to him and ho+ res#ectful their husbands +erein the first years of marriage +hen he +as still rich. /!age 790,8n homme qui donne huit cent mille rancs 0 ses illes tait un homme 0

soigner( t l'on tait aux petits soins, mais c'tait pour mon argent( Le monde

n'est pas beau( :'ai vu cela, moi$

*e +as in their +ay but he made u# for it because he +as rich. Ahen he sa+ that

he made blunders in com#any that angered his daughters he began to be afraid togo to their houses. (oriot #leads to (od for mercy. /!age 791,R mon ieu$ 6uisque tu connais les misres, les sourances que !ai endures,

puisque tu as compt les coups de poignard que !'ai reKus, dans ce temps qui m'a

vieilli, chang, tu, blanchi, pourquoi me ais&tu donc sourir au!ourd'hui5 :'aibien expi le pch de les trop aimer(

*e began to gi$e his daughters things ?ust so that they +ould come to see him.

@o+ he cries for them to come / Cel#hine abo$e all.*e blames himself for teaching them to tram#le on him. /!age 797,?out est de ma aute, !e les ai habitues 0 me ouler aux pieds( :'aimais cela,

moi( 2a ne regarde personne

*e does not +ant them to be blamed.


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4ui est&ce qui a dit cela 5 rpondit le vieillard stupait( 3ous save% bien que !e

les aime, !e les adore$ :e suis guri si !e les vois(((

(oriot rages inste

pere goriot

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