Paste your essay in here..Guy de Maupassant was one of the utmost recognizable French storywriters who influenced many in his time. Maupassant’s work was distinguishable for his realism in reflecting the French social classes in the 18th century. His mother who was a role model to his works, inspired Guy’s short stories and novels. Although his writing had a dark twisted morbid view, Guy’s illustration showed struggles in his time, societal awareness, as well a distinctive point view of how unjust lives were to those in different social standings. Maupassant’s works such as the “The Necklace,” “The Beggar,” and “Two Friends” were inspired by his awareness of unjust economic societal issues of the late 1800s. To understand what influenced Maupassant’s philosophy behind his writings, a background of this artist personal history and an understanding of his short stories should be address.
Over the years many have tried to grasp an understanding of several of the short stories and novels Maupassant has written. To completely comprehend his works, a look at Maupassant’s past and influences can help decipher his stories better. Guy de Maupassant was born August 6, 1850 on Normandy coast of France to his mother Laure Le Poittevin and father Gustave de Maupassant (Bloom). Coming from a failed marriage home, Guy learned to grow up without a father influence in his life. Guy’s mother an independent, ambitious woman who stake her public appearance and separated from her husband took sole custody of Guy (Dumesnil and Turnell). At a young age, Guy had potential of being a great writer, although his education was postponed due to France declaring war to Germany, in which he was called up to served in the French army (Bloom). After the war, Guy returned to civilian life, he thereafter worked at the Ministry’s Department for the Colonies due to his fathers’ connection (Bloom). Maupassant mother was an influential woman who supported Guy and led the road to his career as a writer and encouraged him to study under an old friend of hers, Gustave Flaubert, to help further Guy literary potentials (Dumesnil and Turnell). Shortly after the death of his apprenticeship with famous novelist Gustave Flaubert, Guy pursued his writing more and found liking to a dark, realistic, conflict driven genre in which he’s known for.
As a writer there are several components that are essential into bringing a story to life. Guy stories combines interesting elements to his characters by creating conflicts, and different obstacles that will affect the characters’ lives. Conflict in a story connects the readers to all parts of the story whether internally or external, a conflict has a tendency of expressing a character and the progression of the story. Guy has a way of bringing his stories to life by evoking emotions to his readers, suspenseful situations in his writings has a tendency of representing things in a realistic manner which hooks the readers into the story. Guy de Maupassant “The Beggar,” is a perfect example of realistic conflict, people dealing with poverty and trying to survive during his time. In short, The Beggar is a story of Bell a homeless crippled man who dealt with struggles of life, he roams around villages for years begging and asking for food from the French villagers. Before long the villagers found Bell as a nuisance and grew tired of him. Unwilling to help this beggar, the villagers stopped offering aid to him, and Bell found himself in a predicament of needing food to survive. Hungry, fragile, and desperate Bell was, he saw hens and in hopes to kill one of them to finally be able to consume food. Not realizing that his act was that of theft, Bell tries to kill the hen but before that could happen farmers attacked and beat Bell until the police arrived. Unable to speak, walk and famished Bell was taken by the police and thrown in a jail cell, days after he was found dead. Maupassant set a great example of how society was to those who didn’t have much. Though the story of The Beggar had a sad ending, a common conflict man vs. society which tied to those of lower social class during that era showed how people use to have to beg daily and is constantly looked down upon in the French social class.
Maupassant’s stories can be place during the Franco-Prussian war, his stories has a way of showing how the war affect different social classes of that time but also a representation of his personal life experiences. The next story Two Friends is a descriptive story that represented the effect that war and politics had on people around that time. In brief Two Friends is about two friends Monsieur Morissot and Monsieur Sauvage who are living in a time of war and wanted to escape war and relive the peaceful moments they use to have by going fishing. Due to the war they haven’t had the opportunity to fish like they used to, one nice day both man met up for drinks and decided to go their old fishing spot with permission from the Colonel since their fishing spot was considered dangerous territory. Together the men met up by the water and started fishing soon after the men could hear shots fired which they agreed during their discussion that “they would never be free”, (American literature). Soon after the man found themselves surrounded by soldiers who suspected them as spies and demanded that they tell them the password that would allowed the soldiers into their territory. To no avail, the officers couldn’t get the password out of the man so they executed them and tied their bodies up to be thrown in the water with the fishes. This is a great example of conflict man vs. self whereas these two friends knew that they would die but struggled with themselves to assist these soldiers. Maupassant wanted to show realism in his writing by providing descriptive historical details of how unjust war was to the lower class. Guy also showed that even in time of war and turmoil there are still loyal, courageous, people that try to make the best out of what’s happening around them although in two friends case, sometimes things don’t turn out well.
The next story, The Necklace in comparison to the last two stories mentioned, shows a different viewpoint of life in a fairly higher social class. The Necklace is a story of a woman Matilde Loisel, who was envious of an upper-class world even though she lived a fairly comfortable life with her husband. Matilde was invited to a party, and wanted to live like a noble woman so she borrowed an expensive necklace from a friend, but loses it during the party. She and her husband prideful people, feared of being branded thieves took out many loans to be able to repurchase a new one. After many years of working to pay the loans back, she met her friend again who explained to Matilde that the necklace that was lost wasn’t an authentic necklace like the one that was replaced. This story set a perfect example of how internal struggle happens even in an upper social class. Maupassant’s showed how Matilde struggle was that of her wanting a better life and not being part of the rich class, caused her internal anguish. Although represented in exaggerated manner, Matilde who wanted to be represented in a richer more refined way is something that most people sought after even if they had to put on a front.
Guy de Maupassant has a way of creating relatable characters no matter which genre his writing falls under. With countless works of his that dealt with relevant societal issues concerning the depiction of the inequitable lives regarding his fellow countrymen, Maupassant sought to depict an experience to his readers that is not only common but also authentic when he compares both the lower and upper social classes. Maupassant’s melancholic views tell stories of the struggles of individuals during his time; his stories showed his social awareness and that different social viewpoint could relate to each other’s struggles. Maupassant’s writing shows the issues that people go through such as death, suffering, man vs., but still closely relates to his concept of realism in his writing. Maupassant’s writing has a way of examining social justice and societal inequality that occurred during his era, despite the fact that his characters tend to have unpredictable endings. What can be taken from Maupassant works is that no matter what era you’re in the context behind his stories is something that nowadays you can connect with and learn from.