Honore de Balzac is one of the foundersrealism in European literature. Topics touched by the writer are not isolated from everyday realities. His works are quite tough and ruthless, however, as sometimes life itself in relation to people. In the literary masterpieces that come out from under his pen, the characters look natural, alive, they are interested in things that attract each of us. Many of the heroes of his novels - people whose desires are avid, decisions and actions are pragmatic, the main goal is to receive pleasures, and not the lofty thoughts inherent in usually romantic characters.
Honore de Balzac: "Father Gorio"
The history of the creation of the novel is connected with theBalzac's idea of writing a series of stories that were to portray the life of his countrymen. The work was the first in a series of works, then combined into a collection called "The Human Comedy." When did this piece of writing Honore de Balzac? "Father Gorio" was established in 1832, but the publication took place only two years later. During this time, the genius's imagination formed a plan for writing stories that were supposed to show the real life of French society, the aspirations and the charm of the writer's contemporaries. What did Honore de Balzac want to convey to the reader? "Father Gorio" shows a range of ordinary feelings experienced by a person, including impartial ones, such as greed, satisfaction of one's own ambitions through humiliation of others and a pathological desire for a string of endless pleasures.
The summary of the work "Father Gorio"
Events take place in Paris, a city that, according tothe author's opinion, selects all human from people, leaving them only passionate and unquenchable desires. The summary of "Father Gorio" allows you to get acquainted with the main ideas of the work, having spent a minimum of time on it.
The events of the novel take the reader to a small boarding house located on the outskirts of Paris. People living in it are very different, but they are united by one thing - good luck has long ceased to favor them.
Among the guests of the institution there lives an old man whohas a rather bad character. Nobody suspects that in fact he is an impoverished nobleman desperately trying to arrange for his daughters a happy future. His neighbor in the boarding house is Rastignac, the only one who accidentally finds out about it. This discovery completely changes the opinion of the young man about the unhappy old man. The summary of "Father Gorio" contains the quintessence of key events and a description of the characters' works that are important for analysis. There are times when it is necessary to resort to the help of a more concise story, for example, if there is a huge amount of information during the exams. In such situations, the short content of "Father Gorio" will allow in a few seconds to understand the direction of author's thought, as well as the main ideas of the work.
The main characters of the novel
The work has a large number of characters, likemain, and secondary. In this chapter, consider the significant characters of the work of the great Honore de Balzac. Undoubtedly, the short content of "Father Gorio" partially allows the reader to understand and imagine the inner world of the characters of the novel, but in order to make the picture more complete, one should pay attention to the characterization of each hero. What is remarkable about in the work "Father Gorio"? Characters of this literary masterpiece are thought out by the author to the smallest detail, down to habits and memories.
- The protagonist, the so-called father of Gorio,incurable King Lear, who in his madness is quiet and meek. However, he genuinely loves his daughters, who use their unfortunate father solely to receive financial assistance for their amusements.
- Eugene de Rastignac, a student who came fromprovince. In the beginning of the novel he had pure youthful hopes to get education, to benefit his parents, but once he got into the higher world, he completely changed his life priorities and, following the "cream" of the Parisian society, was betrayed by depravity. Over time, he becomes the lover of the second daughter of Gorio - the beauty of the Baroness. Rastignac is the only one who has a little respect and pity for the old man.
- Dolphin de Nucingen is the eldest daughter of Gorio, who is married to a rather wealthy man, but openly betrays him, however, as he does to her.
- Anastasi de Resto is the youngest daughter of the old Gorio, married to the count.
- Vautrin is a neighbor of Goriot and Rastignac in the guesthouse.If you carefully analyze the images of the work, then the duplicity and hypocrisy of many characters of the novel can be traced very clearly. But Votren, although literally the embodiment of world evil in the novel, is at least honest. This is a former convict, a rather dangerous person playing other people's lives. In the work “Father of Goriot”, the characters of which are described very skillfully, this criminal does not seem so bad against the background of greedy and dishonest neighbors whom he frankly despises.
- Vicotessa de Bosean is a relative of Rastignac who introduces the unripened youth into the upper world, thereby pushing him to fall.
- Voke is the proprietress of the boarding house, a widow of fifty.Once a woman wanted to marry Gorio, but was rejected. After that, she became hostile to the protagonist. Her scorn increased when signs of his apparent ruin became visible.
Characteristics of Father Gorio
The protagonist embodies the all-consumingfatherly love, which completely deprives him of the opportunity to analyze what is happening between him and his daughters. Undoubtedly, it was he who caused the daughters to grow up like this. His reckless love led to such a tragic ending. The author emphasizes that the beautiful feeling that gives people joy and happiness, yet must be subordinated to reason.
Love is a terrible weapon that cankill, because that's exactly what happened in the novel. The fatherly feeling, not knowing the measure, killed all human in the daughters of the main character. Characteristic father Goriot can not do without a critical look at this character. Professionals, who subsequently analyzed the novel, reproached the author precisely for the fact of reckless love, insisting that it was an unnatural, pathological feeling, which rather resembled insanity.
Essay analysis
What can the reader learn in the novel"Father of Goriot"? Analysis of this work allows you to review family relationships. On the one hand, a loving father who cannot boast a brilliant education or belonging to an ancient aristocratic family, however, personifies the ideal of parental love. On the other hand, the daughters of the main character, who, as soon as their father successfully married them, hurriedly turned away from him. At the end of the novel, the main character dies, but in fact he was still dead at the beginning of the story, because he gave himself up to his own children without a trace. The finale of the work is tragic and psychologically difficult: lying on his deathbed, Goriot does not curse his daughters, on the contrary, he forgives them and blesses them. Understanding the immense pragmatism of his children, he cannot blame them, even more so - he justifies their actions. What happened to the children of this unfortunate man? Is the father to blame for spoiling them? After his death, this fact becomes obvious. Unfortunately, Honore de Balzac is forced to admit that true love is not honored in Paris - it was replaced with something completely different. As the author of the novel notes with the mouth of one heroine - the whole life of Parisians is built on titles and money, sincerity here is not considered a virtue, but rather, in a bad form or even a vice.
The problems revealed in the novel
This essay is striking in its versatility:It would seem that in the foreground there is an eternal conflict between generations, but this is only the upper layer of all that Balzac wanted to say. What problems did the author of the novel Father of Gorio want to highlight? The issues revealed in the work affect relationships not only in the family, but also in society. It is necessary to understand that the French society of that time was rather heterogeneous, and the gap between different groups is so great that a transition from one social stratum to another was not possible. Including on this problem the author tries to focus attention.
Image of Rastignac
The image of Rastignac in the novel "Father Goriot" is veryit is indicative because it combines not only positive, but also negative qualities, that is, the reader can trace the changes that have occurred in the young man’s worldview during the whole novel. At the beginning of the work, he appears as an enthusiastic youngster who recently left his parental home, but since his move to Paris, significant changes have taken place with him. Of course, there was a period when, in contact with the real life of the Parisians, Rastignac categorically condemned it. However, by the end of the work significant metamorphosis occurs with it. This is manifested most clearly when the young man comes up with the idea to kill the husband of his mistress.
Quotations
What attracts readers in the novel "Father of Goriot"? The quotes taken from the work became real aphorisms, since they are filled with wise meaning and overt life realities:
- "Venality has become a weapon of mediocrity, and its edge is felt everywhere."
- "From here I see what kind of muzzle these holy women will have if God takes and abolishes the Last Judgment."
- "There is no greater pleasure for women than to listen to the murmur of tender words."
Value of the novel
The work of Honore de Balzac "Father Gorio"made a huge contribution to world literature, adding to its treasury a worthy novel. For the first time, the reader had the opportunity to encounter a work that so vividly and realistically conveys the atmosphere of everyday life. The virtue of realism is that it does not eliminate or smooth out the dark sides of human nature, but helps to take a fresh look at society, rethink priorities and reflect on perspectives.
