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Duchoux by Guy de Maupassant
MAIN SUMMARY
Duchoux by Guy de Maupassant
This story, "Duchoux,” has been written by a French writer, Guy De Maupassant. This story is about rural living styles and urban as well as civilised living styles.
The story has class and culture as its main themes. This story has proved how modern civilization has alienated man from the relationship between blood, true self, and nature.
The title ‘Duchoux’ is the name of a man who lives in a village with his wife and two sons. His family’s living style is so simple. They believe in doing hard work. They are less educated and have a bit of knowledge about modern lifestyles. Their casuals are too dirty. Duchoux wears loosened trousers most of the time. His clothes are ragged.
Actually, he is the illegitimate son of a sophisticated and modernised man called Baron Mordiane. Baron is quite a proud man. He has been living a sophisticated life for many years in town. His life is lonely and unhealthy. When Baron was young, he had a private affair with a girl. Baron didn’t marry her. She gave birth to Duchoux. After a few years, she died of TB. Later on, Duchoux was brought up and educated by Baron secretly in a village.
Baron likes a civilised and modernised life too much. He is a self-centred person with all the comforts of the high-standard life of the city. He is proud of his prestige and sophisticated life. He goes to a casino for gambling. He shows his rude behaviour there and thinks of himself as an important person in the city.
Baron has a great desire to see his son and daughter-in-law, including two grandsons. He wants to play and kiss his grandsons. He wants to introduce them. He has expected that his son’s family is well-mannered, clean, prestigious, modern, cultured, and so on. But when he meets their family, he starts hating all of them. His expectations shatter when he sees their dirty living style. He has expected to be warmly welcomed by his son and daughter-in-law, but his longings disappear when he meets them. He finds his son too dirty, who has worn out tattered trousers with muddy shoes. His trousers' sleeves are rolled up. He even hates his accent (metallic with a southern accent). The body of Duchoux is full of a garlic smell, which isn’t tolerable for Baron.
The condition of the daughter-in-law is also the same. His daughter-in-law is young but too dirty. She is untidy and uncombed. Her hands are rough. His grandsons are even too dirty. All of them stink much with the garlic smell. After seeing the worse condition of his son’s family, Baron’s all desires for love disappear. He hides his real identity and stays back with them. He introduces himself as Mr. Merlic, who has come there to buy some building lands. He fears that his real identity will be disclosed.
The story has proved that the relationship doesn’t even have any value in the name of living style. Modern civilization has led man towards selfishness, indifference, foolishness, rudeness, ambition, pride, and comforts. The way of living standards has created a kind of gap between the people of blood relations.
CENTRAL IDEA
Duchoux by Guy de Maupassant
Duchoux is the central character, who lives a rural life with his wife and children. They are simple, untidy, straight, hard-working, and so on. Duchoux doesn't know the name of his real father. His father is Baron Mordiane, who lives a sophisticated but lonely life in the city. Duchoux was born from the love affair of Baron with a girl when he was young. After a few years, the mother dies of TB, and the son is brought up and educated by Baron secretly. The son has now gotten married and has had two sons. Baron Mordiane's activities, feelings, expressions, and nature present the central idea of this story. He is self-centred and proud. He is proud of his sophisticated city life, his prestige, his comforts, and so on. He is involved in gambling and other luxurious activities. He has a longing to see his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandsons. He thinks that they are clean, prestigious, sophisticated, fashionable, and modern. But when he finds that they are rough villagers, uncivilised, dirty, ordinary, farmworkers, and so on, he hates them. He forgets his relationship with his son just for his prestige, social status, and so-called modern urban civilization. Baron hates his son and grandsons because they are dirty and ordinary, and they smell garlic. He finds that his daughter-in-law is just 25, but she looks dirty and old. Baron hates not only his son but also the rural style of living. He hides his identity and escapes from his blood. This story proves that modern civilization has alienated man from his true self or nature.
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