Pierre & Jean
The paradox of fate and free will creates a heart-rending tragedy in Guy de Maupassant's Pierre & Jean. In this simple yet ironic tale, the consequences of a short-lived affair in her youth lead to a terrible discovery by one of her two sons. Jean, a young lawyer, receives a vast inheritance from a a recently deceased friend; however, his brother Pierre receives nothing. As time passes, Pierre slowly unravels the mystery that Jean's benefactor was in reality his alleged father, or rather, Pierre's father. As his mother agonizes over the shame of her long-concealed relationship, Jean continues to wonder over his mother's grief. Ironically, it is Jean who is kind and friendly, and it is Jean who wins the love of a young widow whom both brothers adored. The psychological impact of losing the love of the widow Mm. Rosemilly, as well as a huge fortune, proves devastating for Pierre the intellectual. The family lives along the coast of France,and it is to the ocean that Pierre seeks solace to reflect. As his family celebrates Jean's newfound wealth, Pierre's jealousy steadily transforms into hatred and revenge. His thoughts, revealed through interior monologue, parallel those of Poe's protagonist in "The Telltale Heart." Eventually his mother realizes that Pierre has discovered the truth. At learning of Jean's impending marriage, Pierre angrily divulges the secret, to which his mother mournfully admits. The story suggests a dual tragedy for both Pierre and his mother, who had concealed the agonizing circumstances, a secret that her now-deceased lover had then lost interest in her! Much like the fatalism which forms the basis for several Hardy's novels, the mother must acknowledge her guilt.
Like Tess in Tess of the Durbervilles, Eustacia in The Return of the Native, or even Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge, MMe. Roland must suffer at the hands of fate. Like Hester in The Scarlet Letter, her punishment far exceeds her crime. Like Emma in Flaubert's Madame Bovary, she must accept that the temporary ecstasies of love are fleeting, and paradoxically, all are destined to pursue those brief moments. Maupassant uses coincidences to intensify the conflicts. In essence, Pierre ultimately realizes that he can no longer live under these circumstances and accepts a position as a doctor on an ocean cruiser. The novel ends tragically for all, as Pierre repents by waving to his family as they sadly watch his ship vanish along the horizon, never to return. Ironically, the mother's affair leads to the destruction of her family. She is the life force , or elan, much like the heroines in D. H. Lawrence's novels. Thoughts of fatalism echo throughout the tale. Mme. Roland at one point exclaims, "How horrible life is! If by chance we come across any sweetness in it, we sin in letting ourselves be happy, and we pay dearly for it afterward"(194).
In a sense, separation transcends all misfortunes. Rebecca loved her two sons, but she cherished most her beloved Jacob. For him she risked her life at the hands of Isaac to secure an inheritance for her special one, her prize. For him she cooked the mess of pottage and and placed the skin upon her husband's arms to conceal her child's identity. Sadly, however, her single act of love became the deed that sealed her fate; for as she did so, Jacob was compelled to leave her presence, we are told, forever. Oh, how she must have suffered!
Works Cited
de Maupassant, Guy. Pierre & Jean. New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1902.
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