Examining The Novel Eugenie Grandet English Literature Essay
Honore de Balzacs ‘ novel Eugenie Grandet is an accurate contemplation of the clip period it is set within. In this book adult females are oppressed about to the fullest extent possible, even adult females and misss of the highest societal position, such as the immature Eugenie and her female parent Madame Grandet. Womans are treated as the weaker sex ; being wholly and absolutely dominated by the male characters such as Monsieur Grandet himself ( Felix. ) The female characters in this Balzac authoritative live such laden lives, that being submissive to the work forces in their lives has now become a portion of their nature. It is said that, ‘none are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free ‘ . In other words the female characters in this novel are so overpowered by the work forces in their lives that they are no longer witting of it, so they can ne’er be free.
It can be said that Eugenie loves her male parent dearly, even though he is the exclusive oppressor in her life. Possibly it can be said that she loves him merely from a daughterly position and nil more. Eugenie ‘s love for her male parent seems to be of a superficial nature, as it would look ; Eugenies ‘ love for Felix is no more than a mere mix of fright and regard, which is unwillingly forced from her and expected from her at some degree. Besides coming from a privileged background, there truly seems to be no upside to hapless Eugenie ‘s suffering life. Her primary suers for matrimony seem to merely be interested in her because of her wealth, position, and most significantly her connexion to Monsieur Grandet himself. However, if there was of all time an top to immature Eugenie ‘s state of affairs, it would be the already strong bond between Eugenie and her female parent being continually strengthened as they are both victims of Grandets ‘ subjugation. As they both face the same oppressive state of affairs together, they feel one another ‘s silenced strivings and emotional injury deep down indoors. As a consequence they are both drawn together to confide within, and back up one another.
Eugenie found it impossible to avoid her destiny, being born into a barbarous rhythm of male domination and hoggishness. Eugenie ‘s lone opportunity to get away her life-time of subjugation and submissiveness prevarications within her realisation ; If Eugenie were to recognize the true significance of equality ( between sexes ) she would be closer to freedom, and get awaying her merciless being.
Subjects of brilliant male domination are extremely consistent through out the narrative ; and are absolutely illustrated near the terminal when Eugenie continues to populate in the mean mode she was raised in. Father Grandet had such a strangle-hold on Eugenie ‘s ‘ life that she continued to follow his in his footfalls and abide by his instructions even after he was dead. Alternatively of leting herself to be free for the first clip in her life, she felt obligated to populate by the old misers ‘ words even though he could no longer acquire to her. Possibly this is because she had grown excessively accustomed to her unhappy life style to alter it now, or possibly it was the heartbreaking intelligence of Charles ‘ battle to another adult female that left her with a dead-feeling on the interior and asleep to everything in life.
Eugenie was a true victim and perfect illustration of an laden female of her clip, sing she was raised in a mode that allowed her to be susceptible and predisposed to the ill-treatment she received. Having lived a life of being shielded from the inevitable adversities of life she was naive to the universe outside her front doors. She had lived all her life sheltered by her parents, and secluded to the confines of the house which she would seldom go forth, and when she did it was merely to go to church service. As destiny would hold it, she finally did fall victim to the outside universe, as represented by Charles ‘ new lover and his breakage of their battle and promised programs for the hereafter.
Eugenie decidedly became a merchandise of her environment ; as she was nurtured to be as docile, and obedient as can be. This can be seen really clearly when she looks back at Grandet for his permission when accepting a birthday nowadays from her invitee. This really same construct is seen one time once more when Eugenie prepares a particular breakfast for her secret infatuation Charles. She is enraptured with emotions and fearful at the same clip trusting that Charles will be able to bask her repast before her male parent comes place because, she knows that Grandet himself would disapprove of this gesture and would hold it ‘excessive. ‘ Grandets ‘ subjugation extends beyond Eugenie to Madame Grandet every bit good, and can be seen when she tells Eugenie that she will presume full duty for everything, should Monsieur Grandet return place early. They have become so laden that they have come to accept whatever function Grandet imposes on them, they have ne’er felt as though they have a right to determine and direct their lives, they are invariably oppugning whether Grandet will O.K. of their actions, no affair how large or little.
As affluent and privileged as Eugenie was, she was limited to the life of a pauper, populating in a really ill maintained house. The hapless status of the house and her agonizingly cheerless life style can be said to be brooding of the manner she genuinely feels on the interior about her life in general. It is likely that from the minute she was born, Eugenie was forced to accept her male parents every title and every word to be righteous. It is besides really likely that Eugenie is more filled with the sentiments of fright and bullying towards her male parent than she is loving to him. Throughout the novel, Monsieur Grandets ‘ character was portrayed as a tight-fisted cheeseparing miser who had the best of purposes for his lone girl nevertheless ; this really concrete image may hold been skewed when, he so cutely scammed Eugenie into subscribing over her portion of belongings ( which was inherited after her female parent ‘s ill-timed decease. ) Eugenie thinks her male parent is wholly trusty and ever has her best involvements at bosom, as consequence she blindly obeys his every directive. Out of fright, she is ne’er able to oppugn his authorization or her ain passivity.
The fresh Eugenie Grandet is an accurate contemplation of its clip period which reveals that, Balzac may hold been a author in front of his clip in seeking to do his readers realize the desperate effects of subjugation and inequality between sexes.
It would be just to state that being surrounded by decease and subjugation all her life may hold left her with a deeply deep feeling of dissatisfaction ; a feeling as though life was no longer deserving life. It may merely hold been excessively late for Eugenie to happen out what it would be like to populate a life of felicity and joyfulness ; a life that would convey enormous feelings of ego worth to her. Here, Balzac brings a awfully sad sense of sarcasm to the narrative, sing that Eugenie would ne’er hold to work a twenty-four hours in her life to back up herself. The possibilities are now endless in Eugenie ‘s life due to her huge amounts of money and fiscal assets. With no 1 left in her life to suppress her, or state her how to populate or act, allows Eugenie the rare opportunity to populate a fulfilling life in whatever mode she chooses. Unfortunately her experiences in life ( particularly with work forces ) have left her distrusting of everyone and about resentful of life itself. It seems that the lone individual she trusts is her faithful servant Big Nanon who loves her dearly. Balzac shows his readers that it is possible to populate a horribly dejecting life filled with calamity even if you are at the top of the status/ category pyramid.
