Balzac's Character Presentation in The Skin of Chagrin
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Honoré de Balzac, The Skin of Chagrin, Raphaël de Valentin, character presentation, French Literature, 19th century novel, literary analysis
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Abstract
Analysis of Balzac's portrayal of Raphaël de Valentin in The Skin of Chagrin, exploring how the author presents his main character to gain reader adherence.
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[...] For Balzac, human life is endowed with a capital of energy that is consumed by desire and will. B - THE RECOGNITION OF PLAYERS « 7 Like, when a famous criminal arrives at the prison, the convicts greet him with respect, so all these human demons, experts in torture, saluted an unprecedented pain, a deep wound that their gaze probed, and recognized one of their princes in the majesty of his mute irony, in the elegant misery of his clothes. [...]
[...] The face is the mirror of the soul. The 'resignation' corresponds to the end of the struggle of this desperate character who no longer expects anything from life. « who was painful to watch': the other players are spectators who see the entrance of a tragic character who arouses pity. II - THREE HYPOTHESES « 3 Some secret genius sparkled in the depths of his eyes, veiled perhaps by the fatigue of pleasure. « Some secret genius sparkled in the depths of his eyes': that's an exceptional being. [...]
[...] We will see that Raphaël is also representative of the youth of his time. Three moments can be distinguished: I A sickly and mysterious face II Three hypotheses III A metamorphosis. I - A SICKLY AND MYSTERIOUS FACE « 1 At first glance, the players read on the face of the novice some horrible mystery: his young features were imbued with a nebulous grace, his gaze testified to the betrayed efforts, a thousand deceived hopes It seems that we are in internal focalization (collective): the young man is seen through the eyes of the players who read him openly. [...]
[...] « 4 Was it debauchery that marked this noble figure, once pure and burning, now degraded, with its foul stamp? The « debauchery is presented as an active force with the metaphor : « marked with its foul stamp : it leaves a mark, stamps the young man with the seal of infamy. It is allegorized. The idea of moral degradation is reinforced by the adjective 'foul' The question is rhetorical. The elements of the narrative suggest the life of Raphael but without explicitly stating it. [...]
[...] La comparaison produces a dramatization effect. The gaming room becomes a prison and, above all, a hell: one falls (slightly) into the fantastic. It is above all an image of the society that ruins individuals. There is an aristocracy of damnation: Raphael, decidedly being an exception, is at the top, he is 'one of their princes'. The 'mute irony': Raphael places himself above the others by his silence. This is the attitude of the dandy3 romantic who does not complain. [...]
