Balzac's Father Goriot: A Study of Paternal Suffering

Extract

[...] His daughters abandon him, revealing the breakdown of family values in the 19th century. The novel represents both the decline of the family and the moral corruption and emotional decline linked to a materialistic society. Father Goriot is a sacrificial figure, a father blinded by excessive and non-reciprocal love. Goriot's failure is revealed through the consequences of an education that was too indulgent, which made his daughters into women who profit from it. Too spoiled, raised in care and affection. According to Goriot, money creates an inevitable abyss between poverty and prosperity. [...]

[...] But they ignore that, in order to enjoy these warm moments with his daughters, he had to deprive himself of his belongings in order to satisfy them. Balzac depicts a deeply realistic scene and sketches the portrait of characters attached to money. He shows a society where relationships are based on gain and interest. The metaphor 'They both have hearts of stone' designates the absolute insensitivity of the daughters, indifferent to their father's suffering. This image also reflects the sensitivity of Goriot, whose pain collides with the hardness of his own children. [...]

[...] The narrator uses a precise vocabulary that translates both the Father Goriot's disappointment and the rejection he suffers. This reality is expressed through his thoughtful attitude when he evokes his memories, comparing his past life to his current state. This comparison highlights the superficiality and indifference of his daughters, who are only attached to material profit. Structuralist/Critical Stylistic Critique: In this excerpt, the rhythm of the sentences is slow, thanks to the long propositions separated by commas. This rhythm reflects the sincerity of the character and highlights the annoying tone of the passage, which is organized around a precise and conditional description. [...]

[...] In «Father Goriot», Balzac sketched the portrait of several characters: Goriot, his two daughters and their husbands, all marked by intrigue and moral decomposition. Father Goriot undergoes a constant fluctuation of feelings: his love remains unilateral and devoted. Feeling worn out, abandoned and dispossessed, he sinks into a vision almost nightmarish, wrapped in a naive and shadowy existence. Thus, through these characters, Balzac takes up the themes of 19th-century society.19th century, where beings are determined by external forces, but where imagination and reflection remain possible. Father Goriot and Julie, two characters illustrate two authentic paragons of society from this era. [...]

[...] This verb tense may also indicate the end of a one-sided love, as if Goriot finally became aware of the destructive nature of his devotion. This monologue marks a stage of lucidity: he understands the lesson after having been deprived not only of his fortune, but also of his daughters' affection. The comparison 'he must keep his children on a tight rein like sly horses' shows that, according to Goriot, education should pass through several stages: controlling, closely monitoring, and limiting freedom. [...]