Post on 07-Nov-2014
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3.0 TASK 2CRITICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
The Piece of String by Guy De Maupassant is the story Maitre Hauchecorne, an
innocent man who dies trying vainly to convince others of his innocence. The
principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty is well established
according to law, but there is another principle Maitre Hauchecorne should have
kept in mind. The other principle is not applicable in law, but it does operate in
the mind of the general populace, and it is in the opinion of the populace that
Maitre Hauchecorne is found guilty.
Maupassant is considered one of the finest short story writer of all time
and a champion of the realist approach to writing. His short stories, noted for
their diversity and quality, are characterized by the clarity of their prose and the
objective irony of their presentation, as well as their keen evocation of the
physical word. To the realist’s ideal of scrupulous diction, Maupassant added an
economy of language and created a narrative style outstanding in its austere
power, simplicity, and vivid sensuousness.
This story also had unfortunate and quite tragic endings. Maitre
Hauchecome's of "The Piece of String" was never able to recover his innocence
and his reputation until he died of agony trying to prove his innocence. The main
characters of the story had ego to feed. Maitre Hauchecome kept on telling
people how innocent he was but nobody believes him. He suffered because of a
missing item which is the missing wallet that was lost by an aristocrat. Maitre
Hauchecome was just accused of taking the wallet by Maitre Malandain. Maitre
Malandain was the root of the accusation against Maitre Hauchecome. For me,
the cause for the whole incident that drove Maitre Hauchecome to death was his
own fault. He tried to hide the fact that he pick up a piece of string from his
enemy Maitre Malandain. His action makes Maitre Malandain think he actually
picks up the missing wallet from the ground and thus makes him the suspect for
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the missing wallet case. This shows that Maupassant’s story is often attentive to
the failings of society, demonstrating that humankind’s inherent instincts do not
always conform to social values. This also shows how Guy de Maupassant that
lived during the era of war view of the society and humanism. Guy de
Maupassant’s clearly shown his view of humanity and society in this short story
and his other pieces.
Besides, biographical criticism theory, this story also can be analyzed
using the mythological (archetypal) criticism theory. This theory that evaluates
the content for instinctual and inmost emotions in human nature which are
influenced by certain events, happenings and character situations are suitable for
this story. The short story, A Piece of String wrote by Guy de Maupassant shows
events and character situations that may influence emotions in human nature.
The clearest evidence shown in this short story is the tragic death of the main
character, Maitre Hauchecome. His death was caused by the depressed feeling
of not been trusted. The people around him still believe that he was guilty for the
crime he did not do. The society even makes fun of him when he continuously
tried to prove his innocence. Because of that, by day and by night he brooded
over it. Obsessed with his grievance, he became desperately ill and died. In the
delirium of his death struggles, he repeatedly murmured, “A piece of string, a
piece of string.” (The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Roslyn, New York: Black’s
Reader Service, n.d., pp. 34–38.)
Regarding to the short stories A Piece of String, I would choose
biographical criticism to talk about as well as suit to the short story themes.
Firstly, Maupassant was born in Normandy, France, in 1850. His father and
mother separated when he was eleven years old, and Maupassant was raised
under the influence of his strong, domineering mother. The young Maupassant
cynical view of marriage seems to have stemmed from these early experiences
and is evident in much of his work. With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
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in 1870, he left his law studies in Paris, which he had begun the prior year, to
enlist in the army. His experiences as a soldier inform some of his finest stories.
After the war, due to financial problems, the author was forced to accept a
position as a clerk in the Naval Office. In 1877 he was diagnosed with syphilis,
for which there was no known cure. In 1878 he accepted a position in the
Ministry of Public Education. Maupassant devoted a great deal of time to writing
during his tenure as a civil servant, writing plays, poetry, and narrative prose.
Gustave Flaubert became his friend and mentor, helping him with his writing and
introducing him to prestigious literary circles. After Flaubert's death, Maupassant
became a regular contributor to Le Gaulois, a respected Paris newspaper, and
eventually wrote for the periodicals Gil Blas and Figaro, often under
pseudonyms. After he left the ministry, his literary output increased dramatically
and he enjoyed much success. The syphilis he had contracted as a young man
led to recurrent problems with his eyesight and eventually to a complete physical
and emotional collapse.
Throughout Maupassant’s lifetime and into the twentieth century, scholars
generally have been united in their favorable assessments of his work. Flaubert,
Leo Tolstoy, and Anatole France all recognized his talent. The critical reception
of stories has focused on several major areas, among them his morality, the
nature of his realism, the influence of Flaubert on his work, and the
autobiographical aspects of his fiction. Recent commentators have noted
Maupassant's influence on other important writers, such as Ernest Hemingway,
Joseph Conrad, and Henry James. Readers have consistently found
Maupassant's stories fascinating, and his works have been widely translated. For
their variety, concision, clarity of prose style, and realistic approach,
Maupassant's short stories have earned him a place among the finest exponents
of the genre.
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