(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Christening by Guy de Maupassant


            In Guy de Maupassant's short story, "The Christening, " we are given an intriguing account of the deadly nature of alcohol, which is referred to as "the seductive murderer and the delightful destroyer, " by the old ship's surgeon. After taking a sip from freshly poured drink, he recounts a disturbing event where he witnesses a "tragedy caused by alcohol, " in the village of Brittany. The people of Brittany have fallen victim to the "seductive " nature of "the drink, "--consumption past the point of intoxication. In telling his story, the doctor warns of how alcohol can poison the minds of those who are not wise enough to understand the dangers of "the drink. ".
             At the beginning of the story the doctor describes a past event where he saw a foreigners, described as a "tribe of savages, " exposed to alcohol by a "red-bearded English seamen, "--a probable reference to the early Viking seafarers. The alcohol was described as being "calmly unloaded " from the ships of the "English seamen "--as to infer that they had some understanding, respect, and control over the dangerous nature of alcohol. The "tribe of savages " is further identified, and perhaps even denigrated, when the doctor calls them a "little kingdom of negroes. " Shortly after being exposed to this new and foreign drink, these "savages, " all mysteriously perish from their abuse of alcohol. From this early passage the doctor perceives the tribal people as being more primitive than their Viking counterparts.
             The doctor uses the "savages " of the first story to segway into an even more disturbing tale about a village, in the town of Brittany, where alcohol had similarly exacted a heavy toll, as he describes the disturbing absence of adult aged men. He attributes their deaths a result of their "weary and drunk " behavior, as they often fell victim to the sea. One day the doctor is asked by his servant Kerandec, who was also his gardener, to be the godparent of his newly born child.


Essays Related to The Christening by Guy de Maupassant


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question