Honore de Balzac, "Father Gorio": a summary and characterization of the characters

In 1834, in the town of Sasha under the town of Tur, O. Balzac finished the dramatic story "Father Gorio". For the convenience of reading the work "Father Gorio", a brief summary of the chapters will be given by us. The first thing the writer did was he introduced us to the main actors. The same will be done by the author of this article.

Characters of the book

Father Gorio is a bourgeois who had an annuity that could live simply, modestly, calmly, not denying himself some simple joys. But he, infinitely loving his two daughters, lost all his money and died, forgotten by them. On his deathbed, he had one dream: to continue helping daughters who did not even come to his funeral.

Eugene Rastignac, Baron, is a poor student of the Academy of Law, who is trying his best to climb higher up the social ladder. And if in the drama "Father Gorio", the brief content of which we will consider, he has not succeeded yet, and he has not yet lost youthful purity, then in subsequent novels it will be shown how luckily and quickly he makes a career, changing before his eyes a cynic And occupying high posts, fabulously enriched.

Vautrin, or Jacques Collin, nicknamed "Deceive Death" - by our standards, a thief in law who holds a thief's cash register. Has an inexplicable frightening charm, he can find a way out of the most difficult situations. After the arrest, he will be invited, we learn from other novels, go to the police. The prototype of it was a real historical personality - Eugene Widock, a criminal who became the chief of police. In the tragedy "Father Gorio", which we summarize below, he patronizes Eugene de Rastignac, having a personal interest in this.

Vicotessa de Bosean is a distant relative of Eugene Rastignac, who helps him enter all the most secular and closed houses in Paris. It is she who invites him to seek success by using women.

The dolphin (Fifina, as it is affectionately called) de Nucingen and the Countess Anastizi (abbreviated to Nazi) de Resto are the two daughters of the unhappy Gorio, who have stone hearts and dance at the ball while their father dies. They are the immediate murderers of their father. Daughters do not get along with each other, envying each other.

So, your attention is invited to a brilliant work, created by Honore de Balzac, - "Father Gorio", the summary of which does not reveal the depth of the drama.

Hostel Madame Voke

Mama Voke is a greedy and malignant old woman who rents out the rooms, giving her guests a miserable breakfast, lunch and dinner. In its dirty and smelly boarding house there are 7 spongers:

1. The second floor: a young mademoiselle Quiz Tiffer, which is guarded by the impoverished Madame Couture.

2. The third floor: an official in retired Poiret and a cynical and sinister Mr. Vautrin.

3. Fourth floor: disgusting old maid Michono, father Gorio and Eugene de Rastignac.

The higher a person lives, the worse his material condition. Mister Gorio, having arrived in the board as a blossoming young man, took a good room, had silverware, invited his hairdresser daily and dressed very smartly. But two years later he became a miserable old man, moved to the 4th floor and began to walk in the cabins. Such a metamorphosis was explained simply by tenants: he is an old debauchee who spends money on two beauties who occasionally visit him. Nobody believed when a confused old man tried to explain that his daughter was visiting him.

This is the exposition that Balzac gave. "Father Gorio" (the summary of the novel is given in this article) will keep the reader in suspense and make them watch the fate of the heroes.

Rastignac in high society

A young handsome student, realizing that, working for wear, he will not break through and will not be able to help his poor family, asks his aunt for a letter of recommendation to the legislator of high society and her relative, the Viscountess de Bosean. This granddaughter, taking Eugene, invites him to his ball, thereby opening for the penniless student all the houses of the Saint Germain suburb. At the ball, Eugène is interested in Countess de Rest and receives an invitation from her to visit her. Upon learning of this, Vautrin publicly says that Papio Gorio just recently paid the countess's bill to the moneylender. From this time on Vautrin began to closely watch Rastignac. Thus, one of the intrigues of the book "Father Gorio" is tied, the brief content of which is unable to convey the growing tension.

Rastignac's failures

Without delaying the visit for a long time, Eugene comes to the house of Countess de Resto. And gets a dose of humiliation. The servants chuckle at the fact that he came on foot. Eugene himself understands that dressed in the evening in an evening suit, he made a mistake. In addition, he prevented the meeting of the Countess and her lover Maxim de Tray. The last "blunder" that Rastignac admits is that he tells at dinner that he lives in the same boardinghouse where Papio Gorio is. He is harshly corrected: not papa, but Mr. Gorio, but this mention of the old man forever closes the door of Eugene for this house. The events of the novel "Father Gorio", the brief content of which we tell, continue to develop at an accelerated pace.

Training in the house of the Viscountess de Bosean

Eugene immediately goes to the house de Bosean. He again came inappropriately. The viscountess is experiencing a collapse of his love. Her lover is going to marry a very wealthy and beautiful girl. This is the whole of Paris, she recognized the latter. Nevertheless, Clara de Bosean reports that the Countess of Resto was a girl named Gorio, and she has a sister, the Baroness de Nucingen, who is not accepted in the best houses, and for the invitation to the viscountess, Dolphin will be more than friendly with the young man.

Defender of Father Gorio

Returning to the guesthouse, Rastignac takes care of Father Gorio. In addition, he writes a letter to his mother and sisters and asks them to collect money for him so that he can adequately appear in the light. Vautrin, however, makes a surprise proposal to the student. A young man must take care of Mademoiselle Tiffer, who now does not have any money, but if her father takes her into the house and declares heiress, she will be one of the most enviable brides of Paris. On the way there is the queen's brother, but he can die in a duel, cynically continues to persuade Vautrin, and gives 2 weeks to think about this plan for Eugene. For himself, Vautrin asks only 200,000 francs to start business in America. It is more and more interesting to follow the fluctuations of Rastignac. The summary of the book "Father Gorio", a narration of events alone, does not give a hundredth part of the pleasure that the reader experiences from the full version of the novel. In the meantime, Rastignac was introduced to Delphine de Nucingen, for which he begins courting. Father Gorio, learning about this, rejoices that the daughter, whose marriage is joyless, will be at least a little happy. The old man is ready to pray for Eugene and buys for him and his daughter an apartment and a room for themselves nearby, so that more often they see an adored child.

Who is Vautrin?

The police have been following him for a long time, but he can not collect evidence that he is an inveterate criminal. Representatives of the police are attracting the old maiden Mishon and suggesting that she put Votrena to sleep. When he is without feelings, she must slap on his shoulder and see the brand on his shoulder. If it is, the police are going to deal with it without trial and investigation. Vautrin the tempter, not knowing about this, continues to try to bring Eugene and Quiz together, which millions are waiting for. And also tells that the queen's brother, who stands between her and the money, is already summoned to a duel. That Rastignac did not interfere with this plan, Vautrin arranges a small drinking party, pouring a sleeping pills into the wine. While Eugene is fast asleep and can not stop the duel, Mademoiselle Quiz becomes the heir to her father, who, having lost his son, takes her to her.

Scandal in boarding house

Suddenly, policemen burst into the boarding house, ready to shoot Vautren at the slightest resistance. But he, having shown superhuman self-control, surrenders to them. However, Vautrin managed to guess and loudly tell everyone who betrayed him: Judas for a handful of gold is the girl Mishono. Vauten is being taken away. All tenants demand from the mistress that she expelled the traitor, otherwise they all will go.

The blows in the bitter fate of Father Gorio

Anastasi, to pay for the debts of a lover, pawns family diamonds. Count de Reste learns about this, buys them out, but presses his wife against the wall, forcing to confess what kind of child in the family is from him. But money for diamonds Nazi was not enough. She runs for money to her father. She needs another 12 thousand. At him, she meets her sister and finds out that for the last money her father bought Fifina an apartment. But she, too, without money - the father started a lawsuit with her husband so she could dispose of her dowry. Daughters in the presence of the father make a scandal over money, and the poor beggar old man faints. They leave, deadly quarreling. But this is not the end of their fall. The work "Father Gorio" (a brief summary of the novel by Balzac, which we consider, unfortunately, can not convey all the details) will show in the finale, which is close, the depth of their heartlessness.

The last ball

Both sisters went to the ball to the viscountess de Bosean. There's the whole Paris. Everyone is interested in how the viscountess will survive the collapse of his love. She, all in white, like a marble statue, behaves majestically and calmly. Sisters dance and do not at all think about the father left. One Eugene de Rastignac can not forget the poor fellow, whom he left in the care of friend-doctor Bianchon. The doctor said that the old man must die. Returning from the ball, Eugene spends all the time at the bed of a dying man and thinks about what money to bury him. He and Bianchon are burying the old man, to whom the daughters did not come and did not give money for the funeral, in the most pitiful way observing the minimal decorum that their meager means allow them. And Rastignac, moving away from the poor grave and looking from the high hill to Paris, firmly decides to compete with him.

There are many sad stories in the world. And one of them is the story of the French genius. The summary of Balzac's Father Gorio's novel about selfless fatherly love and stale daughter hearts is given above. The work touches on timeless themes.

"Father Gorio": a summary, reviews

All readers are somehow admired by the writer's deep penetration into the inner world of his characters. Everyone condemns Gorio for blind love, but also for his daughters for immorality. He received what he himself had brought up, but the old man, of course, is sorry. Many people want to read the "Human Comedy" to find out how Rastignac will develop.