Maupassant s Gender Role Phenomenon - 2007 Words

Ryan Henry Carol Bove ENGLIT 0625 26 October 2015 Maupassant’s Gender Role Phenomenon Guy De Maupassant, a French writer in the late 1800’s, is considered one of the pioneers of the short story genre. One of the most important themes in Guy De Maupassant’s short stories is how he captures the roles of men and women in late nineteenth century France, and how he incorporates his own personal twist to each gender’s identity. In this essay, I plan to take a look at the gender roles in the film â€Å"Le Plaisir† and how it relates to Maupassant’s personal life. In order to fully understand how Maupassant presents his gender roles, one must first familiarize with his early life and childhood. Maupassant was born in Dieppe, France in 1850. His parents separated when he was only 11, and he moved to Normandy with his mother. He never saw much of his father, who left when the marriage failed. His father was known to frequent brothels and whore houses for comfort. He and his mother were extremely close , and they adored each other. However, this relationship was very unhealthy. She let him do whatever he wanted, at a young age he enjoyed boating and fishing, so he would often took his boat out by himself without any supervision. On top of that, his rejected mother would often share her negative views on men with her young son. Because of the destructive failed marriage his parents suffered through, Maupassant grew to see marriage in a very negative light. They often engaged in fierce