How Does Botsteaux Become A Good Man

In 1789, during the reign of King Louis XVI, the French revolted against the monarchy and the systematic way society had been run until this point. The third order could no longer tolerate the neglect from the first and second orders and acted out to change the way the orders were represented. This was the first act in the chain of events leading up to the revolution in France in which the people sought radical change from the society they had known. The revolutionaries planned for a new France and a new citizen to live within it, and had many goals in their new order. This new life would be a drastic change from the old regime they had lived under and would be widely accepted by the people, or so the revolutionaries desired it to be. Revolutionaries …show more content…
Anatole is Brotteuax in the story and we see through him Anatole’s complaints with the plans of the revolution and the ideals that back it. Brotteaux is a good man, but can be a selfish one, and this doesn’t work in the new order as all who lack selflessness lack virtue, and many are put to death. Not fitting in at times with the virtuous man the revolution calls for, we see he doesn’t agree with the creation of a new man to live in the new order as this only oppresses and silences all who disagree. Brotteaux supports the idea of the revolution, though not all the radical actions that they take. Anatole criticizes the revolutionaries in their mass killings and attempt to mold society into the perfect nation they dream it to be. In Anatole’s opinion, the new order is very much like the old regime. The revolutionaries originally wanted France to be a better nation for its people and they created laws to govern its people equally, but then the rights and decrees granted by the new government were disbanded as radicals lost sight of the revolution’s original intentions. Anatole thinks thus revoking rights has brought the revolution full circle to the old regime they were trying to escape in trying to create a new France so drastically different and better than the old one. He agreed a revolution was necessary, but he did not agree with the new human being to live in the new order as it oppressed the people and was a repeat of the old regime. He also thought the revolution should not have caused the people to fear their new order as much as or more than they feared the old one. In his opinion, the revolutionaries had good intentions and their new way of living could be successful, but that they executed it poorly and that was harmful to the nation. Anatole thought the