Honore de Balzac’s ending to Peré Goriot is astonishingly effective as it confirms that moving up the social ladder takes priority over all other aspects of life. The author’s effectiveness with this theme is furthered through the use of motifs and descriptive language with the purpose of aiding the readers development as to what the conflict is, why it is inescapable, and how it affects the character’s lives.
The first chapter establishes a motif in the form of a metaphor that is the root of the conflict throughout the reading, as Balzac describes a character who “seemed to have been one of those donkeys who help grind our great social mill, one of the underlings who never see their masters, some cogwheel on which public misfortune or disgrace depends” (Balzac 15) outlining the vast distinction of the lower class from the upper class, but yet how “we couldn’t manage without them.” (15). This is effective as it establishes the idea that higher society “grinds” the lower class, therefore enhancing the reader 's understanding of the setting by outlining the society that exists in Paris during the the 19th century. Not only is this metaphor true in society, but …show more content…
Balzac also explores poverty, which for the lower class “death seemed to them merely the solution” (19). It is through the idea that death is the only escape from lower class (poverty), that the reader is able establish a sense for the great deal of depression the characters experience, justifying why the characters have a motive for moving up in social class. This is true for Eugène de Rastignac
The first chapter establishes a motif in the form of a metaphor that is the root of the conflict throughout the reading, as Balzac describes a character who “seemed to have been one of those donkeys who help grind our great social mill, one of the underlings who never see their masters, some cogwheel on which public misfortune or disgrace depends” (Balzac 15) outlining the vast distinction of the lower class from the upper class, but yet how “we couldn’t manage without them.” (15). This is effective as it establishes the idea that higher society “grinds” the lower class, therefore enhancing the reader 's understanding of the setting by outlining the society that exists in Paris during the the 19th century. Not only is this metaphor true in society, but …show more content…
Balzac also explores poverty, which for the lower class “death seemed to them merely the solution” (19). It is through the idea that death is the only escape from lower class (poverty), that the reader is able establish a sense for the great deal of depression the characters experience, justifying why the characters have a motive for moving up in social class. This is true for Eugène de Rastignac