Analysis Of Honore De Balzac's Pere Goriot

Honore De Balzac’s novel Pere Goriot focuses on Eugene de Rastignac, a young and naive law student, strives to climb to the upper echelon of French society during the Restoration era; meanwhile, Jean-Joachim Goriot, an old retired merchant, tries to appease the growing economic demands of his two daughters while Vautrin, a smooth-talking criminal, attempts to gain great financial compensation through his nefarious plots. All of these characters’ lives intersect as they each attempt to navigate the socially contorted aspects of French culture during the Bourbon Restoration, a time of political and economic corruption. This novel serves as a Bildungsroman as Eugene de Rastignac is taken in by the glamor of Parisian society yet must undergo multiple …show more content…
After being banned by the doorman at Anastasie’s home, partly due to his lack of understanding of social norms in France, Rastignac ultimately realizes that he must become a student of French social customs. Rastignac takes this duty very seriously and inquires for the help of his cousin, Mme. de Beauseant, in order to learn of the French social customs. Rastignac even asks his family for money in order to afford new clothes for social occasion. Although he feels guilty, Rastignac loses all senses of guilt as soon as his new clothes arrive at his doorstop. Rastignac strives to achieve this level of social acceptance in order to become an accepted member of French society, and he is even willing to engage in criminal activity with Vautrin in order to achieve a certain level of respectability. In order to become a respected member of French society, Rastignac takes all the opportunities he can to become more socially accepted member in French society. This includes making himself aware of proper attire that should be worn during different times of the day, engaging in activities with aristocratic women, such as Delphine and Anastasie, and by accepting an apartment from Goriot in a respected French neighborhood. Although Rastignac does not seem completely comfortable …show more content…
By focusing on Rastignac’s change as from a student to an aristocrat focused on wealth and social standing, Balzac successfully captured the changing attitude in France. The lessons that Rastignac learns personify the new industrial culture that France adopted under the rule of the House of Bourbon. Through Pere Goriot, Balzac is able to provide an accurate depiction of France and its culture as it underwent massive social and economic