Old man Gao

Old man Gao

Old man Gao is a novel written by Balzac, a French writer. It was written in 1834.

The story is about the protagonist, old man Gao, a flour merchant who started in the French Revolution. He lost his wife in middle age. He devoted all his love to his two daughters. In order to make them into the upper class, he gave them good education since childhood, and gave each of them 800000 francs as a dowry when he got married. But his two daughters lived a loose life and spent money like dirt, so his love was easily forgotten The principle of money first prevailed.

This work has representative significance in showing the breadth and depth of social life, reflecting the progress and limitations of the writer's world outlook, and showing the artistic achievements and shortcomings of human comedy. His artistic style is one of the most representative works of Balzac.

content validity

In the winter of 1819, an old woman, whose husband's family name is fugai, and her mother's family name is gongfuling, opened an apartment in Paris for 40 years, which is also inclusive of food. It is located in the St. Germain reformatory street between the Latin district and the city pass of St. Marceau. This hostel, known as the fugai family, is open to all men, women, old and young. There are all kinds of people living here: rastiner, a poor college student; gaulio, a flour merchant who went out of business; Voltaire, whose nickname is "ghost deceived"; miss tayfan, who was driven out of the house by a big banker; missuno, a skinny spinster, and so on. Every time we have dinner, the dining room of the inn is very busy, because we can make fun of old man Gao together.

Old Gao, 69, ended his business 1813 years ago and moved to the Fu Gai apartment. At that time, he lived in the best room on the second floor and paid 1200 francs a year for board and lodging. He was well dressed and asked a barber to comb his hair every day. Even his snuff box was gold. He was the most respectable tenant in the apartment. People called him Mr. gorio. The widow's wife also scrawled at him and wanted to remarry to him and become a rich wife in the area.

Old man Gao put all his love on his two married daughters and was not tempted by Mrs. vogue. At the end of the second year, old Gao asked for a second-class room, and there was no fire in the room for heating all winter, and the cost of accommodation was reduced to 900 francs. People regard him as "the most mysterious figure produced by vices, shamelessness and incompetence". He was often approached by two noble couples who thought he had an affair. Old man Gao told everyone that they were his daughters: the countess Lester and the banker Mrs. newzingen. In the third year, old man Gao asked to change to the lowest room, and the monthly room price was reduced to 45 francs. He gave up snuff and sent the barber. The diamond, the gold cigarette box, the gold chain and other accessories disappeared, and he became thinner and thinner. He looked like a wretch. Mrs. vogue also thought that if old man Gao had such a rich daughter, he would never live in the lowest room on the fourth floor.

However, the mystery of old man Gao was finally solved by rastiner. Rastiner was a young man who came to Paris from other places to study at university. He was born in a poor aristocratic family, with white skin, black hair, blue eyes, enthusiasm and talent. He wanted to be an honest and upright judge. But the stimulation of the luxurious life in Paris strengthened his "desire for power and position and his desire to get ahead". He thinks that it is too hard and too far to make progress by his hard work, and it is not necessarily feasible. In reality, it is much easier to rely on a few rich women as the ladder to make progress, so he wants to "conquer a few women who can be his backstage.". As a result of his aunt's introduction, he got to know his distant cousin, viscount boussin, who was of great social status in Paris. Rastiner told the lodgers of Vogue's apartment that he had met the countess at the ball. Old man Gao asked excitedly, "was Mrs. Lester very beautiful last night?" The landlady of the apartment decided that old man Gao must have made those women poor. Rastiner wanted to find out the relationship between old man Gao and the countess, so he decided to go to the countess Lester's house. At the countess's house, his humble appearance caused the servant's contempt; then he rushed into a bathroom and made a fool of himself; then he mentioned living with old man Gao, which caused the countess and his wife's displeasure and drove him out. Rastiner was very upset and had to go to his cousin for advice. Mrs. baucylon told him that Mrs. Lester was gorio's daughter.

He lost his wife in middle age. He devoted all his love to his two daughters. In order to get them into the upper class, she gave them good education when she was young. When she got married, she gave each of them 800000 francs as a dowry. Her eldest daughter married count Lester and became a lady. Her younger daughter married the banker newqingen and became a rich wife of the financial bourgeoisie. He thought that if his daughter married a decent family, he would be respected and flattered. However, in less than two years, his son-in-law regarded him as a very important dirty thing and drove him out of the house. In order to win their favor, old man Gao reluctantly sold the shop, divided the money into two parts and gave it to his two daughters. Then he moved into the Fu Gai apartment. Two daughters only need father's money, but old man Gao has no money.

Madame bosion taught rasterne that society was mean and cruel, and asked him to deal with it with tit for tat. "The more heartless you are, the faster you rise," she said. If you strike others mercilessly, they will be afraid of you. " "Without a woman's concern, he will be worthless here. She has to be young, rich and beautiful." According to his cousin's advice, rastiner decided to seduce old man Gao's second daughter, Mrs. newqingen.

Voltaire was a man of keen eyes, who saw rastiner's desire to ascend. "In this society of mutual divination, honesty is useless. If you don't go in like a shell, you have to go in like a plague. Honesty is useless," he told rastiner He instructs rastiner to pursue Miss Victoria. He can ask someone to kill miss typhan's brother and make her heir, so that the banker's legacy will fall into rastiner's hands. He only needs to pay him 200000 francs. Rastiner, though moved by Volterra's naked words, did not dare to agree. Rastiner got to know Mrs. newzingen through Mrs. baucylon, and Mrs. newzingen was not the object he wanted to pursue. Her husband was so strict with her economy that he even asked rastiner to take his only 100 francs to the casino and win 6000 francs for her. Then rastiner turned to attack miss typhan.

By this time, Voltaire had asked his accomplices to fight miss typhan's brother and killed him. Rastiner is full of contradictions. Is it miss ivedory or Mrs. eneuchingen? Finally, he chose the latter. He thought, "such a combination has no sin, and there is nothing to teach the most strict Taoists to frown."

Old miss mishuno, the tenant, accepted the job of a police spy to spy on the identity of Voltaire. She was drugged in Voltaire's drink. Voltaire was drunk and unconscious. Mi xunuo took off his coat and slapped him on the shoulder. The words "convict" appeared on his bright red skin. When Voltaire woke up, the police had surrounded the apartment. The secret service chief knocked off his wig, and voteling's blood rushed to his face immediately. His eyes were as bright as a wild cat. He used his brute force and roared, which scared all the tenants into shouting. The spies pulled out their pistols together. When Voltaire saw the bright fire door, he suddenly changed his face, calmed down and took the initiative to extend his hands. He admitted that his name was Jacques kollen, nicknamed "the devil was deceived", and was sentenced to 20 years of hard labor. He was arrested.

When old man Gao learned that rastiner loved his second daughter, he wanted to build a bridge between rastiner and his daughter and bought a small building for their tryst. One day, Mrs. newqingen came to old man Gao in a hurry to explain that her husband agreed to let her associate with rastiner, but she could not ask him for the dowry money back. Old man Gao asked his daughter not to accept the condition, "money is life, with money there is everything." At this time, the restovs also came. She cried and told her father that her husband used the money she had sold the necklace to pay off her lover's debts, and her property had been almost taken away. She asked her father to give her 12000 francs to save her lover. The two daughters quarreled. Old man Gao couldn't help him. He was so anxious that he fainted and suffered from early cerebral overflow.

During his illness, the younger daughter didn't come to see him once, but she was concerned about going to the long-awaited dance of Mrs. baucylon; the older daughter came once, but not to see her father's illness, but to ask her father to pay her an order of 1000 francs to the tailor. Old man Gao was forced to pay the last one Wen, resulting in a violent attack of stroke.

Madame boussin held a grand dance, the scene was very spectacular, the princess, Baron, famous ladies all came to attend. The lights on more than 500 cars make the house bright everywhere. The Viscount's elegant dress and expressionless face seemed to keep the look of a lady. In her mind, this splendid palace has become a desert. As soon as she returns to her inner room, she can't help crying and shivering. After the last farewell to Madame boussine in the limousine, I saw her off as my cousin. He felt that "his education had been finished" and that he "went to hell and had to stay".

Poor old man Gao is dying. He is looking forward to seeing his two daughters. Rastigne sent for his two daughters, both of whom refused to come. A tear came out of each eye of the old man and rolled on the edge of his bright red eyelid. He sighed and said

Chinese PinYin : Gao Lao Tou