Duchoux

-  Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)

 Baron Mordiane was fed up with his modern life style and wealth. He had started feeling lonely and uninterested even in his usual activities. He was bored of his dull and routine life.

He did not marry to avoid regular and unchallenging life. He did not like to spend most of his time consumed by his family. He thought a mysterious woman is more interesting than easily predictable wife.

His illegal son’s memory has been lately haunting him for a year. He had fathered a son in his youth and sent him to southern France to be brought up secretly. He has only heard that his son is well educated and wealthy. He had helped generously for his upbringing. So, he has started wanting to go and meet his son, his wife and children.

He decided to go to South to meet his son without disclosing his identity. He suddenly realized on the train that he had been old and tired. He felt need of peace and filial love.

When he reached in front of his son’s supposed house in Marseilles, a boy of five or six rushed near to him. He wanted to kiss the boy, but could not tolerate the odour of garlic coming off the child’s mouth.

He entered the house and saw filth and disorder everywhere inside it. He guessed his son might be the short and bald-headed man busy at his work. He did not like his dress, accent and dirty surroundings. Even his supposed daughter-in-law was not conscious enough on her dress up and cleanliness. His son smelt garlic.

While talking to his son, M. Barone knew that the garlic stinking boy was second of his three grandsons. He pretended he wanted to buy a piece of land but used the opportunity to compare his son with his mother. The son resembled to his mother in every aspect, and he remembered his past romance with her. The son was born after three-month long relationship with his beloved in her husband’s absence. She ran away from home to give birth to the baby secretly, returned to her husband and died of tuberculosis three years later. M. Baron had given the child to a person.

He did not like to be called ‘father’ by his son. He was afraid that his son would recognize him. He imagined himself being hugged and kissed by his garlicky and uncivilized son. He returned to his old place immediately.

(Theme: The idea of civilization and modernity befools people. Even a father is ready to avoid his son for it. But it has made people lonely, suffering and selfish. The people want to hide their real identity and pretend they can live keeping themselves away from nature. )