In Bel Ami, Guy De Maupassant tells the story of Georges Duroy, a handsome ex-soldier who exploits his prowess, cunning, and manipulation to ascend the proverbial social ladder for a life of wealth and power. From experiencing countless love affairs with influential women to artfully convincing Madame Forestier to write his first articles for him immediately after he takes his post in the newspaper, Georges will do anything to satiate his monetary and power-hungry desires, and ultimately, to rise through the ranks of Parisian society.
[...] La Belle Epoque of France and twenty-first century America are two distinct eras driven by parallel interests of money and the desire to transform money into power. Individuals today are nurtured with the belief that owning a lot of wealth will afford them luxury goods, premier services, and in turn, a highly enjoyable lifestyle the same principles that guide many of the characters in Bel Ami. Some are even willing to go to great lengths to look rich with an extension of feeling rich. [...]
[...] The urge to escape harsh judgment by peers insofar as living under a false pretense of wealth can be explained by the way money governs relations and the standard of living. When the narrative opens up on a hot, sweltering late summer afternoon day on June 28, the amount of money one has dictates what one does on this type of day. In the beginning of the text, we learn that Georges does not inhabit a glorious area of town. He wants to leave these slums elucidated by the “dirty steps littered with pieces of paper, cigarette-ends and kitchen garbage” and wants to walk on the beautiful streets of Paris. [...]
[...] These students will endure the cut-throat competition to land a spot at a prestigious bank where they will live and breathe investment banking, while putting their personal lives on hold for the sake of a plump paycheck. And just like my peers and the characters of the Belle Epoque who satiate their thirst for accumulating money, I too have fallen victim to the same trap. This upcoming summer, I will be testing my own endurance through the notoriously long hours as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch. [...]
[...] When Georges walks down the road on a hot summer day to see men indulging in drinks and sipping champagne from crystal glasses, he assesses their value based solely on their appearance and the public manifestation of their behavior: summing up at a glance, by their appearance or their dress, the amount of money each of them was likely to have in his pockets . If you went through their pockets, you'd find gold coins, and silver, and copper there. [...]
[...] Georges is seized with a desire to escape both literally and figuratively and to one day live in one of the more glamorous and dazzling areas of Paris. But Maupassant begs his readers to ask the question: If you have no money, what do you do? Where do you go? Since Maupassant informs us that Georges's monthly salary can barely pay for a four-person dinner in a great restaurant, his lifestyle and standard of living is hence suffocated by his dearth of money. [...]
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