Old Man Goriot

Après avoir abandonné la lecture de Peau de chagrin il y a quelques années, j'ai souhaité donner une seconde chance à Balzac et sa comédie humaine, tant son influence est grande et ses œuvres très souvent citées. Comme Le Père Goriot traînait dans ma bibliothèque, c'est à lui que j'ai confié la mission de me faire apprécier cet auteur majeur de la littérature française. Maintenant que le livre est refermé, je peux dire que je suis en partie réconcilié avec Balzac.

Si j'ai beaucoup apprécié ce roman, je pourrais quand même lui reprocher d'être trop ancré dans son époque, avec de très nombreuses références à des personnalités ou événements qui lui sont contemporains (heureusement, les notes permettent de s'y retrouver) et d'avoir un style assez léger, un peu trop théâtrale à mon goût. J'imagine très bien les personnages incarnés par des acteurs sur les planches d'une scène, débiter ces grandes tirades avec force grands gestes et « Ô » appuyés.

En y réfléchissant, je pense que c'est son style qui me pose problème. Je lui préfère celui de Victor Hugo, plus tragique, ou celui, plus sobre, d'Émile Zola (qui écrira quand même plus de 50 ans plus tard). Mais maintenant que j'ai réussi à terminer un roman De Balzac, je n'exclus pas de redonner sa chance à La Peau de chagrin ou de lire Illusions perdues.

Alors, faut-il lire le Père Goriot ? Oui, je pense qu'il mérite d'être lu car cela reste de la belle littérature, c'est bon pour la culture générale et on peut crâner auprès de ses proches par la suite…

I like Balzac's style. It might not be breathtaking, but it is clean, comprehensible, and flexible. While Balzac mostly sticks to his realism, there are truly some poetic moments in his writing.
Now that I have praised Balzac, I must call his story quite dull. This indeed is a matter of individual temperament and seeing that many people rather enjoyed it, I will not dwell on this point further for the story has found its intended crowd. I just so happen not to be one of them.

On the subject of Goriot, I have very little to say, but I believe it is still worth saying. Goriot is supposed to be a tragic character. A loving father, blinded by the love he has for his daughters. He might even be deemed a cynic's perfect strawman. Yet, in all of his frenzied, delusional ranting, there is a moment at which Goriot, if not directly confronting the truth, then at the very least accidentally stating it out loud:

"Oh! they will come! Come to me, darlings, and give me one more kiss; one last kiss, the Viaticum for your father, who will pray God for you in heaven. I will tell Him that you have been good children to your father, and plead your cause with God! After all, it is not their fault. I tell you they are innocent, my friend. Tell every one that it is not their fault, and no one need be distressed on my account. It is all my own fault, I taught them to trample upon me. I loved to have it so. It is no one’s affair but mine; man’s justice and God’s justice have nothing to do in it. God would be unjust if He condemned them for anything they may have done to me. I did not behave to them properly; I was stupid enough to resign my rights. I would have humbled myself in the dust for them. What could you expect? The most beautiful nature, the noblest soul, would have been spoiled by such indulgence. I am a wretch, I am justly punished. I, and I only, am to blame for all their sins; I spoiled them. To-day they are as eager for pleasure as they used to be for sugar-plums. When they were little girls I indulged them in every whim. They had a carriage of their own when they were fifteen. They have never been crossed. I am guilty, and not they—but I sinned through love."

Yes, at this moment, as in every other, Goriot is in all likelihood merely finding a course to justify his daughter's cruel behavior. But why must we ignore such a vital insight solely because it is made by a hysterical maniac? After all, Goriot has raised these daughters of his. Surely, he must have influenced them somewhat. Is it even far-fetched to say he has influenced them significantly? The way Goriot talks about money as if it is some sort of all-powerful deity is not at all incongruent with his daughter's proclivities for the materialistic. Perhaps, Goriot, you reap what you sow, and although I do not doubt the society's role in the perversion of your kin, I do not see you as any more noble of a soul. While you are tragic, you are tragically foolish, and while you are kind, your kindness is vice.