Father Goriot

Synopsis

Father Goriot is a French novel written by Honoré de Balzac, a French playwright and one of the founders of realism in European literature. His literary contributions were in the form of plays, tales, and tragic verses.

This novel narrates the struggles of individuals to cope up with profound changes of French society and the failure of marriage as institutions. Madame Vauquer, a widow owns a boarding house named Maison Vauquer. Among the many boarding members the story travels through the important characters of, a law student Rastignac, a mysterious man Vautrin, an elderly man Jean-Joachim Goriot.

Goriot spends his entire savings and wealth to support the fanciful life of his daughters Delphine and Anastasie who are already married in the high profile social figures. Rastignac is obsessed with Delphine and express his interest to Vautrin. However Vautrin persuades him to ignore Delphine and marry Victorine, who is a wealthy woman. Victorine is disowned by her father; she can inherit his wealth if her brother is killed. Vautrin seek support of Rastignac for the plot of killing for which he is already struck a deal with Victorine.

Rastignac, however does not agree with Vautrin, however as planned he executes the killing. One of the boarders of Maison Vauquer is later revealed as police informer and Vautrin is arrested for the crime. Meanwhile Goriot goes through financial crisis and his daughters affairs were revealed to their husbands. Goriot faces the toughest time in his life and both his daughters ignore him. Goriot faces a severe heart attack and his daughters never turn up to his deathbed.

Eventually Goriot dies and his funeral was attended by just four persons including Rastignac and two paid mourners. Goriot’s daughters were busy with their high social life and instead of attending the funeral they had sent their empty coaches, each bearing their families' respective coat of arms.

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