Boule de Suif summary

AS and A Level Modern Foreign Languages

Boule de Suif summary of events

The French defeated army pass through town
In many houses the Prussian officer who stayed with the family ate at the same table as them, and felt sorry for them. The French welcomed this gratitude. They could not show their friendship on the streets, however in their houses they would talk freely.
However the victors could demand money of the French. Whatever was demanded.
Some took it upon themselves to try and murder any Prussians they saw (dragged out of rivers).
A permit had been obtained for 10 people to leave town, and they were to board a four horse coach which would leave on a Tuesday morning.

On The Coach :

Monsieur & Madame Loiseau – wine merchants. Sold wine at very low prices. M. Loiseau was a cheat, very shrewd, pot-bellied, and known for his practical jokes. His wife – tall strong and determined – represented order in the business which they ran.
Monsieur & Madame Carre-Lamadon. Very important man – king of the cotton trade, proprietor of 3 spinning mills, member of the general council etc. His wife – pretty, slender, graceful, much younger than her husband.
Comte and Comtesse (a lady of quality) Hubert de Breville – have one of the most noble, ancient names in Normandy. The Comte knows M. Carre-Lamadon from the General Council.
These 6 people occupy the farther end of the coach and represent society – a rich, strong, upper to middle class who rely on religion and principles.
There were also two old nuns.
The 2 more people attracted most eyes – Cornudet and Boule de Suif.
Cornudet – well known. Had received a respectable fortune off his father.
BDS – fat yet pretty and desirable. It is likely that she is a prostitute.

The women (apart from bds) began to talk as they felt united as wives. So did the men, as they were united in the sense that they have money.
The passengers hunger became a focus of conversation, and Loiseau joked that they should do as the sailors did in the song – eat the fattest of the passengers. This indirect insult towards bds shocked the more respectable members of the group. Cornudet smiled however.
BDS pulled out a basket full of food and began to eat, eventually, she offered everyone food and they began to talk to ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

The women (apart from bds) began to talk as they felt united as wives. So did the men, as they were united in the sense that they have money.
The passengers hunger became a focus of conversation, and Loiseau joked that they should do as the sailors did in the song – eat the fattest of the passengers. This indirect insult towards bds shocked the more respectable members of the group. Cornudet smiled however.
BDS pulled out a basket full of food and began to eat, eventually, she offered everyone food and they began to talk to her (only because they felt they had to). She received little thanks.
They began to talk of the war. She explained how she tried to kill a Prussian officer, by strangling him, however she was pulled away, and forced to run away. She emerges as being braver than her companions, even though she may be a prostitute, and she has a go at them, saying that ‘it would be impossible to live in France if we were governed by such rascals as you’. The comte and the comtesse feel this way also, even though they are of a higher class.
They arrived at the Inn. While the food was being prepared they met Monsieur Follenvie – the innkeeper.
He tells BDS that the Prussian officer wishes to speak with her. She refuses to go and speak to him but is eventually persuaded. When she returns the others want to know what he said. She refuses to tell them (it is likely that he asked her for sex).
They sat down to dine, and they were joined my M. & Mme Follenvie. Mme Follenvie would not stop talking. It was mainly to the comtesse as she felt flattered at the opportunity of talking to a lady of quality and morals. She talks of how war is barbaric and immoral, and how she will never understand it. Cornudet adds that surely it is if we start war, but in self defensive it is a sacred duty. Mme Follenvie replies by saying true, however surely we should then kill the kings, as they are the ones who start war.
They all go to bed after supper. Loiseau listens and watches out of his keyhole into the corridor, and hears and sees Cornudet trying to sleep with BDS, but she is denying him admission into her room. Voices are raised. He can’t understand why she won’t and she explains that in this place it would be wrong, as there are Prussians in the house.
In the morning when they were due to leave in the coach again, the driver was not there, so the 3 men of the group searched the village for him. They talked about the Prussians and how they hated war and being away from families just as much as them, until they finally found the driver in the village café, who claimed he had orders late last night from the Prussian officer not to saddle up the horses at all. The 3 confused men headed back to the inn to find out why.
They were not allowed to see the officer, but eventually M. Follenvie told them that he was given orders by the officer to tell the driver not to harness the horses. And could give no further explanation.
Eventually they were called upstairs to see the officer, who told them there was no reason for his refusal of their departure – simply because it was his choice. The 3 men retired downstairs, confused, and with everyone they began to think up reasons why they are not allowed to leave to Dieppe. One thought was that they may be being held hostage.
They decided to play a cards game to pass the time.
Just before they sat down to dinner, M. Follenvie entered, and told them that the Prussian officer wants to know if BDS has changed her mind yet. He exits, and BDS is questioned. She reveals to them that the Prussian officer wants to make her his mistress. They are horrified and eat in silence.
In the morning, all awoke early to find that the driver was nowhere in sight and again the horses were not harnessed. They were let down. They hoped that perhaps BDS would have gone to find the Prussian officer in the night, perhaps for their sakes. Nobody said this to her however, but the consensus was that it wasn’t a big thing for her to have to do, for what they would get back out of it – to leave the wretched inn.
They went for a walk that day – it was a dull day. They had dinner in the evening and went to bed.
The next morning, tensions were high between BDS and the others. BDS went to church with the nuns and the others thought up ways of leaving. They considered telling the officer to detain BDS only and let them go, however it was concluded that the best first option would be to persuade BDS to sleep with him (very coordinated plan with set arguments for different people).
At dinner M. Follenvie asked the same question. BDS replied ‘No’.
Clever conversations were started regarding self sacrifice, and it finished up with BDS claiming that she believes any act is acceptable in the eyes of God as long as its intentions are pure.
The following afternoon they went for a walk, and the count walked with BDS, and came straight to the point. He asks her whether she would rather keep them all in this village than sacrifice herself for everyone like she has done so many times before. He made great speeches and efforts, however she did not reply and proceeded to walk with the rest of the group.
When they returned, BDS went to her room and was seen no more.
It was time for dinner, and M. Follenvie entered and nodded, letting them know that she had done what she needed to. Everyone was happy and celebrated, apart from Cornudet, who remained silent all night. Eventually Loiseau asked him what was up and he replied ‘I tell you all, you have done an infamous thing!’ Then left the room.
Loiseau then explained (laughing) that it was because Cornudet had tried to sleep with her but had been refused because the Prussian was in the next room. They all cried with laughter.
The following morning the coach was ready, and BDS, with her head down, embarrassed, climbed in with the others. Cornudet was also quiet. Nobody addressed her, apart from Mme Loiseau who said ‘What a mercy, I am not sitting beside that creature’, as she was appalled at BDS for sleeping with a foreign officer.
After a while people became hungry and began to eat the food they had brought with them. BDS had forgotten to bring any, and she was offered food by nobody. She felt the rage building up within her, and she began to cry. Others began to notice but offered no words of comfort. Mme Loiseau laughed and said ‘She’s weeping for shame.’
Cornudet began to whistle a song, and sometimes even hum the words, and between verses you could sometimes hear a sob that BDS was not able to restrain.

Boule de Suif summary

This is a preview of the whole essay

Document Details

Related Essays

Themes and Characters in Boule de Suif

Boule de Suif et autres contes de la guerre

Analysis of Boule De Suif (Little Dumpling) by Guy de Maupassant

Jusqu' quel point peut-on dire que les attitudes et les actions sont l'inv...