Guy de Maupassant is regarded as

All stories follow a traditional five part structure "Vendetta" is no exception. The first part of the structure is called the exposition. This is when the background is described and the characters are introduced. The second part is the development. This is usually the longest part of the story and it builds up tension. Part three is the complication. This is when a problem occurs. Next is the climax. This is the most exciting part of the story happens. Then the story ends with the resolution and everything is solved.

Maupassant's short story "Vendetta" fits into the traditional structure perfectly. In the exposition which is paragraph one and two. Bonifacio and the countryside are described. The old widow is introduced. After that we come to the development. The development starts off with Antoine's murder. The body of her son is brought home and it is buried. She and the dog are distraught. The woman promises the "Vendetta". Thirdly is the complication. During this the widow is very weak and there is no living men left in the family to carry out the "Vendetta" out. She gets an idea and starts to train the dog. She goes to prey for forgiveness. She then waits until the right time. The most exciting part is the climax. In this part the dog rips out his throat. This is the moment of revenge. The story ends with the resolution. It ends on a cliffhanger. The story ends on a cliffhanger so that if Guy de Maupassant or some other author wants to write another book then he can.

In the exposition Maupassant creates an atmosphere that is vicious and harsh. He does this by using similes, metaphors, personification, adjectives, alliteration, hyperbole and harsh language.

I would like to begin with the use of adjectives. "Dwelt alone". This makes it sound like the house is on it's own and there is nothing surrounding it. Secondly I would like to talk about the similes that are used. "Like torn shreds of linen". Now I would like to go on and talk about metaphors. "Clinging to the rocks". This makes the houses sound like they are holding on for life and are scared of letting go. To continue personification is also used. "The town looks". This makes the town sound like it has the features of a face. E.g. eyes. Alliteration is also used. "Floating and fluttering". Makes the sea sound like it is light and calm. Like the sea is weightless. Also hyperbole. "Dazzling whiteness". This makes the houses sound like they are white and shiny, blinding. Lastly harsh language is used. "Mean house". This makes the house sound like it has a mean personality.

To go on I would like to talk about why Guy de Maupassant uses third person narration. He uses this because he is writing about somebody else. We call this narrative voice. The advantages of third person narration are that he can describe the settings and the characters in a lot more detail. There is also a major disadvantage to third person narration and that is that we don't know what she's thinking until she plans and does the "Vendetta" at the end of the story, this creates tension.

The turning point in the story is when the widow turns nasty. She does this because when her son dies she doesn't have any of her relations left. She promises the "Vendetta" and thinks of a cunning plan to get her own back on Nicholas for killing her son Antoine.

In the story of "Vendetta" the main character is the old widow. She lived in an old house on her own with her son and his dog. She suffers the loss of her son in paragraph three. In the next couple of paragraphs she tries not to show her feelings but doesn't get very far. In the last few paragraphs she shows how clever she is because she comes up with a plan. We then find out she goes to ask for forgiveness. She carries on showing how clever she is when she dresses up as an old man when she goes to do the "Vendetta". When she goes to do the "Vendetta" she takes the dog with her after she had trained the dog to rip out someone's neck when she says "Tare him, Tare him". The dog plays a big part in the "Vendetta" because he is the one that actually kills Nicholas.

Kimberley Sherriff.

0CC.

"Vendetta"

English Coursework.