Germinal · Chapter
Chapter IV explained
The strike is decided upon at the Avantage settlement, with Étienne and Souvarine supporting it despite Rasseneur's opposition.
What happens
The strike is decided upon at the Avantage settlement, with Étienne and Souvarine supporting it despite Rasseneur's opposition. Meanwhile, the Maheu family struggles with poverty as the Company reduces work, and rumors of a conflict over timbering and wages spread.
Themes in this chapter
Class Conflict and Exploitation
The women's outrage at the Hennebeaus' servant riding in a carriage while workers starve highlights class tensions.
Poverty and Suffering
The Maheu family's struggle to afford basic necessities like coffee and veal illustrates their dire poverty.
Labor and the Strike
The strike is decided upon at the Avantage, with Étienne and Souvarine supporting it despite Rasseneur's opposition.
Characters to notice
- Étienne Lantier
Supports the strike and discusses strategy with Rasseneur and Souvarine at the Avantage.
- Maheude
Urges Maheu to bring back coffee, sugar, and veal, and worries about the family's finances.
- Toussaint Maheu
Prepares to go to Montsou for pay, concerned about the reduced wages and the Company's actions.
- Souvarine
Dismisses the strike as 'foolery' but accepts it as a step, and advocates for destruction of the Voreux.
- Rasseneur
Opposes the strike, arguing for compromise and expressing jealousy of Étienne's popularity.
- Bonnemort
Claims he can still work despite his legs, hoping to keep his pension.
Key passages
“To think that this morning I saw their servant go by in a carriage! Yes, the cook in a carriage with two horses, going to Marchiennes to get fish, sure enough!”
A woman expresses outrage that the Hennebeaus' cook rides in a carriage to fetch fish while workers starve.
Highlights class resentment and the spark for revolt.
“Three thousand francs! what can you do with that! It wouldn't yield six days' bread; and if we counted on foreigners, such as the people in England, one might go to bed at once and turn up one's toes.”
Rasseneur dismisses the Provident Fund as insufficient to sustain a strike.
Shows the practical challenges of organizing a strike.
“I should like you to go to the butcher's too. A bit of veal, eh? It's so long since we saw it.”
Maheude asks Maheu to buy veal, a rare luxury for the family.
Illustrates the family's poverty and deprivation.