Short Fiction · Chapter
A Norman explained
The narrator and a companion travel from Rouen to Jumièges, discussing the landscape and the eccentric Father Matthew, a former sergeant-major who tends a miraculous chapel dedicated to 'Notre Dame du Gros-Ventre'.
What happens
The narrator and a companion travel from Rouen to Jumièges, discussing the landscape and the eccentric Father Matthew, a former sergeant-major who tends a miraculous chapel dedicated to 'Notre Dame du Gros-Ventre'. Matthew sells saints, drinks heavily, and uses a self-invented 'boozometer' to measure his drunkenness. The chapter culminates in a comedic scene where two old women request Saint Blanc, only to find him used as a stake in a rabbit hutch.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion vs. Reality
Father Matthew's chapel and saints are presented as both a sincere faith object and a comedic sham, blurring the line between genuine belief and performance.
Obsession and Delusion
Matthew's meticulous tracking of his drunkenness with the boozometer reveals a delusional obsession with measuring his own intoxication.
Social Class and Money
Matthew's trade in saints and his pragmatic approach to the chapel highlight the intersection of religion and commerce in rural society.
Characters to notice
- Guy de Maupassant
Narrator traveling through Normandy, observing the landscape and Father Matthew's antics.
- Polyte
Drinking companion of Matthew; mentioned as having been far beyond a hundred on the boozometer.
- Madame Lecacheur
Matthew's wife, Mélie, who scolds him for his drinking and helps with the saints.
Key passages
“He has invented the boozometer. The instrument does not yet exist, but Matthew’s observations are as precise as those of a mathematician.”
Matthew claims to have invented a 'boozometer' to measure his drunkenness, though no such device exists; his self-assessments are remarkably accurate.
Illustrates Matthew's humorous obsession with quantifying his drinking.
“When Matthew recognizes that he has passed ninety, you may be sure that he is really tipsy.”
Once Matthew admits to being above ninety on his scale, it is a reliable sign he is thoroughly drunk.
Highlights the comedic precision of Matthew's self-monitoring.
“Saint Blanc, stuck in the earth like a common stake, stained with mud and filth, was being used to make one corner of the rabbit hutch.”
The saint statue had been repurposed as a post for the rabbit hutch, covered in dirt and grime.
Shows the irreverent yet practical use of religious objects in Matthew's household.