# In the Country explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

## What happens

Two peasant families, the Tuvaches and the Vallins, live side by side in poverty. A wealthy couple, the d'Hubières, offer to adopt one of their children. The Tuvaches refuse indignantly, while the Vallins accept, selling their son Jean for a monthly pension. Years later, Jean returns as a wealthy young man, causing Charlot Tuvache to bitterly resent his parents for not selling him.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Money

The stark contrast between the wealthy d'Hubières and the impoverished Tuvaches and Vallins drives the plot, with money determining the fate of the children.

### Cruelty and Suffering

Both families suffer: the Tuvaches from poverty and their son's resentment, the Vallins from the moral condemnation of selling their child.

### Illusion vs. Reality

The Tuvaches believe they made the virtuous choice, but the reality of their son's bitterness shatters that illusion.

## Character check-ins

### Madame d'Hubières

A wealthy, childless woman who desperately wants to adopt a peasant child, first approaching the Tuvaches and then the Vallins.

### Monsieur d'Hubières

Madame d'Hubières' husband, who negotiates the adoption terms with the Vallins.

### Jean Vallin

The Vallins' son who is sold to the d'Hubières and returns years later as a wealthy young man.

### Charlot Tuvache

The Tuvaches' son who was not sold; he grows up poor and bitterly resents his parents for not accepting the offer.

### Mother Tuvache

The Tuvache mother who refuses to sell her child and prides herself on being a 'real mother,' but later faces her son's resentment.

### Father Tuvache

The Tuvache father who remains silent during the conflict with his son.

## Key lines

> You want me to sell you Charlot? Oh, no, that’s not the sort of thing to ask of a mother! Oh, no! That would be an abomination!

Mother Tuvache refuses the offer to adopt her son, calling it an abomination.

_Highlights the moral outrage of the mother at the idea of selling her child._

> I say that it’s not to be despised.

Father Vallin considers the adoption offer seriously, seeing it as a financial opportunity.

_Shows the pragmatic, if cold, calculation of the Vallins._

> You silly yokels!

Charlot insults his parents for not selling him, calling them foolish peasants.

_Climactic moment of resentment and bitterness from the son who feels cheated of a better life._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-the-country
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters