# Mister Belhomme's Beast explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

## What happens

On a stagecoach journey from Criquetot to Havre, passengers including a priest, schoolmaster, and peasants discuss Mister Belhomme's severe ear pain. He believes a beast is inside his ear, and after attempts to remove it with vinegar, they discover it is merely a flea. Belhomme, relieved but angry, refuses to pay full fare and is forced to pay by the driver and a fellow passenger before returning home.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cruelty and Suffering

Belhomme's intense ear pain and the passengers' amusement at his misery highlight the theme of suffering and the cruelty of laughter at another's expense.

### Social Class and Money

The dispute over the fare and Belhomme's reluctance to pay for the priest's help underscore economic tensions and class distinctions among the travelers.

## Character check-ins

### Mister Belhomme

A tall, skeleton-like peasant suffering from ear pain caused by a flea, which he believes is a beast. He seeks a healer in Havre but returns home after the flea is removed.

### Césaire Horlaville

The driver of the stagecoach, nicknamed 'Foxy,' a corpulent, agile man who helps remove the flea and later argues with Belhomme over the fare.

### Father Matthew

The reverend Father from Gorgeville, a tall, powerful, and friendly priest who assists in treating Belhomme's ear and mediates the situation.

### Sorieul

The schoolmaster from Rollebosc-les-Grinets, a tall, hesitant man who participates in the ear treatment and laughs at the discovery of the flea.

### Maillochon

A huge peasant, more beefy than a bull, who advises Belhomme and helps force him to pay the fare.

## Key lines

> Mister Belhomme, a tall skeleton of a man, drew near, his neck awry, his aspect dolorous, a handkerchief applied to his ear as if he suffered from very severe toothache.

Belhomme approached, looking like a tall, gaunt figure with a twisted neck and a pained expression, holding a handkerchief to his ear as if in great pain.

_Introduces Belhomme's physical appearance and his ear ailment._

> All at once they saw in the bottom of the basin a small brown speck, no bigger than an onion seed. It was moving, however. It was a flea!

Suddenly, they spotted a tiny brown speck in the basin, no larger than an onion seed, which was moving—it was a flea.

_The climax of the story where the cause of Belhomme's suffering is revealed._

> Belhomme was sitting on the table, and, resting the basin on his knees, he contemplated with grave intentness, and a gleam of angry joy in his eye, the vanquished beastie which turned and twisted in its drop of water.

Belhomme sat on the table, holding the basin on his knees, staring seriously with a mix of anger and satisfaction at the defeated creature squirming in the water.

_Belhomme's reaction to the flea's removal, showing his relief and lingering anger._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mister-belhomme-s-beast
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters