Short Fiction · Chapter
The Old Man explained
A peasant couple, Maître Chicot and his wife Phémie, await the death of Phémie's elderly father, who lingers on despite their expectations.
What happens
A peasant couple, Maître Chicot and his wife Phémie, await the death of Phémie's elderly father, who lingers on despite their expectations. Anxious not to miss the good weather for transplanting colza, they decide to proceed with funeral preparations and invite guests early. When the old man finally dies during the funeral feast, they are relieved but annoyed at the extra expense and trouble his prolonged dying has caused.
Themes in this chapter
Cruelty and Suffering
The old man's prolonged death is met with impatience and resentment by his daughter and son-in-law, who see his lingering as an inconvenience to their work and social obligations.
Social Class and Money
The couple's primary concerns are financial: the cost of the funeral feast, the loss of work time, and the need to make extra dumplings. Their poverty shapes their callous attitude toward death.
Characters to notice
- Maître Chicot
The son-in-law, a peasant farmer who is more concerned about his colza crop and the cost of the funeral feast than his father-in-law's death.
- Madame Lefèvre
Phémie, Maître Chicot's wife, who pragmatically manages the household and funeral preparations, showing little grief.
Key passages
“He won't get through the day, for certain... There's nothing to be afraid of. And then the mayor won't stand in the way of the burial tomorrow just the same, seeing what he did for old Father Rénard, who died just at sowing-time.”
Phémie reassures her husband that the old man will die soon and that the mayor will allow an early burial, just as he did for another farmer who died during planting season.
Shows the pragmatic, almost cynical attitude of the peasants toward death and authority.
“If the old man could see us, it'ud be a rare grief to him; he was rare and fond of them in his time.”
Maître Chicot jokes that the dying man would be upset to see everyone eating the dumplings he loved.
Highlights the dark humor and lack of genuine mourning among the guests.
“All the same, I shall have to make four dozen more dumplings. If only he could have made up his mind last night!”
Phémie complains that she must now prepare another batch of dumplings for the funeral, wishing the old man had died sooner.
Emphasizes the financial burden and irritation caused by the old man's timing.