September 3, 2020
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She would be perfectly happy working hard for her own home and a decent life for her children, but all she has ever known is endless hardship and insecurity. eNotes plot summaries cover all the significant action of L' Assommoir. Coupeau somehow survives, but his recovery is very slow. © 2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Gervaise prefers to devote herself entirely to her two small boys; but one day, when Coupeau proposes marriage to her, she is overcome by emotion and accepts him. L’Assommoir is the seventh in a series of twenty novels written by Émile Zola about several generations of the Rougon-Macquart family. Gervaise resumes working soon afterward. Virginie never forgives her. A little girl, Nana, is born to the couple four years later. Instead, the family’s debts keep progressively increasing, for Coupeau remains idle and continues drinking. Goujet’s money is never returned. Gervaise is the main character of Zola’s L’Assommoir, a poor laundress living in a dilapidated neighborhood of Paris. Indeed, L'Assommoir is a great landmark of a novel in that it is set entirely in a working-class milieu and does not introduce the peuple merely as domestic servants or as foils for middle-class or aristocratic characters. L’Assommoir shows us the depression (once called pain of living) which the main character is drowning in and allows herself to drown in. Many find the novel quite painful to read, since the downfall of several of its well-meaning characters is relentless and even cruel. (Critical Survey of Literature for Students). Gervaise has quite an excellent reputation as a laundress, and she often dreams of owning her own shop. Not surprisingly, a public that had loved the romantic version of the poor offered them in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables (1862) was outraged by the squalor that Zola describes in L’Assommoir. Her family was cruel to her, but until recently Lantier treated her kindly. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of L'Assommoir. A long bar with its tin measuring cups was on the left as you entered. Character List Nana An actress and a courtesan who possesses an exceptionally beautiful body which she uses to ensnare men. The situation is not very promising at first because the couple has no money. At the center of the story stands Gervaise, who starts her own laundry and for a time makes a success of it. Zola defended the book as the first novel about working-class people that does not lie about their daily lives. Gervaise knows that Lantier was under the influence of both the dram shop and of Adèle, a pretty prostitute. Over the course of the novel, Gervaise slips deeper and deeper into squalid poverty, a result which Zola wishes the reader to see as a consequence of poverty rather than a fault of her own decisions. Usually considered one of Zola's masterpieces, the novel—a study of alcoholism and poverty in the working-class districts of Paris—was a huge commercial success and helped establish Zola's fame and reputation throughout France and the world. Pere Colombe's l'Assommoir was at the corner of Rue des Poissonniers and Boulevard de Rochechouart. The narration and characterization are truly compelling, more like a classic Greek tragedy than a soap opera, and many readers find the experience one they never forget. . Extend a hand to a fallen man to lift him up, or weep … Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this L' Assommoir study guide and get instant access to the following: You'll also get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and 300,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. The sign, in tall blue letters stretching from one end to the other said: Distillery. Coupeau’s sister and brother-in-law, who are as miserly as they are prosperous, openly disapprove of his marriage. L'assommoir was first published in 1877 and was the seventh book of the Rougon-Macquart series. Pointing to the collapse of Gervaise and the others, he described the novel as morality in action, implicitly teaching his readers a lesson in the consequences of alcohol, lethargy, jealousy, and irresponsibility. A struggle follows, in which the two women use pieces of laundry equipment and wet clothes to beat each other. . Actually, she still feels quite confident that she will be able soon to meet her obligations; she has a very good reputation in the whole neighborhood. He also goes more and more often to the dram shop. Just enough money to provide for herself and her children, and wonders. Debts keep progressively increasing, for Coupeau remains idle and continues drinking not thrifty... To a few small luxuries, is not very promising at first the! 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