Phase 2, Prompt 3
After reading the biography on Guy de Maupassant, I
could immediately recognize the relation of the story “Mother Savage” to that
of Maupassant’s own life. Maupassant’s were divorced when he was a very young
age, so his mother was the only influence on his life for a good amount of
time. Maupassant later joined the military to fight in the Franco-Prussian war,
but was able to live and tell about it. In the story “Mother Savage”, it is a
son and his mother living in the beautiful countryside just outside of town.
Throughout the story the mother experiences a roller coaster of emotions.
I think it is interesting that the mother is
not married, with a son, and lives out away from town as if she is out there
because of the rejection she has received from the people of the town. This
initial rejection has forced the son to love, care, and depends on his mother
for everything, but the same could be said for the mother depending on the son
for these same things. While the mother has had to assume somewhat of a father’s
role for her son as well it has made her a very hard and weathered old woman. It
seems these characteristics have made her into an ambivalent person because of
her unchanging face. Even when her son has left for battle she never sheds a
tear or has any kind of emotion towards the possibility of not seeing her son
again. However, when the four Prussian troops arrive at her house to stay with
her, she is very inviting and does things for them that she would have done for
her son. These men served as a replacement for her son and this is the reason
why Mother Savage is able to love and care for them immediately. So instead of
being hostile towards enemy troops, she cared for them daily and they did
chores for her just as if she was their mother back home because they hadn’t
seen their mothers for quite some time.
The mood of the story
quickly changes however, when Mother Savage receives a letter from her son’s
friend telling Mother Savage that her son had been killed violently due to a
cannon ball. After her emotions had settled in she was clearly depressed,
distraught, and in dismay over the reality of what just happened. When the
soldiers had returned to the house they noticed a definite change in Mother
Savage’s attitude. I knew things were not going to end well when Mother Savage
had asked them to write their mothers a “final” letter. Not too long after
dinner Mother Savage set the house on fire killing the four men in a ball of
fire. It seemed as if Mother Savage had to live without her son then the other
mothers would have to live without their sons. At that point Mother Savage had
seen the world as imbalanced, so she had to whatever she could to restore
balance to the world.
In the first example
Mother Savage had surely gone from friendly when her son Victor was home with
her to a neutral woman who seldom laughed. The reason for this is because her
son Victor had been the man in her life since there wasn’t a husband around.
There was now this void in her life that her son had filled before, but it
would soon be filled by the four Prussian soldiers who were like her son in
many ways except for physical appearances. The death of her son had broken
Mother Savage. I think that she felt angry towards the men for the reason that
her son was killed by Prussian soldiers. The other reason for her anger was
also because when the war was over the soldiers would be able to return to
their mothers and families, when her own son could not. In order to right the
wrong that was done to her, she quickly turned on her enemies and had killed
the men before the day was even over. Knowing she could not live her life with
the guilt of murder or her son by her side she willingly confessed to the
murders immediately so that they would execute her.
The story constantly
revolves around friends and enemies. While the Prussians were an enemy to
Mother Savage’s son, Victor, four Prussian soldiers had been lucky enough to
house with a friendly woman who cared for them like her own sons. When her son
was killed they immediately became her enemy as well so she had acted on her
own inhibitions and did it in the name of her son Victor.
[787 words]
Your post does a good job at pointing out the main points in "Mother Savage" about the themes of "friend" and "enemy". I agree with you in the sense of the mother being "friendly" with the enemy soldiers until she discovers that her only son was killed at war. I think it is obvious that the mother is pretty crazy. I don't see how her first instinct after finding out about her son was to murder instead of cry. I assume that she kills in order to achieve some sort of revenge and justice for her son. I do not think that she killed them out of jealousy for the other moms though. I think she wanted revenge for her son, but she also wanted to die. She knew what the punishment would be for killing those men, but she still confessed as soon as the officials arrived. I think the 2 themes in this story is revenge and death. Friend and enemy play a huge role in both of these themes. The friendship is broken when her son dies and then revenge is her only desire. And before she found out about her son, her idea of "the enemy" was different. The four Prussian soldiers were considered her enemy until she felt the urge to avenge her sons death. Do you think the mother had intentions on killing the soldiers before she found out about her sons death? Or would you agree that her opinion on the Prussian soldiers as friend and enemy flipped?
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of your thoughts on the themes of the story, "revenge and death", "friend and enemy". The soldiers were in a way a temporary replacement of Mother Savage's son but she never forgot him. I don't think she was rejected by the town, she just isolated herself (also widowed). I think she was more feared or repected because she was an intimitating woman; "being made of the same stuff as the men of the coutryside-a hardy old woman, tall and gaunt, who seldom laughed and whom nobody dared to cross." (77)
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Brandi's question, I don't think the soldiers' deaths were premediated before she received the letter. I think she was content and didn't want to bring the war to her home, until she got the letter and her son's body wasn't brought back home, like her husband's body was. Thats when she realized she was living with the enemy. My question is why was the town housing the enemy in the first place? That was just a tragedy waiting to happen.
I think that you did a wonderful job on your blog post. I am impressed by your level of analysis on this story. I think that you successful identified new perspectives about Mother Savage. I wanted to know what you think about the fact that Mother Savage and her son live(d) in the outskirts of the town. I know that you addressed that in your post, but I am wondering if you think that they live on the outskirts of town because the town has exiled them? For a women to live so far away from others when she is all alone is odd to me. I understand that after her husbands passing, she had to take on the role of mother and father to her son. From the story, she did an excellent job of that. She seams to be a strong women that can take care of business. However, do you think that the town is scared of her and her behavior and that is why they shun her and keep her on the outskirts? I think that they are scared of her. She is not someone to mess with. I think that is partially why she and her son lived so fat from town, but I am curious to hear your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job identifying and thoroughly explaining the themes here. The 4 Prussians solidiers were most definitely treated as "firends" until Mother Savage learned that the same kind of "friends" she was taking care of, murdered her only son. I feel as if Mother Svage confessed to the killing of the four men because the pain of knowing her son was killed was to great to hold. Do you beleived she confessed to setting the house on fire to make a statement? Or was it seeking revenge in the honor of her sons name?
ReplyDeleteBrandi, I agree her opinion about the Prussian soldiers as friend and enemy flipped. There was a shift in the mood of the story on page 79 right after the letter that signified these four Prussians soldiers had become her enemies. In the paragraph following the following she began to cry, which is unlike her character as she is described as "a hardy old woman...who seldom laughed and whom nobody dared to cross(77).
Wow, very nice way of looking at the story. I thought she had gained a sense of completion within herself or insanity had driven her to believe that her actions were justified. That or that she had become apathetic to the world and didn’t care what was going on around her. However, thinking of it as a sense of guilt and confessing to receive an execution makes it even more tragic. Your explanation holds more weight because she does confess while in my theories, she would have no need to confess so grimly. Your view was very good and changed my opinion. I also like how you say that she kills the young men as a way to right the wrong done to her. It’s almost like saying that she did it to balance the wrong in the world (An eye for an eye and a son for a son, so to speak).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. it also gave me a different precpective on why she did what she did. at first i though it was driven sollely by revenge, but after reading your post and some of the comments, maybe in her head the murder of these soldiers was justified. Not for revenge but just to bring a false sense of balance to her, now, chaotic world. she had lost her son and husband, so now others must face that tragedy, the mothers of the enemy. she had become insane with grief.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that she kills the young men as a way to right the wrong done to her. I believe that she would have continued to treat the Prussian soldiers kindly or decently if she had not received the letter about her son's death. When she got the news about her son she felt like she was honoring him by killing the soldiers like their allies had killed her son. I think that she also wanted the mothers of the soldiers she killed to feel the same pain and grief she felt when she found out about her son. I think she died in peace because in her eyes she felt that she did the right thing. She had no reason to live now that both her husband and son were gone. She was ready to be with them again. Efrain- I don't think that she went insane. Obviously she did a bad thing, but you could argue that the soldiers were part of something bad as well. During times of war it is hard to decided what is acceptable and what is not. War is a very violent time for all people involved. In my eyes, the mother reacting in a violent way to the news of her sons murder is just a part of the essince of war.
ReplyDelete