Analysis of Guy de Maupassants Two Friends - 1312 Words

We all have a place that we like to go to relax. For some, it is a quiet place and a good book to read. Others may enjoy spending quality time with friends and family. Guy de Maupassant enjoyed being near water. Maupassant â€Å"was a passionate lover of the sea and of rivers† (â€Å"Guy de Maupassant†). In his short story â€Å"Two Friends†, distant friends run into each other and decide to relive a peaceful activity they once shared: fishing. Maupassant’s love of the water influenced the content of this story. If the reader looks carefully, they can see several parts of the story that may have been influenced by the author’s life and views. Maupassant’s short story â€Å"Two Friends† is an allegory about his view of the ideal Frenchman because Maupassant†¦show more content†¦They are taken behind what looked like an abandoned house where there were several German soldiers. One of the soldiers addressed the men, calling them spies and only allowing them to live if they revealed the password they had been given by the French officer. The friends were silent. The officer assured them that no one will know of their secret. Again the men were silent. The officer tried asking both Morissot and Sauvage individually, but both men didn’t say a word. The officer then ordered the soldiers to raise their rifles. Morissot and Sauvage â€Å"shook hands, trembling from head to foot with a dread beyond their mastery† (Maupassant, â€Å"Two Friends†). The soldiers fired, and the friends died together. Once they were dead, a German officer ordered the bodies of the fishermen be thrown into the river. The officer then commanded that the bag of fish that the friends caught be cooked for the soldiers. Many parts of â€Å"Two Friends† were drawn from the author’s life. Guy de Maupassant was a private during the Franco-Prussian War and â€Å"his firsthand experience of war was to provide him with the material for some of his finest stories† (â€Å"Guy de Maupassant†). His participation in the war on the French side could be why the German soldiers are stereotyped as inhumane in parts of the text such as this passage describing the German officer after Morissot and Sauvage are thrown into the river: The officer, calm throughout, remarked, with grim humor: Its the fishes turnShow MoreRelatedWhat Is The Theme Of The Necklace By Guy De Maupassant1028 Words   |  5 Pages The Necklace†, by Guy de Maupassant First published in French in 1884, is a fabulous short story about unhappiness and being true to yourself. The story is about a woman, named Mathilide Loisel, who was a â€Å"prima donna† of sorts. However she could not have certain things that cost too much because she did not have the money to buy the items she longed for. 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