Georges Durois Who is it?
Most likely, you know his name - the name of a charming and depraved adventurer, playboy and unscrupulous seducer; the name of a poor retired military man who seeks to break out into people and has achieved his brazen, shameless goal. This is a dear friend, Georges Durois, whose name is a symbol of a self-serving seducer and voluptuous ambitious man.
Did such a person really live? Georges Durois is the protagonist of the French writer Guy de Maupassant's novel "Dear Friend". And although this is a fictional character, one can only imagine how many prototypes and prototypes he had, not to mention imitators and followers.
What did the French writer want to show with his priceless work? What is noteworthy is the characteristic of Georges Durois in the novel "Dear Friend"? And is there any justification for his causeless actions and actions? Let's try to figure it out.
Social issues of the novel
Events in the "Sweet Friend" take readers to France, during the Third Republic. What is the society of that time focused on?
Most people have lost their spiritual core. They see happiness and prosperity only in money and noble origin. If you are a nobleman, you can do anything. And if you are rich, the impossible is possible for you. Unfortunately, Georges Durois, the hero of the novel "Dear Friend," adheres to this principle.
Surrounding people dictate their conditions to him. A society corrupted by wealth loses its moral character and forgets conscience. Women, both rich and poor, sell themselves in order to acquire wealth and luxury. Men look at the opposite sex only from an egoistic point of view. Mothers and fathers are ready to sacrifice the happiness of their children in order to strengthen their personal material and financial affairs.
To all this, secular society suffers from the absence of any moral and ethical principles. Carnal love drives the majority of the representatives of the aristocracy, for them the satisfaction of their physical desires and pleasures is at the forefront of all worries and concerns. Adultery, brothels and promiscuous sexual relations no longer surprise or puzzle anyone.
People live only in order to satisfy their bodily desires, ignoring the opinion of moral canons and the happiness of those around them. Durois has the same attitude to morality.
Moral
From the very first pages of the novel, Georges Durois (in French - Zhorzh Dyurua) appears to the readers as an example of an insatiable and dissolute voluptuous man. For him, a woman is not a person who needs to be loved and needs to be taken care of, but an object of his greedy lust, which should be used as soon as possible for his own purposes. By the way, most of the women with whom Duroi communicates themselves go this slippery path and want to be used.
The sensual, animal revelry that Georges Durois indulges in is the satisfaction of his primary need (along with the needs for food and clothing), so the protagonist does not feel remorse, following his own lust.
Without hesitation, he uses his base passions to get out of poverty and wretchedness. He shamelessly plays with women, looking at them as a means of his enrichment and climbing the social ladder.
Having a little understanding of the social issues of the novel, let's now briefly get acquainted with its content. This will help us see the image of the main character from the inside, in his actions and relations with other characters.
Description of Durois
Georges Durois is a charming young man, with his graceful figure and handsome face, he can be liked and admired. He is the offspring of poor peasants, trying by any means to break into the light.
The main character is ambitious and double-minded, seductive and beautiful. However, with the help of his appearance, he cannot achieve prosperity and universal recognition.
In addition to his pretty appearance, Durois no longer has anything - he has no mind, no talents, no connections and, naturally, no money. However, there is a great desire to have them.
old friend
So, the main character works for pennies and dreams of the best, wandering around Paris unfamiliar to him. He is hot and stuffy, and he has no money even for a glass of beer. However, he still, tirelessly and without regrets, wanders through the streets of the city in search of an opportunity. What is this case? Could it be a meeting with a rich stranger?
Be that as it may, wealthy ladies do not pay attention to the poorly dressed man. You can not say about the poor and destitute courtesans. One of them - Rachel, loses her head from the charming provincial and gives him almost free, awakening in his soul a desire to charm and use women in love with him.
Duroy is still waiting for the opportunity to meet a wealthy aristocrat, but meets only ... an old friend. This meeting radically changes the life and future of the protagonist.
Charles Forestier is a former colleague of Georges in Algeria. However, life in the capital benefited him - he gained weight, acquired the fashionable profession of a journalist, and acquired money. Charles treats Durois with a glass of beer and invites him to his social dinner in order to impress the right people.
Apparently, the main character does not feel any friendly feelings for Forestier. The concepts of partnership are alien to him, but he understands that a prosperous journalist may be useful to him.
Dinner
At the party, Georges tries to please all the participants in the celebration, and he succeeds. He kisses little Lorina, and then the girl’s mother, Clotilde de Marelle, is imbued with sympathy for him. Duroy impresses Forestier's wife, Madeleine, as well as the wealthy newspaper owner Walter and his wife.
The first time the protagonist can make his way: Walter makes him an order for an essay on soldier's life, Madeleine selflessly composes a story in his place, the essay is approved by the editor and published. Georges was also given a new task, however ...
Pen samples
He has no writing talent. Forestier is denied the help of Durois, he writes an essay on his own, but the newspaper rejects it. After suffering, George decides to become a reporter, not a writer. In this business, you need not talent, but perseverance, charm and arrogance.
As a reporter, the protagonist conquers Walter and begins to earn a considerable amount of money. He rotates in higher circles, he manages to live better and richer. But still…
Not only Duroi’s income is growing, but his desires too. A young man cannot remain in the shadow of rich and noble acquaintances. He himself wants to live in luxury and reverence, to dress with chic and eat expensive dishes.
Constant lover
What should a pretty dodgy reporter do in order to achieve his goal? He decides to find an additional source of income - Madame de Marelle.
Young woman is a spectacular bright brunette. She rarely sees her husband and is constantly bored. In Durois, Clotilde finds reflection of herself. She is just as risky as he is, just as artistic and desperate.
Relations with Georges begin with a petty, unobtrusive affair, but end with a burning, all-consuming passion, which is destined to last the whole life of the main characters. Madame de Marelle plunges headlong into carnal pleasures, giving herself all over to a new feeling. She rents an apartment to meet with a fiery lover, gives him small, but significant amounts.
Realizing that the Cute Friend has other women, Clotilde is very angry and jealous, but at the same time forgives Duroy again and again. She cannot imagine life without this charming adventurer, she becomes his slave and servant.
Using the money and gifts of his mistress, the young man does not experience a twinge of conscience or regret. He pretends to be borrowing from her, but realizes that he will never return it.
Relations with Madeleine
Interesting and multifaceted relations between Georges and the wife of his friend Forestier. Going to take revenge on a former comrade, Duroy is trying to seduce his wife. However, she immediately saw through an unknown young reporter and offered him ... friendship. And she even advised me to try to win the heart of Mrs. Walter.
However, soon Madeleine's husband dies, and a pretty widow marries Duroy. Their marriage is not the union of two lovers, but the agreement of two adventurers who are trying to improve their social status. Madeleine invents a title for her husband, writes articles for him, and obtains an honorary order from her lover. She is a real support and a fighting friend who knows how to seduce and shine in secular society, giving thoughtful, wise advice.
The marriage of Madeleine and Georges is an example of a typical secular marriage of that time, based not on feelings and tenderness, but on reason and mutual benefit.
Virginia Walter
However, Georges Durois is not satisfied with his life together with Madeleine, no matter what golden mountains she promises. He needs everything at once, he does not want to accumulate wealth slowly and gradually.
Other women can help with this. Initially, the main character seduces Mrs. Walter, an aging God-fearing lady, the wife of her boss and patron. As you can see, the protagonist has no framework of decency, feelings of gratitude or subordination.
Virginia is not easy to fall - she fights with herself for a long time, doubts and worries for a long time. And finally, inferior to George’s persistent persuasion and becomes his mistress. She betrays her husband, telling her dear friend about his mysterious plans, she earns him money and jewelry.
But a relationship with a mature woman is not interesting to the unprincipled Durois. He quickly loses interest in his passion and, despite her protests and jealousy, continues to visit Clotilde.
Second marriage
How does Durois become rich and independent? The young man decides to remarry, but this time choose a bride with a large and impressive dowry. The choice of Georges falls on Suzanne Walter - a stupid and innocent eighteen-year-old beauty.
Durois toughly seeks a divorce from Madeleine and takes away half of her fortune without feeling a bit of conscience before the one who did so much for his well-being!
Then the protagonist cynically seduces the daughter of his former mistress Virginia, thereby forcing the parents to agree to this dishonorable marriage.
Finally, the young man’s desire came true - he took several millions as a dowry. Now he will no longer feel neither heat nor stuffiness, and will never be thirsty for beer. But will he be happy?
Influence
As you can see, the image of Georges Durois is very complex and multifaceted. It creates a storm of negative emotions and contempt, and yet causes sympathy and sympathy. After all, Georges Durois is only a consequence of the spiritual decay of the whole nation, the moral decline and moral corruption of the whole society.
It is noteworthy that the type of the protagonist does not leave anyone indifferent. They judge and interpret a lot about him, they set him up as an example and blame him.
It is interesting that the character of the Cute Friend found its reflection in modern music. Who was impressed by the shamelessness and insolence that Georges Durois was famous for? "Chizh" (Sergey Chigrakov) in his song composition mentioned the name of the main character of the novel along with drunkards, drug addicts and unrecognized talents.