The story "Without a Family", a brief summary of which is present in this article, is the most famous work of the French prose writer Hector Malo. He wrote it in 1878. In France, this work has become a classic children's book, included in the school curriculum for compulsory reading.
Hector Little
Hector Malo himself wrote several popular works, but the most famous of them is the novel "Without a Family". Summary allows you to get acquainted with this work in detail.
The writer was a lawyer by birth, was born in a notary's family. He began his literary work with notes and magazine essays. Most of his works were intended to be read by teenagers. This is the novel "Romain Calbri", as well as the novel "In the Family", written in 1893.
Little was twice awarded by the French Academy, which greatly appreciated his work. He is remembered in the history of European literature as the author of the trilogy "Victims of Love."
Fate of Remy
The story "Without a Family", the brief content of which you are reading, consists of two parts. The protagonist is an 8-year-old boy named Remy. He lives in a small French village with his mother. She calls her mother Barberen.
Remy's father constantly lives and works in Paris. He is a mason. The boy does not remember that he ever came home. One day, his father, having received a serious injury at work, ended up in the hospital.
Mason Barberen and his family are virtually left without a livelihood. Remy's father sues the employer, hoping for a reward for the health spent. Wife has to part with a cow to pay lawyers. But as a result, Barberen loses to court and returns home crippled empty-handed.
Adopted child
At this moment, Remy finds out terribly unpleasant news. It turns out that he is not his own, but the adopted son of his parents. The novel “Without a Family” by G. Few describes in brief the suffering of a child.
Barberen found a five-month-old Remy right in the street. Nothing was known about the baby, because the tags were cut off from the clothes. He decided to take the boy home, with the hope that his family would soon be found. The summary of the story “Without a Family” describes interesting details. Apparently, Remy was from a wealthy family. This could be judged by the expensive clothes of the baby, in which he was picked up by Barberen. The mason hoped for a generous reward for the boy.
His wife at that time only gave birth, so she managed to feed two. But the son of Barberenov died in infancy, and Remy's parents were never found. Now that the family was almost ruined, his father demands that he be sent to a shelter.
Father sells son
A very brief summary of “Without a Family” tells us that instead of the shelter, Barberen decides to sell Remy. The buyer is a vagabond actor Vitalis, who acquires the boy as his assistant. Vitalis wanders around the country with three dogs and a monkey, making a living circus performances.
On the road with Vitalis, the boy has a difficult time. In a brief summary, “Without a Family,” Little writes that Remy was starving, suffering from a cold. But not because of the cruelty of Vitalis, but because of poverty. In fact, a wandering artist turns out to be a kind person who taught the main character to read and write. Remy sincerely loved him.
Performance in Toulouse
In a brief summary, “Without a Family,” Malo describes the arrival of artists in Toulouse. In this city, during a performance, the law enforcement officer demands that Vitalis put muzzles on his dogs. He refuses and goes to prison for two whole months. Remy is the actual owner of the troupe. He is inexperienced, earns virtually nothing and fasts with animals.
The key is the episode of the rehearsal on the river in a summary of "Without Family" by Hector Malo. A boy with animals is noticed by a woman who is sailing by on a yacht. With her is a child who is bedridden. Having learned the sad story of Remy, she allows him to stay and entertain her sick son Arthur.
The benefactress was the Englishwoman Mrs. Milligan. She tells Remy, in a brief summary of her book Without a Family, that her eldest son disappeared in obscure circumstances. It was a difficult period in her life - her husband lay dying. Therefore, the brother of her husband, who was not interested in the success of this business, undertook to find the child. If the boy was not found, he would inherit the title and fortune. But then a second child appeared in the Milligan family. He does not get out of bed due to a serious illness.
In a brief summary of “Without Family”, Hector Malo tells us that the boy remains on the yacht while Vitalis is in prison. Mrs. Milligan and Arthur fell in love with the boy, but he can not stay with them, because he is devoted to a wandering actor. Therefore, he soon set off on a journey full of hardships and wanderings.
Troupe is decreasing
In the story “Without Family,” a summary of which is given in this article, the heroes stop in the winter in the cabin of a lumberjack for the night. Two of their dogs disappear in the forest. Because of this, their already meager earnings are falling. In addition, a monkey dies from frost.
Remy and Vitalis with one dog come to Paris. Hector Malo's short story “Without a Family” tells that a wandering artist decides to leave the boy with his acquaintance Italian Garafoli, who can teach him how to play the harp.
By then, 10-year-old Mattia was already living with Garafoli. Mattia and Remy sing on the street for money, and give the proceeds to the teacher. If their earnings are small, Garafoli beats them and does not feed. Seeing all this, Vitalis takes Remy, they again have to wander together.
One night, the exhausted boy falls asleep from hunger and cold, and the gardener Aken finds him barely alive. He takes it to his closet, offers Remy to stay with him. The gardener has four children, and his wife died. Aken lives with two girls and two boys. The youngest Lisa is only four years old. Due to illness, she was speechless and still does not say anything.
The secret of Vitalis
In order to bury Vitalis, it is necessary to establish his identity and real name. To do this, the police, together with Remy and Aken, turn to Garafoli. It turns out that the wandering artist was actually called Carlo Balzani. Once he was one of the most famous and popular opera singers in all of Europe, but lost his voice, because of this he left the theater.
Left without work, he sank lower and lower. As a result, he became a dog trainer. Vitalis was very proud of his past, so he chose not to reveal the secret until his death.
Remy stays with Aken. He, along with the rest of the family, works diligently in the garden. The gardener himself and all his children are strongly attached to the boy. Especially with him is Lisa.
So two quite prosperous years pass. And then misfortune falls on the Aken family. A hurricane destroys almost all the flowers that a gardener sold. A man with children is left without a livelihood. Moreover, Aken has nothing to repay the loan that he took a long time ago, he goes to a debt prison for five whole years. Relatives take the children away, and the no-man Remy with his dog again becomes a vagabond artist.
The second part of the story
The second part of the story begins with the fact that Remy comes to Paris, where he meets Mattia. He says that Garafoli beat to death one of his students, now he is in prison. Therefore, Mattia also roams the streets in search of casual earnings. Friends decide to give joint concerts. Mattia conquers everyone with her violin playing, so their earnings immediately increase. In addition, he does not lose time, constantly goes to music lessons and improves his game. Remy dreams of making enough money to buy a mother, mother Barberen.
Money soon turns out to be enough, friends choose a cow and bring it to the Barberens. The adoptive mother of the protagonist all this time yearned for the boy. She tells him that her husband again went to Paris. Father Berberen there met a man who was looking for Remy on behalf of his family.
The mystery of Remy's birth
Arriving in Paris, friends find out that Barberen died, but he left a suicide note. It contains the address of Remy's real parents who live in London. Remy and Mattia go to England.
At the address indicated in the letter, Driscolls live. The spouses have four children, and grandfather constantly lives with them. They show complete indifference to the boy. Moreover, it turns out that only the father speaks French. He tells the main character that in infancy he was abducted by a girl who thus decided to take revenge on him for not marrying her at one time.
At night, Remy and Mattia are left to sleep in the barn. Friends pay attention that some people constantly come to the house, bring things that the Driscolls carefully hide. Mattia realizes that they are buying up stolen goods. Remy is horrified by this news, begins to suspect that he is not really their son.
Life in England
Driscolls do not live well, therefore, Mattia and Remy, in order to earn a living, start performing in the streets of London. Driscolls especially liked the dog friends. Parents demand that their sons go for a walk with her. And when once Remy himself went for a walk with her, the dog suddenly disappears, and soon returns with silk stockings in his teeth. Boys understand that their dog was taught to steal during this time.
Remy writes a letter to mother Barberen, in which she asks her to remember what the clothes in which they found him looked. He compares her testimony with what her father tells, the description of things completely coincides. Remy is desperate.
Somehow Mattia manages to eavesdrop on the conversation of a stranger who comes to Driscoll. It turns out to be the brother of Mrs. Milligan's late husband named James. This is Uncle Arthur. He says that thanks to the efforts of his mother Arthur managed to get better, now he can walk.
In the summer, Remy and Mattia set off with the Driscolls to trade around the country. At some point, friends flee to France. They are trying to track down Mrs. Milligan. On the way they find themselves in the village where Lisa should live. But she is not there. From her relatives they learn that Lisa was attached to a rich lady who constantly floats on the river on a yacht.
Remy's mother
Friends can only find Mrs. Milligan with her children in Switzerland. Lisa was healed and began to speak.
The guys are afraid of James Milligan, so only Mattia first meets with Mrs. Milligan. Friends themselves still live in a hotel. Soon Mrs. Milligan invites them to her, there is Mother Barberen. She has clothes with her in which Remy was found.
Mrs. Milligan officially announces that Remy is her eldest son, whom Driscoll stole by order of James Milligan.
Many years later, Remy lives happily with his mother. He married Lisa, they had a son, who was named Mattia. Mother Barberen is babysitting a baby. Friend Remy Mattia became a famous and successful musician. From time to time he comes to visit his friend, plays the violin for all those gathered. And their faithful dog, as in the old days, goes around everyone with a plate to collect money.
Thus ends this fascinating novel by Hector Malo.