
The story revolves around a wealthy merchant who has a son with a similar name. The father's business is failing and he sees his son as a means to secure his financial future. He arranges for the son to marry a woman of good social standing, but the son is unhappy in the marriage and feels trapped by his family obligations.
By Guy De Maupassant · First published 1881 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Drama, Tragedy · 3 chapters · 5,430 words
In front of the building, half farmhouse, half manor house -- one of those semi-feudal country dwellings of mixed character now occupied by wealthy farmers -- the dogs chained to the apple trees in the courtyard were barking and howling at the sight of the bags carried by the gamekeepers, and at the mischievous boys. In the large dining room-kitchen, Hautot and his son, M. Bermont the tax-collector, and M. Mondarn the notary, were having a bite and a mouthful of wine before they went out shooting, for it was the first day of the season.
Hautot and his Son is listed on Textopian as a novel by Guy De Maupassant, dated 1881 CE.
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French Literature · Realism · Psychological Fiction · Family Drama · Social Commentary · Class Conflict · Father-Son Relationship · Coming of Age · Moral Ambiguity · Philosophical Themes · Existential Crisis · Human Nature