Balzac "Gobseck": a detailed analysis of the story and the main character. Analysis of Balzac's "Gobsek" In the Viscountess's salon

“Gobsek” impresses with its deep meaning and moral background to the plot. This work is associated with Balzac’s novel “Père Goriot,” and some characters appear in other works of the French writer, for example, in the novel “The Human Comedy.”

History of creation

While working on a literary work, Balzac carefully formed the description of the characters, raised the problems that worried him and exposed the vices. Greed, vanity, and hypocrisy were always reproached by the author. In addition to the main idea of ​​the story, Balzac was thinking about how to give the work artistic sophistication. He tried to maintain the persuasiveness of the characterizations, to make sure that the characters collected in the ensemble of the work personified the author’s contemporary era.

The exact date of writing is disputed by historians. After the writer’s death, three editions of the work were found, to which he made changes over the course of 18 years. The basis for the story was the short story “The Moneylender,” written by Balzac to order for the magazine “Modnik”. It served as the basis for the first chapter of the work entitled “The Dangers of Dissipation.” In 1832 it was translated into Russian, and already in 1835 the public accepted the updated version of the story. The name was changed to “Papa Gobsek”, which readers associated with the name “Father Goriot”.

Balzac gave the story its current title in 1848, when, in a burst of inspiration, he returned to editing. He removed the soft address “dad”, deciding to introduce the reader to a rude and greedy money lender with an unusual biography.

In both versions of the story, Balzac denounced the victims of money and collateral, as well as those who had power over them in the form of bills. In Balzac's work, aristocrats and ordinary strata of the population are contrasted; those who are used to working without rest, and those who know how to spend gold, wasting their lives.

Art critics suggest that “Gobsek” is based on real events witnessed by the author of the work. The story is called autobiographical, seeing parallels with Balzac's personal life. The writer discusses in his works the meaning of money, condemning its all-consuming power. The drama conveyed by male and female characters, unpredictable collisions, and a high degree of moralism captivate anyone who gets acquainted with the work of Balzac in general and the story “Gobsek” in particular.

Biography

All the characters in the story are described in detail by the author and have detailed characteristics. Gobsek's appearance says a lot about the character. The old man with a yellowish, rounded face and unpleasant features does not inspire sympathy. The hero's nationality is hidden. His past is shrouded in mystery, but it is clear that the life of a moneylender was rich and varied. Gobsek argues that difficulties and grief make a person strong, and they also increase sensitivity.

Analysis of the hero suggests that in his youth he was a pirate. His stinginess and selfishness helped him accumulate some wealth, which he used by lending money at high interest rates. Because of his inaccessibility and severity, the old man was called the “golden image.” Gobsek was in demand among his community. After dividing “service areas” between the city’s moneylenders, he began working with aristocrats and representatives of the cream of society. Moreover, in any situation, no matter how delicate it was, he remained adamant in his decisions.

Gobsek is the personification of greed. The image combines romantic and realistic literary traditions. The character's appearance speaks of noble old age, sophistication with experience and worldly wisdom, and his actions make him a soulless money-making machine. The greater the moneylender's fortune became, the less humanity remained in him. The best professional in his field, he demonstrates a high degree of preparation for working with finance, foresight and insight.

A savvy moneylender deftly pulls off scams while remaining a diplomat. A businessman and an experienced businessman, the hero gives advice, invests money, benefiting society, but does not follow the lead of idleness. The character attracts with his honesty and philosophical outlook. All the arguments he voices are supported by experience from his past life.

Gobsek was a corsair cabin boy in his youth, traded in precious stones and slaves, and was in the service of the state. He was driven by the instinct of self-preservation, which allowed the hero to survive in difficult situations that he encountered in his career.

The end of the moneylender's life is amazing. His life was spent in hoarding, which brought neither pleasure nor benefit. Closer to death, the romantic nature took precedence over the rational grain, so Gobsek’s inheritance will go to his sister’s granddaughter.

Plot

The action begins with a conversation between Derville, Count Ernest de Resto and the Viscountess de Granlier in her salon. The daughter of a high-ranking person showed a clear affection for the count, for which she was reproached by her mother. Ernest, who did not have status and fortune, was an unfavorable match for her daughter. Hearing this dialogue, Derville cites as an example the story of Gobsek, which the reader perceives from his lips as from a storyteller.

The acquaintance of Derville and the moneylender has been going on for a long time. During this time, Gobsek gained confidence in the lawyer Derville and told a story about how he once collected a significant debt from a countess who found herself in a difficult situation. The woman was forced to pawn the diamonds, and the money went to her lover through a promissory note. The moneylender's hint that he would ruin the countess's family was not heard, but soon came true.

Later, the favorite of society, Maxime de Tray, who needed the help of a moneylender, turned to Derville for help. Gobsek refused to provide services, knowing about the handsome man’s debts. The previously designated countess again began to come to Gobsek, pawning jewelry. She did this for the sake of de Tray, who vilely threatened to commit suicide. The Countess's husband found out about the deal and nobly hid his wife's affair. This man was the father of Ernest de Resto, who fell in love with the Viscountess's daughter.

Some time later, the count fell mortally ill, and after his death the countess burned the will, thereby transferring the family property into the hands of Gobsek.

Derville was a mediator in the matter of returning the inheritance to Ernest de Resto, but the moneylender did not make concessions. The moneylender died in terrible conditions, becoming a hostage to his own stinginess and greed. The condition was returned to the rightful owner. The marriage of the Viscountess's daughter was organized not without the efforts of Derville.

Film adaptations

Works of classical literature became the first material used for visualization in cinema. The directors did not ignore Balzac. The first film based on the story “Gobsek” was released in 1936. It was directed by Soviet director Konstantin Eggert. The role of the main character was played by actor Leonid Leonidov. Alexander Shatov appeared in the image of Derville. It is curious that the director himself appears in the film as Count de Resto.

In 1987, director Alexander Orlov presented his own version of the story to the public. The film adaptation was prepared in the USSR, at the Moldova-Film studio. Gobsek was played by Vladimir Tatosov in the film. The role of Derville went to Sergei Bekhterev. The film became one of the first in the filmography to portray Countess de Resto on camera. The young Count de Resto was played by a theater director, while still a boy at that time.

Honore de Balzac is called the king of novelists. He managed to raise the genre of the novel to artistic perfection and give it social significance. But his shorter works are worthy of all praise. The story "Gobsek" is the best example of this.

"Gobsek"

The story was written in January 1830 and was included in the cycle of works “The Human Comedy”. The main characters in it were the moneylender Gobsek, the family of Count Resto and the lawyer Derville. The main theme of the story was passion. On the one hand, the main character studies human passions - for wealth, women, power, on the other hand, the author himself shows that even a wise person can be destroyed by an all-consuming passion for gold and enrichment. The story of this man can be learned from Balzac’s story “Gobsek”. Read the summary in this article.

In the Viscountess's salon

The lawyer Derville told about Gobsek in the Viscountess's salon. Once, the young Count Resto and he stayed with her late, who was received only because he helped her return the property confiscated during the revolution. When the count leaves, she reprimands her daughter that she should not show her affection to the count too openly, because no one will become related to the count because of her mother.

Of course, now nothing reprehensible was noticed about her, but in her youth this person behaved very imprudently. Her father was a grain merchant, but the worst thing is that she squandered all her fortune on her lover and left her children without money. The Count is very poor and not a match for Camilla. Derville, sympathizing with the lovers, intervened in the conversation and explained to the Viscountess how everything really was. Let's start with Derville's story and present a brief summary of Honore Balzac's "Gobsek".

Meet Gobsek

During his student years, he had to live in a boarding house, where he met Gobsek. This old man had a very remarkable appearance: yellow, ferret-like eyes, a long, sharp nose and thin lips. His victims threatened and cried, but the moneylender remained calm - a “golden image.” He did not communicate with his neighbors, maintained relations only with Derville, and somehow revealed to him the secret of power over people - he told him how he collected a debt from one lady.

Countess Resto

We will continue our retelling of the brief content of “Gobsek” by Honore de Balzac with the story of the moneylender about this countess. Her lover lent the money from the moneylender, and she, fearing exposure, handed the moneylender a diamond. Looking at the handsome young blond man, the future of the countess could easily be predicted - such a dandy could ruin more than one family.

Derville completed a law course and received a clerk's position in a solicitor's office. To redeem the patent, he needs one hundred and fifty thousand francs. Gobsek lent him money at thirteen percent, and through hard work with the moneylender, Derville managed to pay off in five years.

Deceived husband

Let us continue to consider the summary of “Gobsek”. Once Count Maxim asked Derville to introduce him to Gobsek. But the old moneylender refused to give him a loan, because a man who had three hundred thousand debts did not inspire confidence in him. After some time, Maxim returned with a beautiful lady, and the lawyer immediately recognized the same countess. The lady was going to give the moneylender the magnificent diamonds, and the solicitor tried to prevent this, but Maxim hinted that he would take his own life. The Countess agreed to enslaving conditions.

We continue the brief summary of “Gobsek” with the story of how, after they left, the Countess’s husband burst into Gobsek’s room demanding the return of the mortgage, explaining that his wife had no right to dispose of ancient family jewelry. The moneylender advised the count to transfer his entire fortune to a reliable person through a fictitious sale. So he could save his children from ruin.

After some time, the count came to the solicitor to find out about Gobsek. To which he replied that he would trust such a person as a moneylender even with his children. The Count immediately transferred his property to Gobsek, wanting to protect it from his wife and her young lover.

Count's disease

What will the summary of “Gobsek” tell us next? The Viscountess, taking advantage of the pause, sent her daughter to bed, because there was no need for a young girl to listen to the extent of debauchery that a woman who had violated known norms would reach. Camilla left, and Derville immediately said that the conversation was about Countess de Resto.

Soon Derville learned that the count himself was seriously ill, and his wife would not allow a lawyer to see him to finalize the deal. At the end of 1824, the Countess herself became convinced of Trai’s meanness and broke up with him. She cared so zealously for her sick husband that many were ready to forgive her for her unworthy behavior. In fact, the Countess was simply lying in wait for her prey.

The count, having not achieved a meeting with the solicitor, wants to give the documents to his son, but the countess does her best to prevent this. In her husband's last hours, she begs for forgiveness on her knees, but the count remained adamant - he did not give her the paper.

Death of a Moneylender

The summary of “Gobsek” continues with the story of how the next day Gobsek and Derville came to the count’s house. A terrifying sight opened before their eyes: the countess, not ashamed of the fact that there was a dead man in the house, committed a real pogrom. Hearing their steps, she burned the documents addressed to Derville, and thereby predetermined the fate of all the property: it came into the possession of Gobsek.

The moneylender left the mansion and began to spend his time like a lord in his new possessions. To Derville’s requests to take pity on the countess and children, he invariably answered: “Misfortune is the best teacher.”

When Resto's son finds out the value of the money, then he will return the property. Derville, having heard about the love of the young count and Camilla, went to the old man and found him dying. He bequeathed all his property to a relative - a public girl.

In presenting the summary of “Gobsek”, it should be noted that the old moneylender did not forget about Dervil - he instructed him to manage the supplies. Seeing the rotten and rotten food, the lawyer was convinced that Gobsek’s stinginess had turned into mania. That's why he didn't sell anything because he was afraid to sell it too cheap.

So the Viscountess has nothing to worry about: young Resto will regain his fortune. To which the Viscountess replied that Camilla did not have to meet her future mother-in-law.

The tragedy of Gobsek

In the center of Honore de Balzac's story "Gobsek", a summary of which is presented above, is a man who has accumulated a huge fortune, but is left completely alone at the end of his journey. Gobsek - that is the name of this hero - does not communicate with anyone, does not leave the house much. The only person he trusts is Derville. The moneylender saw in him a business friend, an intelligent interlocutor, and a good person.

The young lawyer, communicating with the old man, gains experience, asks for recommendations and advice. Observing the moneylender, Derville concluded that there were two people living in him: a vile and an exalted creature, a miser and a philosopher.

Life experience taught the old man to evaluate a person at first sight, to think and analyze. He often talked about the meaning of life. But with age, the passion for money still prevailed and gradually grew into worship. Sublime feelings grew into selfishness, greed and cynicism. If in his youth he dreamed of exploring the world, then by the end of his life his main goal became the hunt for money. But they did not bring him happiness; he died alone with his millions.

As can be seen from the summary of the chapters, Gobsek and his whole life are the tragedy not of an individual person, but of an entire system. Gobsek's life only confirms the well-known expression: happiness cannot be found in money. Using his example, Balzac showed what the thoughtless worship of specie leads to.

The lawyer Derville tells the story of the moneylender Gobsek in the salon of the Viscountess de Granlier, one of the most noble and wealthy ladies in the aristocratic Faubourg Saint-Germain. One day in the winter of 1829/30, two guests stayed with her: the handsome young Count Ernest de Resto and Derville, who was easily accepted only because he helped the owner of the house return property confiscated during the Revolution. When Ernest leaves, the Viscountess reprimands her daughter Camilla: one should not so openly show affection to the dear count, because not a single decent family would agree to become related to him because of his mother. Although now she behaves impeccably, she caused a lot of gossip in her youth. In addition, she is of low origin - her father was the grain merchant Goriot. But the worst thing is that she squandered a fortune on her lover, leaving her children penniless. Count Ernest de Resto is poor, and therefore not a match for Camille de Granlier. Derville, who sympathizes with the lovers, intervenes in the conversation, wanting to explain to the Viscountess the true state of affairs. He starts from afar: during his student years he had to live in a cheap boarding house - there he met Gobsek. Even then he was a deep old man of very remarkable appearance - with a “moon-like face”, yellow, ferret-like eyes, a sharp long nose and thin lips. His victims sometimes lost their temper, cried or threatened, but the moneylender himself always kept his cool - he was a “bill man,” a “golden idol.” Of all his neighbors, he maintained relations only with Derville, to whom he once revealed the mechanism of his power over people - the world is ruled by gold, and the moneylender owns gold. For edification, he talks about how he collected a debt from one noble lady - fearing exposure, this countess without hesitation handed him a diamond, because her lover received the money on her bill. Gobsek guessed the countess's future from the face of the blond handsome man - this dandy, spendthrift and gambler is capable of ruining the whole family.
After completing a law course, Derville received the position of senior clerk in a solicitor's office. In the winter of 1818/19, he was forced to sell his patent - and asked one hundred and fifty thousand francs for it. Gobsek lent money to the young neighbor, taking from him “out of friendship” only thirteen percent - usually he took at least fifty. At the cost of hard work, Derville managed to get out of debt in five years.
One day, the brilliant dandy Count Maxime de Tray begged Derville to introduce him to Gobsek, but the moneylender flatly refused to give a loan to a man who had three hundred thousand in debt and not a centime to his name. At that moment, a carriage drove up to the house, Count de Tray rushed to the exit and returned with an unusually beautiful lady - from the description, Derville immediately recognized her as the countess who had issued the bill four years ago. This time she pledged magnificent diamonds. Derville tried to prevent the deal, but as soon as Maxim hinted that he was going to commit suicide, the unfortunate woman agreed to the enslaving terms of the loan. After the lovers left, the Countess's husband burst into Gobsek's house demanding the return of the mortgage - his wife had no right to dispose of the family jewels. Derville managed to settle the matter peacefully, and the grateful moneylender gave the count advice: transferring all his property to a reliable friend through a fictitious sale transaction is the only way to save at least his children from ruin. A few days later the count came to Derville to find out what he thought about Gobsek. The solicitor replied that in the event of an untimely death, he would not be afraid to make Gobsek the guardian of his children, for in this miser and philosopher there live two beings - the vile and the sublime. The Count immediately decided to transfer all rights to the property to Gobsek, wanting to protect him from his wife and her greedy lover.
Taking advantage of the pause in the conversation, the Viscountess sends her daughter to bed - a virtuous girl has no need to know to what extent a woman can fall if she transgresses known boundaries. After Camilla leaves, there is no need to hide names anymore - the story is about Countess de Resto. Derville, having never received a counter-receipt about the fictitiousness of the transaction, learns that Count de Resto is seriously ill. The Countess, sensing a catch, does everything to prevent the lawyer from seeing her husband. The denouement comes in December 1824. By this time, the countess had already become convinced of the meanness of Maxime de Tray and broke up with him. She cares so zealously for her dying husband that many are inclined to forgive her for her past sins - in fact, she, like a predatory beast, lies in wait for her prey. The Count, unable to get a meeting with Derville, wants to hand over the documents to his eldest son - but his wife cuts off this path for him, trying to influence the boy with affection. In the last terrible scene, the Countess begs for forgiveness, but the Count remains adamant. That same night he dies, and the next day Gobsek and Derville appear in the house. A terrible sight appears before their eyes: in search of a will, the countess wreaked havoc in the office, not even ashamed of the dead. Hearing the steps of strangers, she throws papers addressed to Derville into the fire - the count’s property thereby becomes the undivided possession of Gobsek. The moneylender rented out the mansion, and began to spend the summer like a lord - in his new estates. To all Derville’s pleas to take pity on the repentant countess and her children, he answered that misfortune is the best teacher. Let Ernest de Resto learn the value of people and money - then it will be possible to return his fortune. Having learned about the love of Ernest and Camilla, Derville once again went to Gobsek and found the old man near death. The old miser bequeathed all his wealth to his sister’s great-granddaughter, a public wench nicknamed “Ogonyok.” He instructed his executor Derville to dispose of the accumulated food supplies - and the lawyer actually discovered huge reserves of rotten pate, moldy fish, and rotten coffee. Towards the end of his life, Gobsek's stinginess turned into mania - he did not sell anything, fearing to sell it too cheap. In conclusion, Derville reports that Ernest de Resto will soon regain his lost fortune. The Viscountess replies that the young count must be very rich - only in this case can he marry Mademoiselle de Granlier. However, Camilla is not at all obliged to meet with her mother-in-law, although the Countess is not barred from entering the receptions - after all, she was received at Madame de Beauseant’s house.

Viscountess de Granlier receives guests. She warns her seventeen-year-old niece against being too affectionate with the Comte de Resto - his mother, nee Goriot, has a bad reputation in the world. One of the guests, the lawyer Derville, who stayed up past midnight, offers to tell an interesting story.

The solicitor describes Gobsek, an old moneylender of vile appearance: a yellowish-pale face (like silver from which the gilding has peeled off), eyes small and yellow, like those of a ferret...

The moneylender was Derville's neighbor.

Morbidly greedy, the old man lived from hand to mouth, saving even on firewood. He also saved his emotions. Only sometimes, when the day was especially successful, he rubbed his hands contentedly and laughed silently.

He hated his heirs (or rather, heirs) - he was outraged by the very idea that his wealth could go to someone else. The news of the death of his sister's granddaughter (the Beautiful Dutchwoman) left him indifferent.

Gobsek professes his philosophy: everything is relative, everything is changeable. What is considered a sin in Paris is quite acceptable in the Azores. The only unshakable and unchanging good is gold. All the forces of humanity are concentrated in it.

Playing cards, love affairs? It's all empty. Policy? Art? The science? This is a lie.

Only the desire for gold is true. Gobsek owns gold - and can observe all the secrets of the world, remaining indifferent and calm. It is strange that this dry and cold man had a stormy youth, full of adventures: at the age of ten, his mother assigned him as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to the East Indies. Since then, Gobsek has experienced many terrible trials, which he did not tell anyone about.

Gobsek lends money at interest to desperate people, whom he calls “hunted deer.” One day, a moneylender told Derville about two women who signed the bills: the illustrious countess, the wife of a landowner, and the modest Fann Malvo.

Gobsek appeared at the countess's luxurious house in the morning, but was not received - the lady returned from the ball at three o'clock in the morning and would not get up before noon. Gobsek says that he will come at noon and leaves, enjoying soiling the carpets on the stairs with his dirty soles: let the wasteful rich feel the “clawed paw of Inevitability” on their shoulder!

Mademoiselle Fanny Malvo lived in a poor and dark courtyard-well. She left the money for the bill for Gobsek with the gatekeeper. But it is interesting for him to look at the debtor herself. I bet you're a pretty little twit!

The moneylender returns to the countess. She receives him in the boudoir, where an atmosphere of bliss and wealth reigns: “there was beauty in everything, devoid of harmony, luxury and disorder.” Gobsek admires the beauty and vitality of the countess, but at the same time he is filled with a vengeful feeling: “Pay for this luxury, pay for your happiness...” He gives the woman a deadline - until tomorrow noon. Suddenly the Count himself appears. Gobsek understands that the woman is completely in his hands. After all, the husband didn’t know anything about his wife’s loans! And she spent the money on the whims of her young lover. Scared to death, the Countess gives Gobsek a diamond in exchange for the bill.

In the courtyard, the moneylender sees the grooms of the count couple cleaning the horses and washing the carriages. Gobsek thinks with contempt: “In order not to get their patent leather boots dirty, these gentlemen are ready to plunge headlong into the mud!”

On the way, the old man encounters a handsome blond man - the countess's lover. And only in his face and manners does the wise miser see his entire biography: he will ruin both the countess and her family, and will move on, unburdened by conscience, in search of expensive pleasures. The moneylender goes to Fanny again. Her small apartment is simply decorated, but extremely clean. The girl works as a seamstress, working without straightening her back. Fanny herself is a sweet young girl, dressed sparsely, but with the grace of a Parisian. “She emanated something good, something truly virtuous...”

This is how Gobsek has fun: observing the innermost bends of the human heart. People for the moneylender are actors who give a performance for him alone.

For the lawyer Derville, the figure of the old man grows into a fantastic personification of the power of gold. Let us not forget that at the time described, Derville was young. The story of Fanny Malvo fascinated him. He found a girl, showered her with attention and eventually married her.

Young Derville buys a law office, for which he takes one hundred and fifty thousand francs from Gobseck at fifteen percent - in installments over ten years. The old scoundrel promises his young acquaintance to supply clients: this way he will earn more and, therefore, will be able to pay.

The solicitor managed to win the case for the return of the Viscountess de Granlier's real estate - this ensured his friendship with a noble lady, brought him success and new clientele. Fanny's uncle, a wealthy farmer, left her an inheritance, which helped the couple pay off their debts.

One day Derville went to a bachelor party, where fate brought him together with the Marquis de Tray: an empty, brilliant socialite. At the feast, everyone got pretty tipsy, and de Tray “completely bewitched” Derville, extracting from him a promise to take the Marquis to Gobsek the next morning. A certain “decent woman” urgently needed to get a large sum of money. This case involved gambling debts, bills to the coachman, some kind of embezzlement and a jealous husband.

The Marquis himself was in a quarrel with Gobsek and, as agreed, he came to Derville in the morning so that the lawyer could reconcile the old moneylender and the young rake. The Marquis boasts of his acquaintances with influential, rich and noble people, promises to definitely repay the debt, but the old man is cold: he knows how much debt this dandy has. De Trai promises to bring a decent deposit.

The Marquis brings to Gobsek one of the daughters of the old man Goriot - the same countess whom Gobsek once visited in order to collect a debt. The Countess feels unhappy and humiliated. This is so clearly reflected in her behavior that Derville feels sorry for her.

In exchange for the required amount, Gobsek is offered diamond jewelry - with the right to buy it back. Jewelry fascinates the old miser. He examines them with a magnifying glass, admiring them out loud. Gobsek does not miss his benefit: he refuses to take diamonds with the right of redemption, he gives for them much less than their real value, and a little less than half - with bills from the Marquis de Tray. These hopeless bills (it is unlikely that the Marquis will ever pay them!) were bought by Gobsek for next to nothing. Derville in a whisper invites the countess not to make a deal, but to “fall at her husband’s feet.” But the desperate woman gives her jewelry to a moneylender.

After she leaves, the indignant count bursts into Gobsek’s room, he demands the return of the diamonds, threatening to go to court - after all, according to the laws of that time, a woman depends on her husband for everything. Gobsek answers the count that in court the famous name will only be discredited, but nothing can be proven. In the end, the count leaves Gobsek a receipt, where he undertakes to pay eighty-five thousand francs for the diamonds (five thousand more than the moneylender gave to the countess).

The moneylender allows himself to give the count advice: the countess is so seductive and so wasteful that she will quickly squander her entire fortune. If the count is concerned about the fate of his children, then it is better for him to transfer his fortune to the name of some reliable friend. Otherwise, all the money will be squandered by mom and her dear friends. The Count fictitiously, with the support of Derville, transfers his property to Gobsek.

At this point in Derville's story, Camille's mother sends her to bed. Derville can now not hide the name of Count de Resto in his story! This is the father of the very young man to whom Camilla is so partial.

The count fell ill from his experiences. The hypocritical countess, under the guise of concern for the patient, arranges surveillance of him and almost round-the-clock duty: she needs to find out where the count hides his money. She feared that de Resto would not leave anything to his younger children - after all, he is not biologically their father. The Countess finally lost her mind: she realized how cold and selfish de Tray was. She is trying to atone for her guilt before the younger children, taking care of giving them an excellent education. A confused woman sees an enemy in a lawyer. She does not allow him to go to the dying count. How can Derville pick up Gobsek’s receipt certifying that the transfer of property is false? The Count guesses to give his youngest son Ernest a sealed envelope with a request to put the papers in the mailbox. Ernest's mother lies in wait and begins to extort a secret from him. The Count staggers out of the bedroom and accuses the Countess: she is a sinful woman, a bad daughter, a bad wife! She will be a bad mother too! The unfortunate de Resto dies, and the countess burns the papers in the fireplace. This is a terrible mistake! Now Gobsek has the right to all the count's property. The moneylender rents out his mansion, and he himself settles on his estates, where he feels like a master: he repairs roads, mills, and plants trees.

He becomes a member of the commission for the liquidation of property of the French of the former colony - Haiti. They bring him gifts - he does not disdain either a basket of goose pate or silver spoons. His Paris apartment becomes a warehouse. At the end of his life, the old man falls into madness: the food is spoiled, everything is covered with mold, some of the silver is half-melted in the fireplace... He bequeathed all his enormous wealth to the great-granddaughter of the Beautiful Dutchwoman - the girl “went from hand to hand” from poverty and is known in the quarters of Paris under the nickname “Spark.” "...

However, the property of the young Count de Resto Derville managed to defend. So Ernest is a worthy match for Camille.

The Viscountess condescendingly promises to “think about it”...

Parisian society after the Restoration was a rather motley society. The largest bourgeois tycoons, at the price of gold and marriage contracts, penetrated among the hereditary aristocrats, who were constantly in need of their capital. “Blue bloods,” obsessed with the power of money and the thirst for luxury, willingly sacrificed their dubious aristocratic principles for the sake of “big money,” allowing the newly-minted nobility into their circle. This phenomenon, characteristic of the Parisian light of the Restoration era, was masterfully reproduced by Balzac on the pages of the story “Gobsek”. “Mr. de Resto must be very rich for a family like ours to agree to intermarry with his mother,” says Viscountess de Granlier, quite in the spirit of her time. Only in this case does the hereditary aristocratic family agree to admit into its circle a young nobleman, in whose veins flows the blood of the vermicelli maker Goriot.

Representatives of this society make up the main clientele of the moneylender Gobsek. Holding the fates of many of them in his hands, he at the same time understands that in their eyes the moneylender is a creature of a lower order, whose services are sought only in cases of extreme necessity. Seeing the insignificance of these people, the pitiful helplessness of their claims to moral superiority and exclusivity, covered with aristocratic arrogance, Gobsek stands before them with noble dignity. In response to Maxim de Tray's insult, he calmly takes out his pistols and, as an equal, invites the secular dandy to fight, while enjoying his fright.

Having a great understanding of people, he evaluates them accurately and quickly. When he first saw Maxime de Tray, Gobsek “read on his face the whole future of the Countess” de Resto. Maxime de Tray and Countess de Resto are “ready to plunge headlong into the mud” for the sake of money. Even Gobsek is disgusted by them.

“Idol of the world” Maxime de Tray for Gobsek is just “a subject inspiring... contempt, a know-it-all and a complete ignoramus,... a brute, more stained with dirt than stained with blood.” Calling Maxime de Tray “a brilliant connecting link between the inhabitants of hard labor and people of high society,” Balzac with deadly irony lists the “advantages” of this idol of the Parisian salons: “He wears a tailcoat inimitably, he inimitably rides horses drawn by a train. And how Maxim plays cards, how he eats and drinks! You won't see such elegance of manners in the whole world. He knows a lot about racehorses, fashionable hats, and paintings. Women are crazy about him. He squanders a hundred thousand a year, but it is not heard that he has a run-down estate or at least some kind of rent. This is an example of a knight errant of our time - he wanders through the salons, boudoirs, boulevards of our capital...”

However, these two antipodes - Gobsek and Maxime de Tray - are tightly bound together by strong ties of social relations. And in fact, the moneylender has nothing to object to the cynical remark that Maxim de Tray throws in Gobsek’s face: “If it weren’t for the spendthrifts, what would you do? You and I are necessary for each other, like soul and body.”

The power of gold in the world in which they live determines their characters and relationships. But for Gobsek, at least until he falls into senile insanity, money is just a commodity that allows him to buy everything. For the hereditary nobleman Maxime de Tray, money is something for which one can profitably sell even oneself. Therefore, he is confident in himself as long as he knows that they want to buy him. And as long as there is a demand for people like him in high society, “his bills will always be paid.”

The thirst for luxury and pleasure drives these noble gentlemen to the moneylender. This thirst “forces them to steal millions in a dignified manner, to sell their homeland,” Gobsek states with contempt. And this same insatiable thirst turns out to be stronger than any, even the most sacred, feelings. A magnificent beauty, an elegant society lady, Countess Anastasi de Resto, reminiscent of “one of the beautiful Herodias by Leonardo da Vinci,” amazes the reader with the contrasting discrepancy between external beauty and internal emptiness. Her selfishness and arrogance, immorality and cruelty towards members of her own family evoke in Gobsek a vengeful feeling of satisfaction when, in the countess’s house, he utters his internal monologue: “Pay for all this luxury, pay for your title, pay for your happiness... to protect their property, the rich invented tribunals, judges, the guillotine... But for you, for people who sleep on silk and cover themselves with silk, there is something else: reproaches of conscience, gnashing of teeth hidden by a smile, chi-measures with like a lion's mouth, piercing its fangs into your heart." Material from the site

The ghost of poverty drives Countess de Resto into a frenzy. Where does her supposed good manners, sophistication, and high-society manners go when, in search of documents that could deprive her of her fortune, she turns into a fury, ready for any meanness. “As soon as the count gave up his breath, his wife broke open all the cabinets, all the drawers of the desk, and the carpet around her was thickly covered with scraps of torn letters, boxes were broken, briefcases were cut - her daring hands were rummaging everywhere... The corpse of Count de Resto lay face down, head to the wall, hanging over the bed, contemptuously thrown away, like one of those envelopes that was lying on the floor, for it was now just an unnecessary shell... The pillow had been thrown off, and the print of a woman’s shoe was still visible on it.”

The scene in the office of the deceased count is Balzac’s merciless verdict on the inner emptiness that people around Countess de Resto and Maxime de Tray are trying to cover up with noble origin and “in a dignified manner” with stolen millions. The words of the late count also turned out to be prophetic in relation to Countess de Resto: “You were a bad wife, a bad daughter, you will be a bad mother...”

By placing representatives of the nobility next to the bourgeoisie in his story, Balzac brilliantly showed not only their mutual antagonism, but also their mutual interest in each other’s existence. The brilliant artist realistically accurately reflected in the artistic images of the story the essence of the relationships that determined the appearance of the Restoration era in France.

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On this page there is material on the following topics:

• How do Gobsek clients see him?
• Characteristics of the image of Anastasia de resto
• Maxime de Trai Gobsek characteristics
• Gobsek's monologue
• image of Countess Anastasi de resto