Eugenie Grandet

Author: Balzac
Translator:
Country: France
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-01-01
Features: This book collects the translations of Balzac's two long novels, "Eugenie Grandet" and "Ysabel Mirouet," by Fu Lei. In the general index of "La Comédie Humaine," they belong to the "Etudes de M?urs" section under the "Life in the Provinces" column. "Eugenie Grandet" is a simple yet refined masterpiece. The old tinker Grandet, through speculation and hoarding, becomes the wealthiest man in the town of Saumur. He is stingy and places money above all else, to the extent that he drives away his nephew who comes to rely on him after his father's bankruptcy and suicide, torments Eugenie for giving her private savings to her cousin as traveling money, and abuses his wife to death for opposing his daughter's love with a fallen nobleman. All his joy lies in accumulating wealth, and when he dies, he leaves behind a vast fortune that does little to change his daughter's fate. The work portrays Grandet as a typical miser, exposing the purely financial relationships in bourgeois families.
"Eugenie Grandet" tells the story of a wealthy doctor who retires to his hometown and takes a young girl, Eugenie, as a companion for his old age. His several relatives, greedy and avaricious, scheme to seize the inheritance, spying and maneuvering, nearly sacrificing an innocent young girl in the process. Through a series of twists and turns, conflicts, and contradictions, the work shows how money dominates society, customs, and family relationships to an unprecedented degree.
One mid-November day in 1819, it was Eugenie's 23rd birthday. After dinner, the families of Cro?ets and Grassins rushed to Grandet's house to celebrate her birthday. The notary's nephew brought rare flowers, the banker's son presented a rare Cape Fig tree, which is seldom seen in Europe. Grandet, seeing this, realized they were after his money and muttered, "They all want my money, ha! My daughter, never: I'll use these people to fish for me!"
As they were playing cards, a sudden knock interrupted them. A handsome young man entered—Charles, Grandet's nephew, who was 23. At his father's request, he had come to Saumur for a few months. He had brought the finest hunting suits, guns, knives, and from Paris, along with a variety of exotic vests and stylish collars and ties that were in vogue at the time, as well as a set of magnificent gold grooming tools from his mother. Charles expected to meet hundreds of guests at his uncle's house and had planned to go hunting in the forest, living a life of nobility. However, everything disappointed him—his guests were disheveled, aged, and the house was dilapidated with simple furnishings and vulgar servants, and life was dull. Charles's arrival made Eugenie restless. She admired his hands, skin, and appearance, and was instantly captivated, unable to sleep. She began to dress up, putting on new socks and a noticeable new dress. Early the next morning, she asked Noémie to make cheese and pancakes for Charles. She also used her own savings to buy sugar for Charles's coffee.
Grandet, however, treated his nephew coldly. From the letters Charles brought, he learned that the bankruptcy of his broker and notary had left his brother with a debt of 4 million francs, forcing him to the brink of despair. His poor brother repeatedly begged his older brother to be Charles's guardian, generously supporting him so he could go to America to do business. True enough, the newspapers soon reported the bankruptcy and suicide of the Grandet in Paris. Charles, upon hearing the news, was devastated. Eugenie also shed tears of sympathy for her poor cousin. After that, she showed even more care for Charles, bringing him warmth and comfort.
Grandet, however, remained indifferent to his brother's death and was instead obsessed with his business. He seized the opportunity to sell 1,000 barrels of wine at 200 francs each, earning 200,000 francs, and cut down some timber in Arbouze, selling it for 600,000 francs, including the poplar trees, bringing his total income to 900,000 francs. Upon hearing that her father had made a fortune, Eugenie begged him to help Charles, but instead, she was scolded by her father: "If you think of him again, I'll send you to a convent." That night, Grandet spent the entire evening thinking about Charles's father's debt. The next day, he invited Cro?et for dinner. Afterward, he sent his wife and daughter to bed and began negotiations with Cro?et. Grandet feigned a stutter and, after some evasive talk, decided to have the Commercial Court intervene to prevent the bankruptcy of his brother in Paris, effectively closing the matter. The deal was quickly agreed upon, and the banker Grassin, eager to curry favor with Grandet, readily accepted the task and rushed to Paris to handle it.
At 11 p.m. that night, Eugenie quietly entered Charles's bedroom and found over a dozen letters on his bedside table. She couldn't resist reading his farewell letter to his lover in Paris, Adèle, and was instantly thrilled. She decided to give Charles nearly 6,000 francs of her savings. Charles was overwhelmed with gratitude and entrusted her with the jewelry box containing his mother's portrait. Afterward, Charles decided to go into business overseas and gave Grandet his gold chain, buttons, and rings to sell. Grandet gave him 1,500 francs in cash. Before leaving, Eugenie and Charles were even more reluctant to part, kissing and weeping, vowing their eternal love.
After Charles left, Eugenie felt an emptiness that was almost unbearable. She longed for her cousin every day and would open the jewelry box in the morning and evening to gaze at her aunt's portrait.
Unbeknownst to her, the New Year arrived, and Grandet, as usual, demanded that his daughter bring out all her gold coins for his admiration. Eugenie had to say the coins were gone. Her father flew into a rage, guessing she had given the coins to Charles, and raged at his daughter, deciding to lock her in her room, giving her only cold water and bread. Grandet's wife desperately pleaded with him, but it was to no avail. After this ordeal, Grandet's wife fell ill and her condition worsened daily. Yet Grandet remained as hard as steel, and only the mother and daughter comforted each other with prayers.
Grandet's confinement of his daughter soon spread, causing public outrage. The chief of police, Monsieur Poincaré, volunteered to take legal action, but Eugenie refused their help. The notary Cro?et told Grandet that if his wife died, according to the law, his property would be shared with his daughter. This news shocked Grandet. For the sake of his wealth, he decided to yield to his daughter. That night, Grandet entered his wife's room and, coincidentally, found his mother and daughter looking at the portrait of Charles's mother. Seeing the jewelry box, he snatched it as a tiger would seize a sleeping infant. Eugenie trembled with anger and grabbed a knife, saying she would kill herself if her father didn't return the box to her. Reluctantly, Grandet threw the box on the bed and embraced his daughter, agreeing to let her marry Charles.
In October 1822, Grandet's wife passed away peacefully. As soon as her body was cold, Grandet summoned Cro?et to have Eugenie sign a document renouncing her claim to the inheritance, leaving all the property under his control, with his daughter retaining only a nominal right. Eugenie, unaware of what she was signing, affixed her signature, and only then did Grandet rest assured.
By 1827, Grandet felt the approach of old age and had no choice but to involve his daughter in some management of his estates, asking her to consult Cro?et on any issues. By the end of the year, at the age of 83, Grandet suffered a mental breakdown and soon passed away. On his deathbed, he instructed his daughter to guard the gold: "Take good care of everything and account for it to me when I come to the other side."