The Umbrella PDF - Themes and Plot Summary

# The Umbrella ## Themes - The story "The Umbrella" is written by Henry Keng Albert Guy de Maupassant. - Themes include: - Greed in middle class ladies - Fear of loss of control - Determination - Dominance - Control - Loss ## Plot Summary - The story begins with the introd...

# The Umbrella ## Themes - The story "The Umbrella" is written by Henry Keng Albert Guy de Maupassant. - Themes include: - Greed in middle class ladies - Fear of loss of control - Determination - Dominance - Control - Loss ## Plot Summary - The story begins with the introduction of the middle-class couple, Madame Orielle and Monsieur Prielle - Madame Orielle is a frugal soul who is overly concerned with saving money - Monsieur Orielle is a head clerk at the war office and works hard to respect his wife's wishes. - The couple is comfortably off and has no children. - Monsieur Orielle's umbrella is in bad condition, making him the subject of ridicule at the office. - He asks Madame Prielle to buy him a new umbrella. - She reluctantly buys him a new umbrella for eight francs from an advertising company. - Just three months later, the umbrella is in such bad condition he threatens to quit his job unless she buys him another one made of the finest silk. - Despite her disapproval, she purchases him a new umbrella for eighteen francs. - After buying the new umbrella, Madame Orielle gives her husband instructions on how to keep it safe. - She emphasizes that he had better take care of it because she will not buy him another one in a hurry. - She even tells him that she will not buy him a new one for at least five years. - This illustrates the greediness in middle-class society and the difficulty of getting money from Madame Orielle. - She always thinks about different ways of saving money. - When Monsieur Orielle brings the new umbrella back to the office, his colleagues stop making fun of him. - On the same evening, Madame Orielle asks her husband to show her the umbrella. - Upon seeing the umbrella, she notices a hole and becomes very upset. - She criticizes her husband, saying that it is not acceptable for a married person to be careless with something like an umbrella. - She claims he is innocent and doesn’t know how it happened, though. - She continues to blame Monsieur Orielle for the poor condition of the umbrella even though he knows nothing of the situation. - These events show the hollowness in their relationship. - The author illustrates that in middle-class society money is often more important than relationships. - This story also highlights the greediness of middle-class people and the manipulative nature of Madame Orielle. - It also illustrates the themes of control. - It is clear that Monsieur Orielle is completely dependent on his wife and that she has full control over him. - She is also controlling, as she dominates him. She does not allow Monsieur Orielle to spend money without her permission. - She is strict with her husband, and she tells him that he will not get a new umbrella if this one is broken. - The theme of loss is present in the story as well. - Monsieur Orielle is worried about the loss of money that his wife spent on the umbrella. - He is willing to go to any length to get that money back. - He is very upset about the condition of his umbrella because it affected his social standing. - He was so affected by the bad condition of the umbrella that he even says to his husband to take the servant’s umbrella to the office. - The story also deals with them of determination. - This characteristic can be seen in both characters. - Monsieur Orielle is determined to get a new umbrella to avoid ridicule in the office, and Madame Orielle is determined to get her husband a new umbrella. - She is also determined to make sure that a claim is filed for the damage to the umbrella. - She fabricates a story about how the umbrella got damaged and blames the company. - As a result, Madame Orielle eventually gets her way, as the insurance company agrees to pay for a new one. - In the end, the author shows how the themes of greed, control, loss and determination are clearly seen in this couple.