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Analysis Of A Piece Of String By Guy De Maupassant

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“A piece of string, a piece of string, -look- here it is, M’sieu’ the Mayor” (Maupassant, 38). These are a dying man’s last words as he continues to try to prove his innocence. A Piece of String was written by Guy de Maupassant in the 19th century. I think the descriptive imagery, theme, and irony are very important attributes in this story. The theme of this story is once a person has been accused of something, they will never be innocent again. This short story is full of irony and descriptive imagery that make the story more interesting. I chose this story because I liked the message behind it that a person will always be guilty in other’s eyes once they have been accused of something wrong.
Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 in the French providence of Normandy. Growing up, he became indifferent to religion. He was kicked out of seminary school for poor behavior. In 1867, Maupassant met Flaubert, a novelist who became his literary mentor. He imitated Flaubert’s style, but later he began to explore the themes of the tragic effect of war and occupation on French society. Maupassant is known for his descriptive writing which paints an image of what life was like in France in the 19th century. He joined the French army in 1870 and volunteered his time during the Franco-Prussian War. Later in his life he struggled with physical and mental health. Maupassant died from syphilis on July 6, 1893. Maupassant explores everyday life and ordinary relatable people in his writings. He is a naturalist writer and is considered to be the best French short story writer. (Campion)
A Piece of String is about a poor peasant that was accused of stealing a pocketbook in the market. Maître Hauchecorne was seen picking up a piece of string which was mistaken for the pocketbook. The peasant tried to explain that he was innocent, and nobody believed him. This man was innocent and even after the pocketbook was returned by another man, people continued to accuse him of theft. This caused him much despair because nobody believed him that he was a good and innocent man. This false accusation led him to much misery which caused his mind to weaken. He became very delirious as he continued to try to convince others of his

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