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Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant: Summary | Questions and Answers | Class 11 English
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
GLOSSARY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT STORY
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
This short story, "Two Little Soldiers," is a triangular love story that has been written by a French writer, Guy de Maupassant. This story was initially published in French in the year 1885.
The story is about a bizarre triangular love that has a completely unexpected result at the end. This story has shown the compatibility of friendship and romantic love with change, discontent, conflict, betrayal, and jealousy. This story has presented various flaws in triangular love relationships.
MAIN THEMES
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
The main theme of this story is betrayal and jealousy in a friendship. Here in this story, we find the tragic end of an innocent friend due to his friend's betrayal.
Apart from this, we find themes in the story such as change, discontent, conflict, love etc.
SETTING
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
This story has presented the setting of Courbevoie, a town on the outskirts of Paris in the French countryside. Although there is no combat in the story, there is war going on.
We find the setting of the town's barracks, the long way up to Bezons, Bezons's bridge, and small woods.
WRITING STYLE
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
In this story, the writer has applied a very realistic style of writing. Most of his writings include events related to soldiers and war because he had spent his life in the army. He even preferred to write about love affairs.
The writer has used psychological realism in his writing style. With the help of this style, he is able to present humans' psychological realism, due to which humans suffer a lot and regret their deeds. In the story, the writer has presented his characters as unhappy victims of their greed, desires, jealousy, betrayal, pride etc.
CHARACTERS IN THE STORY
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
The main characters here in this story are two French soldiers named Luc Le Ganidec and Jean Kerderen. Both of them are quite good friends with each other. Among them, Jean Kerderen is a bit quiet and shy, whereas Luc Le Ganidec is carefree and open-minded. They mostly spend their holidays together. Their friendship turns into jealousy and betrayal due to the entry of the milkmaid. The entry of a girl into their friendship brings an unexpected and tragic result at the end. Jean loses his life at the end of the story.
DETAILED SUMMARY
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
CHARACTERS' WEEKEND
Both soldiers, Luc Le Ganidec and Jean Kerderen, were quite good friends with each other. Among them, Jean Kerderen was a bit quiet and shy, whereas Luc Le Ganidec was carefree and open-minded. Every Sunday, both of them spent their holiday away from their barracks out in the countryside. They enjoyed their holidays in a little wood, which was located at the end of the Bezons. During their journey towards Bezons, they used to walk so fast without chatting. They would stop for several minutes at Bezons's bridge to enjoy the river Seine and its white, surging sails. They would bend over the railing of the bridge to enjoy the view of the river. This particular river reminded them of their home. They would buy their essential provisions, like bread, wine, sausages, etc., from stores after moving across the bridge. Finally, after crossing the village, they would reach a little forest, the area that reminded them of their homeland, Plounivon. Both of them would enjoy themselves a lot in that peaceful environment, quite away from the noise of the town.
ENTRY OF A YOUNG MILKMAID
One day, both soldiers met a young milkmaid who was taking her cow to pasture. Next Sunday, the milkmaid talked to them while moving along with her cow. When she returned, she shared her cow's milk with them. They talked again about various things. She promised to meet both of them the following Sunday.
The next weekend, Jean Kerderen suggested to Luc Le Ganidec that they should provide a present to the milkmaid. Both of them decided and bought a bonbon for her. When they met her the next Sunday, they became quite shy about telling her about the present. Finally, Luc Le Ganidec revealed to her about the present, and Jean Kerderen provided her with bonbon chocolate. She became quite happy to receive candy from the soldiers. As the weeks passed, the milkmaid became the topic of conversation for both soldiers in the barracks. Every time, they used to talk about her. After more meetings, these three people became quite good friends with each other. The milkmaid also started providing them with breakfast items in their meetings.
DECEITFUL MOVE BY LUC LE GANIDEC
Luc Le Ganidec started leaving the barracks time and again. He left the barracks on Tuesday and returned quite late. He left the barracks again on Friday. He borrowed money from Jean Kerderen but offered him no explanations related to his leave. He kept on leaving the barracks for several hours in the daytime and returned to the barracks during the night. Jean didn't know about Luc's activities outside the barracks.
JEAN KERDEREN'S JEALOUSY & HEARTBROKEN STATE
Next Sunday, when the girl appeared with her cow, she became quite happy to see Luc Le Ganidec. She rushed up to Luc Le Ganidec. She embraced and kissed Luc Le Ganidec. She didn't pay attention to Jean Kerderen. Both Luc Le Ganidec and the milkmaid disappeared in the woods for a long time. Sitting alone, Jean Kerderen became quite desperate. He couldn't understand anything about their acts. He felt heartbroken. He realised his liking for the girl. He even realised the fact behind Luc's acts of leaving the barracks for several hours. He felt himself a fool. When they returned, both lovers kissed again. The milkmaid didn't even provide milk to Jean that day.
BAD LUCK OF JEAN KERDEREN
While returning to the barracks, Jean was feeling quite upset. When they stopped just over the bridge, Jean Kerderen leaned much over the bridge's railing, being so sad. He couldn't balance his body over the railing in desperation. He fell into the river all of a sudden. Luc Le Ganidec shouted for help, but no one was there. He only saw Jean's head one last time. After that, Jean's body disappeared into the water. Later on, his dead body was found by boatmen that day. Being so nervous and sad, Luc Le Ganidec informed about Jean's accident in his barracks.
SHORT SUMMARY
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
This short story, "Two Little Soldiers," has been written by a French writer, Guy de Maupassant. This story has presented the themes of friendship, romantic love, discontent, betrayal, and jealousy.
This short story is about a triangular love story where the deception of a friend has created an unfortunate incident for the next friend.
The main characters, Luc Le Ganidec and Jean Kerderen, were quite good friends. Both of them used to pass their weekends in a little wood near Bezons, quite away from their barracks. They enjoyed it a lot in that environment because that particular area reminded them of their homeland. They used to stop at Bezons's bridge and enjoy the scene of surging white sails that reminded them of fishing smacks at home. In the woods, they enjoyed roasted sausage, bread, and wine. For them, the trip to Bezons was just a kind of ritual.
One day, they met a milkmaid who was taking her cow to pasture. Next Sunday, she talked with them. Due to their meetings, they became friends with each other. They shared sweet items, milk, breakfast items etc.
As the weeks passed, Luc Le Ganidec started leaving the barracks for several hours without informing Jean about it. He used to ask for money from Jean Kerderen but never revealed his intention behind his leave. Next Sunday, Jean found intimacy between Luc Le Ganidec and the milkmaid. He felt heartbroken. He became quite discontent because the girl didn't pay attention to him. He realised the betrayal of his friend. Being so sad, he committed suicide by letting his body fall into the river.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant
BEFORE READING
a. Can there be conflict in love?
Answer:
Yes, there can be conflict in love. Anything can be possible in love and war.
b. Is it good to betray a friend?
Answer:
No, it isn't good to betray a friend. Betrayal of a friend or betrayal of friendship is considered a blunder.
c. Have you ever read a tragic story or watched a tragic movie? What happens in tragedy?
Answer:
Yes, I have watched a tragic movie many times. In tragedy, we find a tragic end just opposite of our will. We find ourselves in a situation that we hadn't expected to happen. We feel extremely sad at the end.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer these questions:
a. Why do the two soldiers spend their free time on Sundays away from the barracks out in the countryside?
Answer:
The two soldiers spend their free time on Sundays away from the barracks out in the countryside because they enjoy themselves there much, which reminds them of their homeland, Plounivon.
b. Why does the girl become the topic of conversation for these soldiers?
Answer:
The girl becomes the topic of conversation for these soldiers because both of them are thoroughly attracted to her.
c. Why does deception enter into their friendship?
Answer:
In most of the triangular love stories, we find conflict, jealousy, and betrayal. If we make an analysis of the characters, especially the soldiers, we find Jean a bit shy and quiet. On the other hand, we find Luc Le Ganidec more social and open-minded. Here, he has acted a bit faster than Jean in the matter of his love relationship with the milkmaid. He keeps on leaving the barracks without informing Jean about his intentions. Due to the arrival of the milkmaid, both soldiers became curious about her. Lue Le Ganidec starts deceiving Jean. He keeps on meeting the girl outside the barracks. In this way, deception enters into their friendship.
Answer in Short:
Deception enters their friendship because Luc le Ganidec starts concealing his acts of meeting with the milkmaid without informing Jean Kerderen.
d. Do you think that Luc is a betrayer of friendship?
Answer:
Yes, I think that Luc is a betrayer of friendship. Here, he has played a deceptive role with his friend Jean. Due to his betrayal, Jean not only suffers but also dies at last. Luc hasn't expected the suicide of Jean. Due to the milkmaid, he keeps deceiving Jean. Just for a milkmaid, he cheats his friend time and again. He kisses the girl in front of Jean shamelessly. He doesn't even care about Jean's feelings. His deceitful acts have become the sole cause of Jean's death.
Answer in Short:
Yes, I think that Luc is a betrayer of friendship because his acts have brought unexpected consequences as well as the tragic end of Jean Kerderen.
e. What is the cause of suicide of Jean? Do you think that it was the only release of his love?
Answer:
The cause of Jean's suicide is his upset mentality, which has been provoked by Luc and the milkmaid's betrayal and shameless acts. No, I don't think that it was only the release of his love. Besides that, the betrayal of Luc played a very vital role in his death. Jean found it quite difficult to adjust himself to Luk's deception.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. What is the central theme of the story?
Answer:
The central theme of this story is betrayal and jealousy in a friendship, where we find the tragic end of an innocent friend due to his friend's betrayal.
b. "What are you doing here? Are you watching the grass grow?"
i. Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is the milkmaid.
ii. What does the word “here” indicate?
Answer:
The word "here" indicates the place of Bezons where the soldiers are sitting.
iii. Who does “you” refer to?
Answer:
"You" refers to both of the soldiers.
c. "He leaned--he--he was leaning--so far over--that his head carried him away--and--he--fell--he fell----"
i. Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is Luc le Ganidec.
ii. Why is the speaker speaking with interruption?
Answer:
The speaker is speaking with an interruption because he is very panicked about the recent incident of Jean's death.
iii. What does he mean when he says “he--fell--he fell---”?
Answer:
When he says "he--fell--he fell---”, he means Jean Kerderen fell into the river.
d. Two Little Soldiers can be viewed as a series of dramatic scenes. Describe the story as a tragedy.
Answer:
This short story, "Two Little Soldiers," is a bizarre, dramatic, triangular love story that has ended with a tragic incident. Here in this story, we find jealousy, betrayal, romantic love with change, discontent, and mental conflict. The milkmaid has created enmity between two friends. She has become the main cause of Jean's fall. We find both friends' intimacy and their enjoyment during their weekends. But, after the entry of the milkmaid into their lives, deception starts playing a role. We find deceptive acts by Luc Le Ganidec. Due to these immoral as well as deceptive acts of both lovers, Jean suffers a lot.
When he gets a realisation about their affair, he becomes so sad, both physically and mentally. He wants to cry, being desperate. He feels like a fool. The deception of both lovers makes him heartbroken. He finds them quite indifferent towards him. He doesn't reveal his painful feelings to them. He feels better committing suicide than staying with betrayers. The tragic death of Jean at the end of the story surprises the readers too.
e. What is the setting and style of the story?
Answer:
This story has presented the setting of Courbevoie, a town on the outskirts of Paris in the French countryside. We find the setting of the town's barracks, the long way up to Bezons, Bezons's bridge, and small woods. We find two soldiers in various locations in the story, enjoying and involved in various activities.
The style that the writer has applied here in this short story is psychological realism. With the help of this style, he is able to present humans' psychological realism, due to which humans suffer a lot and regret their deeds. Here in this story, the writer has presented his characters as unhappy victims of their greed, desires, jealousy, betrayal, pride etc.
f. How would you describe the conflict between the friends?
Answer:
In most love triangle relationships, conflicts are seen among the lovers. The nature of conflict is different in different cases. Sometimes conflicts cross the line, and sometimes conflicts turn into lifelong jealousy as well as enmity. Here in this story, we find conflict from person to person.
Both little soldiers' attraction towards the milkmaid is so high. She becomes the major topic of discussion for them. Among the two friends' relationships, deception takes an ugly entry through Luc Le Ganidec. Jean's realisation about their affair makes him angry as well as jealous of both lovers. He feels himself being cheated and betrayed by his good friend Luc. Here, the conflict is seen in a very unexpressed way. The mental conflict with Jean can easily be noticed. The sole cause behind this conflict is the milkmaid and also the deceptive acts of Luc. Due to this hidden conflict, Jean has lost his life in the end.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE CONTEXT
a. Is it good to have a conflict between friendship and love? Is it morally good that a person and his best friend can love the same person?
Answer:
No, it is not good to have a conflict between friendship and love. These two special relationships should be quite far away from the concept of conflict. No, it is not morally good that a person and his best friend can love the same person. This relationship isn't good at all. This type of love affair invites unexpected results at any time. This story is the best example of this kind of love affair, which has brought tragedy and an unexpected result at the end.
b. How would you describe the triangular love?
Answer:
I would describe triangular love as a relationship of love where we find three people who are each in love with at least one other person in the relationship. This love can lead anyone towards discontent and jealousy.
(Important): Describe the soldiers and their weekend.
Answer:
The soldiers here in this story are so little and thin. Their eyes are blue. They look quite lost in their coats, which are too big and long. Their sleeves hang down over their hands. We find them in red trousers. They are soldiers by profession. They are in the barracks at Courbevoie. They spend every weekend in a little wood, which is located at the end of Bezons, far from their barracks. They enjoy the place so much because it reminds them of their homeland. Every Sunday, both soldiers leave the barracks. They move quite rapidly towards their destination without talking. They stop at the bridge over the Seine River and enjoy the surging white sails bending over the railings. After crossing the bridge, they buy their essential items for their picnic. They roast sausages, eat bread, and drink wine. They enjoy the peaceful environment while talking about their homeland. After enjoying their picnic, both return slowly to their barracks. They reach their barracks during the evening.
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