View source for A Dead Woman's Secret (Maupassant)

{{written by AI}}

{{Summary
| Title = A Dead Woman's Secret
| Author = Guy de Maupassant
| Literary form = short story
| Year of publication = 
| Microsummary = A brother and sister mourned their deceased mother, only to discover her secret love affair through old letters, leading them to question their family's strict moral code and their mother's true character.
}}

{{Start of text}}

A woman passed away peacefully, leaving behind her son, a strict magistrate, and her daughter, a nun named Sister Eulalie.

{{Character
| Name = Sister Eulalie
| Description = nun; daughter of the deceased woman; devoted, emotional
| Emoji = 👩🏻‍🦳
}}

{{Character
| Name = The Magistrate
| Description = son of the deceased woman; strict, principled, and inflexible
| Emoji = 👨🏻‍⚖️
}}

The siblings mourned their mother's death, remembering her as a virtuous and loving woman who had raised them with a strong sense of morality and duty.

{{Quote
| Text = Mamma, mamma, mamma!
| Context = The magistrate cries out in grief while kneeling beside his mother's bed after her death, expressing his deep sorrow and loss.
}}

They had little knowledge of their father, only knowing that he had made their mother unhappy. As they grieved, Sister Eulalie suggested they read their mother's old letters to relive her life and memories. They found letters from their grandparents and other relatives, which they decided to bury with their mother. However, they also discovered a packet of passionate love letters, signed by a man named Henry. Their father's name was René, so they realized that their mother had a secret lover.

{{Quote
| Text = I love you to distraction. Since yesterday I have been suffering like a damned soul burned by the recollection of you.
| Context = Sister Eulalie reads this quote from one of the love letters, revealing the passionate nature of their mother's secret affair and challenging their understanding of her character.
}}

The magistrate, shocked by this revelation, closed the curtains around his mother's bed and decided to distance himself from her memory. As the sun rose, he told his sister that it was time for them to leave the room, leaving behind the image of their once-beloved mother tainted by her secret affair.


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