The Christening (Maupassant): Difference between revisions

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| Literary form = short story
| Literary form = short story
| Year of publication =  
| Year of publication =  
| Microsummary = A doctor recounted a tragic event in a small village where a newborn child died due to the cruel customs and excessive drinking of the villagers during a christening ceremony.
| Microsummary = A priest participated in his nephew's christening and felt a deep, unknown tenderness for the child, leading him to sob beside the baby's cradle after the celebration.
}}
}}


{{Start of text}}
{{Start of text}}


An old naval doctor recounted a story from his past when he was living in a small village in Brittany, near Pont l'Abbé. One day, his gardener, Kérandec, asked him to be the godfather of his newborn child.
In a small village, a family gathered to celebrate the christening of a two-month-old baby. The men waited outside the farm gates, dressed in their Sunday best, while the women prepared themselves and the baby inside. The father impatiently called for the mother and the baby to hurry up as the church bell rang, signaling the start of the christening ceremony.


{{Character
{{Quote
| Name = The Doctor
| Text = Coom quick, Mélina; t’bell’s ringin’. Women, they bean’t never ready first.
| Description = narrator; old naval doctor; knowledgeable, compassionate, and critical of the villagers' customs
| Context = The father impatiently calls for the mother and the baby to hurry up as the church bell rings, signaling the start of the christening ceremony.
| Emoji = 👨🏻‍⚕️
}}
}}
The family, led by the baby's parents and grandparents, made their way to the church, followed by a crowd of children and a dog. At the church, the baby's uncle, a priest, performed the christening ceremony and named the child Prosper-César.


{{Character
{{Character
| Name = Kérandec
| Name = The Priest
| Description = gardener; father of the newborn; irresponsible, heavy drinker
| Description = uncle of the baby; tall, slim, strong, with red hair; tender-hearted, emotional
| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🌾
| Emoji = 👨🏻‍💻
}}
}}


The doctor agreed and even lent the gardener some money for the christening ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, the doctor was horrified to see the baby being stripped naked in the freezing cold, as it was a local custom. Despite his protests, the baby remained naked throughout the entire ceremony.
After the ceremony, the family returned to their home for a celebratory dinner. The priest, who had never had a child of his own, was fascinated by the baby and held him throughout the meal. One of the grandmothers teased the priest as he carried his nephew, suggesting that he might wish he could have a child of his own.


{{Quote
{{Quote
| Text = Oh, the divine poison! Or rather, the seductive assassin, the adorable destroying angel!
| Text = Aren’t ye ever sorry, passon, that ye’ll never have one of your own?
| Context = The doctor speaks about the allure and danger of alcohol, comparing it to a seductive assassin. This quote sets the tone for the story and foreshadows the tragic events that unfold.
| Context = One of the grandmothers teases the priest as he carries his nephew, suggesting that he might wish he could have a child of his own.
}}
}}


After the ceremony, the doctor advised the family to quickly warm the baby and left to settle a dispute with the priest over the fees. When the doctor returned home, he found that the family had not yet returned. He later learned that they had gone off to celebrate the occasion, leaving the mother and baby alone.
The family continued to eat, drink, and make merry. The baby's mother eventually took him to another room to sleep.


{{Quote
{{Character
| Text = It was the custom. Then I remembered my ten francs which ought to have paid for the christening and which was doubtless now paying for drink.
| Name = The Mother
| Context = The doctor realizes that the money he gave for the christening was used for alcohol instead. This quote highlights the villagers' priorities and their disregard for the well-being of the newborn and his mother.
| Description = young, tall, strong, fair, and smiling; caring, protective
| Emoji = 👩🏻‍🦰
}}
}}


Worried, the doctor sent some soup and ordered a fire to be made in the mother's room.
Later, she went to check on him and was startled to hear someone in the room with the baby. Frightened, she ran back to the dining room and told her family what she had heard.
 
The baby's father, along with other family members, went to investigate.


{{Character
{{Character
| Name = Kérandec's Wife
| Name = The Father
| Description = mother of the newborn; weak, suffering, and neglected
| Description = tall young peasant, not yet deformed by labor; about 30 years old; impatient, jovial
| Emoji = 👩🏻
| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🌾
}}
}}


Late that night, the family returned, drunk and unaware that the baby had died from the cold. The doctor was furious and planned to confront them the next morning. However, he discovered that the family had consumed lamp oil in their drunken state, and the mother was now gravely ill. Despite his efforts, the mother died later that day.
They found the priest on his knees beside the baby's cradle, sobbing. His forehead rested on the pillow next to the baby's head, overcome with emotion at the sight of the innocent, sleeping child.


{{End of text}}
{{End of text}}

Latest revision as of 22:30, 29 May 2023

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.
The Christening
Summary of the Short Story
Microsummary: A priest participated in his nephew's christening and felt a deep, unknown tenderness for the child, leading him to sob beside the baby's cradle after the celebration.

In a small village, a family gathered to celebrate the christening of a two-month-old baby. The men waited outside the farm gates, dressed in their Sunday best, while the women prepared themselves and the baby inside. The father impatiently called for the mother and the baby to hurry up as the church bell rang, signaling the start of the christening ceremony.

Coom quick, Mélina; t’bell’s ringin’. Women, they bean’t never ready first.

The family, led by the baby's parents and grandparents, made their way to the church, followed by a crowd of children and a dog. At the church, the baby's uncle, a priest, performed the christening ceremony and named the child Prosper-César.

👨🏻‍💻
The Priest — uncle of the baby; tall, slim, strong, with red hair; tender-hearted, emotional.

After the ceremony, the family returned to their home for a celebratory dinner. The priest, who had never had a child of his own, was fascinated by the baby and held him throughout the meal. One of the grandmothers teased the priest as he carried his nephew, suggesting that he might wish he could have a child of his own.

Aren’t ye ever sorry, passon, that ye’ll never have one of your own?

The family continued to eat, drink, and make merry. The baby's mother eventually took him to another room to sleep.

👩🏻‍🦰
The Mother — young, tall, strong, fair, and smiling; caring, protective.

Later, she went to check on him and was startled to hear someone in the room with the baby. Frightened, she ran back to the dining room and told her family what she had heard.

The baby's father, along with other family members, went to investigate.

👨🏻‍🌾
The Father — tall young peasant, not yet deformed by labor; about 30 years old; impatient, jovial.

They found the priest on his knees beside the baby's cradle, sobbing. His forehead rested on the pillow next to the baby's head, overcome with emotion at the sight of the innocent, sleeping child.