Moonlight (Maupassant)

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Moonlight

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: A woman confessed to her sister about her infidelity, which occurred during a moonlit night by a lake, realizing she was in love with the idea of love itself.

Madame Julie Roubère👩🏻 was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her elder sister, Madame Henriette Létoré👩🏻‍🦳, who was returning from a trip to Switzerland. When Madame Henriette arrived, the sisters embraced and began catching up on each other's lives. However, Madame Julie noticed that her sister had two large streaks of white hair on her temples, which had not been there before her trip.

Concerned, Madame Julie asked her sister what had happened.

What is the matter, Henriette?

Madame Henriette hesitated before admitting that she had taken a lover during her trip. She then tearfully recounted the story of her infidelity to her sister. Madame Henriette explained that she had been feeling unfulfilled in her marriage, as her husband was kind but emotionally distant. One evening, while walking alone by a lake in Switzerland, she was overcome by the beauty of the moonlit landscape and began to cry. A young barrister, who had been traveling with his mother, approached her and offered comfort. They walked together, discussing their shared appreciation for the beauty of the landscape, and he recited poetry that resonated with her emotions. In a moment of weakness, Madame Henriette succumbed to her desire for love and passion, and the two became lovers.

I have … I have a lover.

After hearing her sister's story, Madame Julie offered her understanding and consolation. She suggested that it was not the young man that Madame Henriette had truly fallen in love with, but rather the idea of love itself, which had been awakened by the enchanting moonlit night.

You see, my dear, there are times when we are in love, not with any man, but with love itself.