A Walk (Maupassant)
Monsieur Levas, an old bookkeeper, had spent forty years working in a small, dark office for Messrs. Labuze and Company. He lived a monotonous life, with no adventures, passions, or hopes.
For forty years Monsieur Levas had been arriving at this prison at eight o’clock each morning, and staying there till seven at night, bent over his ledgers.
For forty years Monsieur Levas had been arriving at this prison at eight o’clock each morning, and staying there till seven at night, bent over his ledgers.
One day, after leaving work, he decided to take a walk before dinner, which he rarely did. He walked along the boulevards and Champs-Élysées, enjoying the warm spring evening and the sight of couples in carriages. Feeling hungry, he dined at a restaurant and continued his walk towards the Bois de Boulogne. As he walked, he was approached by several women offering their company, which made him feel uncomfortable. He sat on a bench, watching the carriages filled with lovers pass by, and realized the emptiness of his own life.
It seemed to him as though the whole human race was passing by, drunk with joy, pleasure, and happiness. And he watched them alone, alone, all alone.
It seemed to him as though the whole human race was passing by, drunk with joy, pleasure, and happiness. And he watched them alone, alone, all alone.
Feeling distressed, he wandered into a copse in the Bois de Boulogne and sat on the grass. The next morning, a young couple discovered his lifeless body hanging from a tree.
The keepers, promptly summoned, let down from the tree the body of an old man, hanged by his braces.
The keepers, promptly summoned, let down from the tree the body of an old man, hanged by his braces.
The cause of his suicide remained unknown, but it was speculated that it could have been due to temporary insanity.