"An Uncomfortable Bed" and "The Piece of String"
Guy de Maupassant has a writing style that is very unique. His writing is extremely detailed and it always seems to include sensory details. When you read his stories, you can’t help but picture yourself in the portrayed scenario. Misfortune is a common occurrence in his stories; a character is either causing misfortune to others or having it brought upon him.
“Piece of String” is a short story by Maupassant that starts off with a peasant, who lives in Normandy, picking up a piece of string he finds on the ground. A man named Maitre Malandain, a man who dislikes the peasant, sees him do this. When a report of a missing wallet is released around the town, Malandain says that he saw the peasant pick one up. When the wallet is eventually returned by someone else, it proves that the peasant was innocent. Many people still believed, even though the wallet was returned, that the peasant got someone to return it for him. His reputation was diminished and he died soon after. “An Uncomfortable Bed” is another short story by Maupassant that begins with a man going on a trip with his friends. The friends have always been known to pull pranks and have a good time so the man arrived with his guard up. His friends were acting very suspicious so the man kept becoming more and more obsessed with trying to avoid this prank that he thought was bound to come. He became paranoid and ended up having an accident occur because of his extreme precautions. His friends never pulled a prank on him, he did it to himself.
The stories “Piece of String” and “An Uncomfortable Bed” are related because they both possess themes of misfortune. They are also related because Maupassant uses many similes in both stories to portray the character’s feelings. These stories also have some differences. In “Piece of String,” Maupassant uses the setting to give off a mood that is depressing and to portray the people as poor. The setting in “An Uncomfortable Bed” is very insignificant to the plot and doesn’t give off any feeling or mood.
Guy de Maupassant lived during a time in which a person’s surroundings had a huge influence on their writing. Maupassant was intrigued by psychiatry and showed his passion for it in some of his writings. He was also influenced by the public lectures of Jean-Martin Charcot. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. Some of Maupassant’s writings have been based on this war and he also belonged to the Medan group whose goal was to produce a collection of stories from this war.
“Piece of String” is a short story by Maupassant that starts off with a peasant, who lives in Normandy, picking up a piece of string he finds on the ground. A man named Maitre Malandain, a man who dislikes the peasant, sees him do this. When a report of a missing wallet is released around the town, Malandain says that he saw the peasant pick one up. When the wallet is eventually returned by someone else, it proves that the peasant was innocent. Many people still believed, even though the wallet was returned, that the peasant got someone to return it for him. His reputation was diminished and he died soon after. “An Uncomfortable Bed” is another short story by Maupassant that begins with a man going on a trip with his friends. The friends have always been known to pull pranks and have a good time so the man arrived with his guard up. His friends were acting very suspicious so the man kept becoming more and more obsessed with trying to avoid this prank that he thought was bound to come. He became paranoid and ended up having an accident occur because of his extreme precautions. His friends never pulled a prank on him, he did it to himself.
The stories “Piece of String” and “An Uncomfortable Bed” are related because they both possess themes of misfortune. They are also related because Maupassant uses many similes in both stories to portray the character’s feelings. These stories also have some differences. In “Piece of String,” Maupassant uses the setting to give off a mood that is depressing and to portray the people as poor. The setting in “An Uncomfortable Bed” is very insignificant to the plot and doesn’t give off any feeling or mood.
Guy de Maupassant lived during a time in which a person’s surroundings had a huge influence on their writing. Maupassant was intrigued by psychiatry and showed his passion for it in some of his writings. He was also influenced by the public lectures of Jean-Martin Charcot. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. Some of Maupassant’s writings have been based on this war and he also belonged to the Medan group whose goal was to produce a collection of stories from this war.