Alphonse Daudet’s autobiographical novel, Le Petit Chose, is the story of the growth of Daniel Eyssette, who never loses hope despite his unfortunate circumstances. What does his journey to preserve his innocence despite poverty and hardship mean to us today?
Who is the main character Daniel Eyssette in Alphonse Daudet’s (1840-1897) first novel, Le Petit Chose? He is a typical loser. If we use a popular word today, he is a typical “poor person”. There are very few poor people like him in the world. His father’s business went downhill when he was born, and he could not even attend elementary school properly. Fortunately, he became a scholarship student and was able to attend high school without paying tuition, but he was also bullied. He was also unable to graduate from that school. As he was about to graduate, his father’s business completely collapsed and he was forced to leave his family and join the workforce. It was all because of poverty. But he was unhappy in his first job. His friendship was betrayed and he was eventually fired. He seems to have some artistic talent, but fails miserably. He is seduced by a femme fatale like woman and is also wounded in his soul. In addition, Jacques Eyssette, his most beloved person and protector, dies. Is that all? Even in the midst of such misfortune, the mission to “raise the family” remains a burden.
In a word, the protagonist should play the same role he played as a child, playing with the son of the janitor of a ruined factory, “Robinson Crusoe” in real life. A lonely Robinson Crusoe who has to solve everything on his own while being exiled to a remote island! And without Friday and the parrot, Robinson Crusoe is even lonelier than the real Robinson Crusoe!
This is a protagonist who is more than enough to make us shed tears. But it is strange. While reading Le Petit Chose, we smile more than we cry. There is humor and warmth everywhere. Even in situations where the protagonist is sad and sheds tears, we empathize with her tears and feel a moist feeling, while at the same time we subtly smile.
Why is that? The main reason is that the protagonist of this book does not fall into despair because of his misfortune. He still maintains his mental health. A person who maintains his mental health even in the most difficult situation does not make us cry. It is only when someone is mentally broken or devastated that we really feel sad for him. They are suffering from mental anguish.
However, the main character of Le Petit Chose, Daniel Eyssette, and his brother, Jacques Eyssette, do not despair no matter how difficult things get. They do not complain or get angry. Think back to the scene where Jacques Eyssette and Daniel Eyssette, with only 60 francs, make a budget to live on for a month. How happy are they in this miserable situation, planning their future with bright hopes? How psychologically healthy are they? It is not easy to remain mentally healthy, without complaining or becoming angry when difficult things happen.
How did the protagonists of Le Petit Chose, Daniel Eyssette and Jacques Eyssette, manage such a difficult task? How did they keep their mental balance? The answer is simple: they are kind and innocent. They are compassionate. Of course, they are struggling because of the fate that has made them poor. But they overcome that fate with courage. She overcomes her fate not with a heroic determination to win against the world, but with a kind and innocent heart. She turns this difficult fate into something worth living for.
If you were in the same situation as the protagonist, what would be your attitude? Some people would complain about the situation itself. They will resent their parents for not making them rich, or express jealousy and anger toward the rich. This is a common attitude in our society today. But it is the most passive attitude. Why is that? It is because they see their destiny as absolute. It is an attitude of waiting for that destiny to change, or for someone from outside to change it. I don’t think you would have that attitude.
There are two things left. Let me repeat myself. The attitude of overcoming and changing one’s fate with a heroic spirit to win against the world, and the attitude of overcoming with a kind and innocent heart, like the protagonist of this novel, and the attitude of changing one’s hard fate into something worth living for. Let me ask you again. Which one would you choose?
Most people would probably choose the first attitude because it is considered the most proactive and active attitude. Besides, everyone thinks that a kind and innocent person would have a hard time navigating the waves of this selfish and calculating world.
But is this really the case? I boldly tell the people of the world to be kind and honest. This is a difficult advice to give when you think that living this way will only put you at a disadvantage in society. But I add that this world is really selfish and hard. There is a lot of competition. Therefore, kind, honest, innocent, and compassionate people are rare. What does it mean that such a person is rare? It means they are rare. A rare person is treated well everywhere. The world is so corrupt that we want more of them! Get rid of the illusion that it is difficult to live in the world if you are kind. A kind person can shine even when he is hidden!
And I’ll add one more thing. The world has become too hard, which means that people are tired of living hard. Maybe the time will come when people will value people who are kind and generous more than those who are smart and clever. I really hope that will happen!
If you read Le Petit Chose and felt a deep sense of empathy for Jacques and Daniel Eyssette without thinking, “What, are they idiots?” then you have already participated in changing the world with them.
I remember most vividly the story that Jacques Eyssette told Daniel Eyssette as he was dying.
“Daniel Eyssette, I’m not going to tell you to grow up. Maybe Father Germain was right. He said you’d always be a child. But Daniel Eyssette, I beg you. Please always be a good and kind child. Above all… above all… please don’t make the black eyes cry.
Alphonse Daudet was born on May 13, 1840, in the old town of Nîmes, in the Provence region of southern France. When he was nine years old, his family moved to Lyon because his father, who ran a silk factory, closed it. When his father, who was a wholesaler in Lyon, went bankrupt, Alphonse Daudet dropped out of school and worked as a tutor at a public middle school called Ales. Then, with the help of his brother, Ernest Alphonse Daudet, he went to Paris.
If you read the life of Alphonse Daudet up to this point, you will be amazed. Isn’t it exactly the same as the plot of Le Petit Chose? Yes, Le Petit Chose is a novel based on the experiences of the author’s youth. The only difference is that his brother died young and Alphonse Daudet became a novelist instead of a potter.
Alphonse Daudet published a collection of poems in 1859 and a collection of short stories, Letters from My Windmill, which includes the short stories “The Star” and “The Girl from Arles,” which he began publishing in 1866. However, it was Le Petit Chose, published in 1868, that brought him fame as a writer. He also published a collection of short stories, Monday Tales, in 1873, and The Nabob, published in 1877, was described by the master of naturalism, Émile Zola, as a naturalistic novel.
However, there is a certain distance between Émile Zola’s naturalism, based on rigorous scientific observation and experimentation, and the works of Alphonse Daudet. As we have seen in Le Petit Chose, Alphonse Daudet’s works are full of affection. It is more accurate to say that he touched the world with loving tentacles, rather than observing it with a stern eye. That is why his works have many readers all over the world.
He died suddenly at his home in Paris in 1897.
