Mathilde always thought that she should be someone of wealth or at the very least married someone who was rich. She was a beautiful woman that had all the tastes of a family with great prosperity. Only she was not prosperous as she married a clerk. Maupassant writes that Mathilde "...let herself be married to a little clerk at the Ministry of Public Instructions" (Maupassant Page 976). She never married for love but married for what she had to settle for. A woman does not let herself become married, should be for love. "She had no dresses, no jewels, nothing. And she loved nothing but that; she felt made for that" (Page 976). So Mathilde could not love her husband for who he was, she only loved material possessions. Possessions she could not have.

Mathilde had all the tastes of exce

As well as Mathilde, Hester did not love the ones she was supposed to. "She married for love, and the love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them" (Lawerence Page 873). Everyone thought that Hester was a good mother. "Only she herself, and her children themselves, knew it was not so" (Page 873). Hester was more concerned about maintaining her social standing and obtaining more money than being a mother or a wife.

Paul sensed that his mother wanted more money and he felt it was up to him to obtain it. Paul had three races left to bet on and the pressure he put on himself to pick the winner started to show. Even Hester could see that Paul was not right and needed to relax. "You'd better go to the seaside. Wouldn't you like to go now to the seaside, instead of waiting?" (Page 881), Hester said, showing a sign of compassion for her son. Paul refused as he felt he must meet his mom's selfish wants of more money. A couple days before the Derby Hester went to a party in town but has this sudden anxiety. Hester starts to have strange seizures of worry about Paul. She begins to feel concern and love for her child and a sense of motherhood finally reached her heart. She frantically goes home and rushes to her son's room. Hester finds him hard at work on his rocking horse trying to predict the winning horse for the Derby. Unfortunately Hester had reason to worry, as Paul shouts out, "Malabar," and then collapses on the floor unconscious. Malabar was indeed the winner of the Derby and Paul now eighty thousand pounds to give his mother. But the price he paid was his life as he died later that night from a brain fever. Uncle Oscar states, "My God, Hester, you're eighty thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad" (Page 884). Showing that Paul was doing this all for his mother and now that she is a rich woman she lost her first born that she finally learned to love. And that money will do nothing to fill her softened heart.

Mathilde and Hester were both selfi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lawerence Page, Instructions Instead, Mme Forestier's, Mathilde Hester, Derby Hester, Hester Mathilde, God Hester, Finally Mathilde, Hester Paul, Possessions Mathilde, mathilde hester, thousand pounds, married love, page 976, page 873 hester, public instructions, 976 mathilde, happy mathilde, ministry public, finally mathilde, 873 hester, page 881 hester, page 976 mathilde, ministry public instructions,
Approximate Word count = 1382
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)