Q.2 Answer
Guy de Maupassant’s “The Devil” story shows that hardship causes individuals to engage in extreme actions. To this end, in a bid to prevent loss of money, La Rapet hastens the death of Mother Bontemps. Likewise, to make ends meet, the ninety-two-year-old Mother Bontemps works for ten hours every day. Similarly, poverty causes Honore Bontemps to wish that Mother Bontemps dies in not more than three days. This essay highlights that hardship causes individuals to engage in extreme actions based on the following aspects: in a bid to prevent loss of money, La Rapet hastens the death of Mother Bontemps; in a bid to make ends meet, the ninety-two-year-old Mother Bontemps works for ten hours every day; and Honore Bontemps wishes that Mother Bontemps will die in not more than three days.
Given that, in a bid to prevent loss of money, La Rapet hastens the death of Mother Bontemps, “The Devil” illustrates that hardship causes individuals to engage in extreme actions. In this regard, La Rapet is afraid that if Mother Bontemps does not die quickly, she will end up working for less than the six francs promised by Honore Bontemps. Honore Bontemps has promised that, if La Rapet looks after Mother Bontemps until Mother Bontemps dies, Honore Bontemps will pay La Rapet a sum of six francs. Assuming that Mother Bontemps will die in less than three days, La Rapet accepts Honore Bontemps’ offer. By the second day, Mother Bontemps does not show signs of dying soon. Mother Bontemps’ resilience prompts La Rapet to hatch a drastic plan; she frightens Mother Bontemps such that Mother Bontemps dies. This way, La Rapet is able to make a profit from the six francs payment given by Honore Bontemps (Maupassant, Read More
