The Big City Monster

In my literature class, we are reading the novel Ferragus by Honore de Balzac. This is my first introduction to the French literary giant. In his short lifetime Balzac wrote more works than most people dream up in their entire career. As such, I was prepared to be his champion, just like I will always defend Dickens against all the people who write him off for getting paid by the word. A writer has to make a living. And we can't all have Balzac's skill for describing setting.

In Balzac's work, the city of Paris functions as a main character. Even that statement doesn't capture the role if the city as the "milieu" in which these people develop. Paris is personified as a number of figures, including a monster.

You might be wondering what a 21st century student might get out of a 19th century Paris monster. I can think of one example that will help me to share this insight with you.

As I was walking through the neighborhood where I live, I came across a very ornate building. From the looks of its architecture, I'd say that it dates from the 19th century, when Paris underwent massive reconstruction and renovation. On the building, I made out a very famous name: Louis Vuitton. The fact that I randomly stumbled onto this name is a testimony to the elegance of the shopping on rue de Rivoli, a mere block from where I was heading to go home.

I smiled to myself and wished I had brought my camera. That wry thought vanished when I saw a man digging through the trash on the street beside me. I was ashamed and humbled. Here I am, an American student with a bed and a host family waiting for me, and there are people all over Paris like this man who don't have a meal.

I understand where Balzac was coming from. Paris is like most big cities; the gap between rich and poor is both wide and readily apparent. What sets this big city apart is the Myth of Paris - the remnants of Romantic novels, 19th century glitz, and old Hollywood films. If more people came to Paris to see the city for what it really is, I think we Americans might end up thinking our cities aren't half as disgusting as we imagined. Actually, all big cities are like that.