Jeroboam

"Jeroboam" is a short story by Guy de Maupassant that delves into themes of ambition, social status, and the complexities of human relationships. The narrative follows the life of a young man, Jeroboam, whose desire for acceptance and recognition leads him on a quest for wealth and influence. As he navigates the intricacies of society, Maupassant explores the dichotomy between genuine character and superficial appearances, revealing the often harsh realities of social aspirations. Through vivid characterizations and a compelling plot, the story reflects the author's keen observations on the human condition and the pursuit of happiness amidst societal pressures.

• Short story

								
Anyone who said, or even insinuated, that the Reverend William
Greenfield, Vicar of St. Sampson's, Tottenham, did not make his wife
Anna perfectly happy, would certainly have been very malicious. In their
twelve years of married life, he had honored her with twelve children,
and could anybody decently ask anything more of a saintly man?

Saintly to heroism in truth! For his wife Anna, who was endowed with
invaluable virtues, which made her a model among wives and a paragon
among mothers, had not been equally endowed physically, for, in one
word, she was hideous. Her hair, which was coarse though it was thin,
was the color of the national half-and-half, but of thick
half-and-half which looked as if it had been already swallowed several
times, and her complexion, which was muddy and pimply, looked as if it
were covered with sand mixed with brickdust. Her teeth, which were long
and protruding, seemed as if they were about to start out of their
sockets in order to escape from that mouth with scarcely any lips, whose
sulphurous breath had turned them yellow. They were evidently suffering
from bile.

Her china-blue eyes looked vaguely, one very much to the right and the
other very much to the left, with a divergent and frightened squint; no
doubt in order that they might not see her nose, of which they felt
ashamed. And they were quite right! Thin, soft, long, pendant, sallow,
and ending in a violet knob, it irresistibly reminded those who saw it
of something which cannot be mentioned except in a medical treatise. Her
body, through the inconceivable irony of nature, was at the same time
thin and flabby, wooden and chubby, without having either the elegance
of slimness or the rounded gracefulness of stoutness. It might have been
taken for a body which had formerly been adipose, but which had now
grown thin, while the covering had remained floating on the framework.

She was evidently nothing but skin and bones, but then she had too many
bones and too little skin.

It will be seen that the reverend gentleman had done his duty, his whole
duty, more than his duty, in sacrificing a dozen times on this altar.
Yes, a dozen times bravely and loyally! A dozen times, and his wife
could not deny it nor dispute the number, because the children were
there to prove it. A dozen times, and not one less!

And alas! not once more; and that was the reason why, in spite of
appearances, Mrs. Anna Greenfield ventured to think, in the depths of
her heart, that the Reverend William Greenfield, Vicar of St. Sampson's,
Tottenham, had not made her perfectly happy; and she thought so all the
more as, for four years now, she had been obliged to renounce all hope
of that annual sacrifice, which was so easy and so fugitive formerly,
but which had now fallen into disuse. In fact, at the birth of the
twelfth child, the reverend gentleman had expressly said to her:

"God has greatly blessed our union, my dear Anna. We have reached the
sacred number of the twelve tribes of Israel, and were we now to
persevere in the works of the flesh, it would be mere debauchery, and I
cannot suppose that you would wish me to end my exemplary life in
lustful practices."

His wife blushed and looked down, and the holy man, with the legitimate
pride of virtue which is its own reward, audibly thanked Heaven that he
was "not as other men are."

A model among wives and the paragon of mothers, Anna lived with him for
four years on those terms, without complaining to anyone, and contented
herself by praying fervently to God that He would mercifully inspire her
husband with the desire to begin a second series of the twelve tribes.
At times even, in order to make her prayers more efficacious, she tried
to compass that end by culinary means. She spared no pains, and gorged
the reverend gentleman with highly-seasoned dishes. Hare soup, ox-tails
stewed in sherry, the green fat in turtle soup, stewed mushrooms,
Jerusalem artichokes, celery, and horse-radish; hot sauces, truffles,
hashes with wine and cayenne pepper in them, curried lobsters, pies made
of cocks' combs, oysters, and the soft roe of fish; and all these dishes
were washed down by strong beer and generous wines, Scotch ale,
Burgundy, dry champagne, brandy, whiskey and gin; in a word, by that
numberless array of alcoholic drinks with which the English people love
to heat their blood.

And, as a matter of fact, the reverend gentleman's blood became very
heated, as was shown by his nose and cheeks, but in spite of this, the
powers above were inexorable, and he remained quite indifferent as
regards his wife, who was unhappy and thoughtful at the sight of that
protruding nasal appendage, which, alas! was alone in its glory.

She became thinner, and at the same time, flabbier than ever, and almost
began to lose her trust in God, when, suddenly, she had an inspiration.
Was it not, perhaps, the work of devil?

She did not care to inquire too closely into the matter, as she thought
it a very good idea, and it was this:

"Go to the Universal Exhibition in Paris, and there, perhaps, you will
discover the secret to make yourself loved."

Decidedly luck favored her, for her husband immediately gave her
permission to go, and as soon as she got into the Esplanade des
Invalides, she saw the Algerian dancers, and she said to herself.

"Surely this would inspire William with the desire to be the father of
the thirteenth tribe!"

But how could she manage to get him to be present at such abominable
orgies? For she could not hide from herself that it was an abominable
exhibition, and she knew how scandalized he would be at their voluptuous
movements. She had no doubt that the devil had led her there, but she
could not take her eyes off the scene, and it gave her an idea; and so
for nearly a fortnight you might have seen the poor, unattractive woman
sitting, and attentively and curiously watching the swaying hips of the
Algerian women. She was learning.

The very evening of her return to London, she rushed into her husband's
bedroom, disrobed herself in an instant, except for a thin gauze
covering, and for the first time in her life appeared before him in all
the ugliness of her semi-nudity.

"Come, come," the saintly man stammered out, "are you--are you mad,
Anna! What demon has possessed you? Why inflict the disgrace of such a
spectacle on me?"

But she did not listen to him, and did not reply, but suddenly she also
began to sway her hips about like an almah[10]. The reverend gentleman
could not believe his eyes, and in his stupefaction, he did not think of
covering them with his hands or even of shutting them. He looked at her,
stupefied and dumbfounded, a prey to the hypnotism of ugliness. He
watched her as she came forward and retired, and went up and down, as
she skipped and wriggled, and threw herself into extraordinary
attitudes. For a long time he sat motionless and almost unable to speak.
He only said in a low voice:

[Footnote 10: Egyptian dancing girl.--TRANSLATOR.]

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