The Hermaphrodite Page #2

"The Hermaphrodite" is a novel by Guy de Maupassant that delves into the complexities of identity and societal norms. The story revolves around the character of a hermaphrodite who navigates the challenges of their ambiguous gender in a society that strictly categorizes people into male and female. As the protagonist grapples with feelings of isolation and the quest for acceptance, Maupassant explores themes of desire, sexuality, and the nature of self. The novel offers a poignant commentary on the human experience and the constraints imposed by societal expectations.

• Short story

								

he first of all saw that Lantosque was dressed from head to foot in
tights, which accentuated, rather than otherwise, his female form.

"Much alarmed, feeling that he must have been violating some supreme
order, and comprehending it all, he went to his cousin's writing-table,
opened it, and successively searched every drawer, and soon found an
envelope fastened with five seals, and addressed to him. He broke them
and read as follows, written on a sheet of black-edged paper:

"'This is my only will. I leave all that I possess to my cousin, Roland
de Territet, on condition that he will undertake my funeral; that in his
own presence, he will have me wrapped up in the sheets of the bed on
which I die, and have me put into the coffin so, without any further
preparations. I wish to be cremated at Père-Lachaise, and not to be
subjected to any examination, or post-mortem, whatever may happen.'"

"And how came the marquis to betray the secret?" Bob Shelley asked.

"The marquis is married to a charming Parisian woman, and was any
married man, who loved his wife, ever known to keep a secret from her?"
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