The Wreck Page #4

"The Wreck," a short story by Guy de Maupassant, explores themes of isolation, despair, and the fragility of human life. Set against the backdrop of a shipwreck, the narrative follows a group of survivors who grapple with their dire circumstances while confronting their innermost fears and desires. Maupassant's masterful prose delves into the psychological complexities of the characters, revealing their vulnerabilities and the existential dilemmas that arise in the face of disaster. The story ultimately highlights the unpredictable nature of fate and the profound impact of crisis on the human spirit.

								


“I was hard hit. I wanted to ask this little girl to marry me. If we
had passed eight days together, I should have done so! How weak and
incomprehensible a man sometimes is!

“Two years passed without my hearing a word from them. Then I received
a letter from New York. She was married and wrote to tell me. And since
then we write to each other every year, on New Year's Day. She tells
me about her life, talks of her children, her sisters, never of her
husband! Why? Ah! why? And as for me, I only talk of the Marie Joseph.
That was perhaps the only woman I have ever loved--no--that I ever
should have loved. Ah, well! who can tell? Circumstances rule one. And
then--and then--all passes. She must be old now; I should not know her.
Ah! she of the bygone time, she of the wreck! What a creature! Divine!
She writes me her hair is white. That caused me terrible pain. Ah! her
yellow hair. No, my English girl exists no longer. How sad it all is!”
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