On the way, he meets Vincent Maheu, another workman, called Bonnemort because of successive escapes from death in the mines. The workers, limited by their environment and devoid of free will, are reduced to the level of animals in their constant search for food. The work in the mine is getting more and more dangerous because of the fear of collapsing. While at the beginning of the novel we have a dark atmosphere at the end the main character goes into beautiful light, carrying the hope for a better tomorrow. They had no time to waste, so they weren’t careful enough in their work. In 1898, he stood out in the Dreyfuss affair with his work J’accuse with which he brought the age of the government upon him. Emile Zola was famous because of the affection he showed towards the working class. What is "germinating"? Etienne came to the mine hoping for a job and as he moved towards, he saw many people enter the small gate that reminded him of a mythical animal. Bonnemort has a son whose family consists of seven children. Also, she did not want to accept the help Etienne offered her because she thought she wasn’t worthy of him.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'bookreports_info-leader-4','ezslot_20',117,'0','0'])); Several weeks passed by while Etienne was recovering from his injuries. Chaval was angry and banished Catherine out of their house, and she couldn’t go back to her parents who rejected her. He got enthusiastic about that idea and even founded a miner’s organization in case they want to go on strike. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “Germinal” by Émile Zola. He leaves the same way he came, and that is with many dreams about justice in the society. The father of the family Maheu was the leader of his group, and he had just lost a member, so Etienne filled in for him. As time passed by the situation in the family, Maheu was getting worse and especially when Zacharie got married and received an empty house in the village from the company. He was sentenced and he ran away to England. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Etienne Lanter is the main character of the novel. Bonnemort was a member of a family that worked in a mine for a very long time now. In “Germinal” he picked the names of the characters carefully because he was trying to make a point and show his irony through their names. The novel is filled with contrast from the beginning till the end. Also, he was accused because of an inhumane approach in describing his characters. Why did Zola call the novel Germinal? Family Mahau lost another family member, and that was their daughter Alzira. The rich family that had only one daughter did not have any mercy upon her so they only gave her one bagel. All rights reserved. Several weeks passed by while Etienne was recovering from his injuries. In the meantime miss, Hennebeau comes with some prestige guests from Paris to visit the village and she tells them that everyone will be well settled in and that every now and then these surroundings is good because of the peaceful atmosphere and clean air. The contrast can also be found in the family lifestyles because on one side we have poor miners and on the other rich owner of the mines.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'bookreports_info-box-4','ezslot_19',112,'0','0'])); “Germinal” has many naturalistic characteristics such as biological inheritance that leads to misfortune. Even though we have a dark atmosphere in the novel the end is optimistic, and the point is that a man must take the matter into his hand if he wants a better tomorrow. He and Catherine slept in the same room and emotions started building between them but despite that she stayed submissive to Chaval who tortured her every day. It was early, and all of the work-capable members of the family Maheu were getting ready for work. Etienne was born outside of a marriage and his mother was named Gervaise and had some problems with drinking. Emile Zola (1840 – 1902) was a famous French novel writer and is believed to be one of the most important representatives of naturalism. © 2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Got it. It is one of the first novels with whom the author tried to show the confrontation between the capitalists and the working class and therefore it is considered one of the best novel about the labor movement.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'bookreports_info-box-3','ezslot_15',109,'0','0'])); The events described ate based on a true story that happened in France in 1884. Germinal Summary and Study Guide. Marxism is a worldview based on the theories of Karl Marx that sees capitalism as destructive because it creates an inevitable class struggle. The workmen wanted to, in a peaceful way, get their right back but Souverin was more revolutionary and wanted to use violence to make their employers change their minds. Etienne was born outside of a marriage, and his mother was named Gervaise and had some problems with drinking. When they are working 6 years old Lenora, 4 years old Henri, 9 years old Alzira, newborn Estelle and their mother are at home. Learn more. The miners couldn’t get along anymore and many of them went and worked in other mines as well as Chaval and Catherine. In 1898, he stood out in the Dreyfuss affair with his work J’accuse with which he brought the age of the government upon him. In the names, we can even find some metaphors such as the name of the mine Voreux. Zola masterfully uses Étienne’s naïveté regarding his new milieu to educate him and the reader about this forsaken world and people. The event that triggered the strike was the accident in which Jeanlin Maheu hurt both of his legs.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'bookreports_info-leader-2','ezslot_9',116,'0','0'])); Etienne was the leader of the strike. Unlike the family Maheu who lives in poor conditions we meet the Gregorie family, mine owners who lived wealthy and Maheu’s wife came to ask them for money. Given that the setting of the novel is built around multiple small villages and... eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Such is the life of those who work in the mine pits. Similarly, the miners and their womenfolk act accordingly in one of the novel’s most famous and most stirring passages (part 5, chapter 5). He tried to show that the people should listen to new ideas. Also, she did not want to accept the help Etienne offered her because she thought she wasn’t worthy of him. From that time, we have his unfinished works like “Les Trois Villes”, “Les Quatre Evangiles”.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'bookreports_info-leader-3','ezslot_14',120,'0','0'])); Except for “Germinal” he is also well known for his other novels such as “Nana”, “Therese Raquin”, “L’Assommoir”…, Your email address will not be published. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. And soon this germination would sunder the earth.” The promise of the title has been fully realized. Emile Zola Booklist Emile Zola Message Board. She is the complete example of the person that was scared by the tragic life of her family and the surroundings she lived in. He and Catherine slept in the same room, and emotions started building between them but despite that she stayed submissive to Chaval who tortured her every day. Unlike the first novel he was mentioned in, and that was L’Assommoir, here he does not try to run away from the surroundings he grew up in. It is one of the first novels with whom the author tried to show the confrontation between the capitalists and the working class and therefore it is considered one of the best novel about the labor movement. He wrote about the social problems and tried to show his moral through his books. He was amazed by the Maheus and they by him. Étienne is given a job in the mine. Voreux comes from the Latin word vorax and that means “the one that devours”. As time passed by the situation in the family, Maheu was getting worse and especially when Zacharie got married and received an empty house in the village from the company. After the bloodbath, Chaval turned Etienne in as the leader of the strike and because of that, he ran away. Everything he’s been through, from the strike to losing Catherina, made him a stronger person and strengthened his beliefs in revolutionary ideas. Unfortunately, he lost his father when he was seven years old and he inherited his temperament which helped him with his writing and defending his views of life. The father of the family Maheu was the leader of his group and he had just lost a member so Etienne filled in for him. Unlike him, Souverin thought that they should tear down everything and start from the bottom. Soon afterward, Bouteloup joins the Levaque woman. Born and raised in poverty she thought that she did not deserve anything better than Chaval because she did not know about anything better. He wrote about the social problems and tried to show his moral through his books. Zola mythicizes the mine pit into a voracious monster, aptly named “le Voreux,” feeding on human flesh; even when flooded, the mine soon returns to its normal state in expectant ambush for the next cargo of miners. He considered that the society problems should get more attention. Despite the strike, the situation was not getting better. The life of the miners was miserable and the people were promiscuous, prone to alcohol and sometimes even violent.