Pere Goriot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pere Goriot - Essay Example This novel shows how difficult it can be to maintain a loving relationship in the modern world. Through the character of Eugà ¨ne de Rastignac, it is possible to see that while love is achieved at points in this novel, it is no longer the traditional version of love. It is a new, modern version where certain faults and attitudes must be ignored in order to make things work. One such example of a character who cannot truly love another is Eugà ¨ne de Rastignac, who does not have any interest in the women he pursues, but it rather more interested in improving his position in society. This is shown by the fact that he abruptly halts his pursuit of Madame de Restaud and begins his pursuit of Madame de Nucingen simply because of who the latter’s father is. As the novel progresses, Rastignac does develop true feelings for Delphine. This, however, blinds him to her true character, as she is only involved with him for selfish intentions. He deceives himself into believing that she is not as bad as she seems, but it is clear that she is only involved with him for her own interests and, therefore, does not truly love him. While this relationship does eventually become sincere, it only becomes so because of Rastignac’s decision to ignore all of Delphine’s faults and to love her anyways. This makes the relationship seem somewhat forced, as Ra stignac has to make a decision to love this selfish person, rather than simply looking out for his own good. This could be viewed as a modern form of love, implying that the old love where people are perfect for one another no longer exists. Another character that is affected by Rastignac is Victorine. She is a young girl who falls for the first attractive man who shows interest in her, which is not true love, but is rather based on inexperience. Rastignac does not truly love her, but he leads her on in order to possibly marry her for her father’s money.