A Piece of String Flashcards
by Guy de Maupassant — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: A Piece of String
Where does the story take place?
The story takes place in Goderville, a Norman village in France, primarily on market day in the public square and at Jourdain's tavern.
Why does Maitre Hauchecome pick up the piece of string?
He picks it up out of Norman frugality — he believes everything useful ought to be saved — then hides it in embarrassment when he notices his enemy Malandain watching him.
What is announced by the town crier at the market?
A black leather pocketbook containing five hundred francs and business papers has been lost on the road to Benzeville, and a twenty-franc reward is offered for its return.
Why does Malandain accuse Hauchecome of stealing the pocketbook?
Malandain is Hauchecome's enemy due to a past dispute over a halter, and he claims he saw Hauchecome stoop to pick something up, which he interpreted or misrepresented as the pocketbook.
What happens to the pocketbook the day after the market?
Marius Paumelle, a hired farmhand who could not read, found the pocketbook and returned it through his employer to Maitre Houlbreque, clearing the factual question of the theft.
How do people react when the pocketbook is found and Hauchecome tells his story?
Instead of believing Hauchecome, people assume he had an accomplice return the pocketbook to cover his tracks, and they continue to mock and distrust him.
How does Hauchecome die?
He wastes away from the psychological torment of being disbelieved, grows ill from shame and anger, takes to his bed in December, and dies in early January still protesting his innocence in his delirium.
Who is Maitre Hauchecome?
He is an elderly Norman peasant from Breaute, economical by nature and afflicted with rheumatism, whose chance discovery of a piece of string leads to his social destruction and death.
Who is Malandain and what is his role in the story?
Malandain is a harness maker and Hauchecome's personal enemy; he witnesses Hauchecome picking up the string and falsely or mistakenly reports to the mayor that he saw him take the pocketbook.
Who is Maitre Houlbreque?
Houlbreque is the man from Manneville who lost the black leather pocketbook containing five hundred francs; his loss sets the entire plot in motion.
Who is Marius Paumelle?
Paumelle is the hired farmhand who actually found the pocketbook; because he could not read, he gave it to his employer, who returned it the following day.
What is the central theme of the story?
The central theme is the impossibility of proving innocence once reputation is damaged: once society has decided on guilt, no evidence or denial can undo the verdict.
How does the story explore the destructive power of rumor and public opinion?
The community's collective judgment acts as an unstoppable force: even after the pocketbook is returned, rumor adapts by claiming Hauchecome used an accomplice, showing that gossip is self-reinforcing and lethal.
What role does social class play in the story?
Hauchecome is a humble peasant whose word carries no weight against that of Malandain, described as a man worthy of credence, illustrating how social standing determines whose testimony is believed.
How does irony function in the story?
The supreme irony is that Hauchecome's known reputation for Norman cunning is precisely what prevents him from being believed when he is actually innocent, as his very sharpness makes the lie seem plausible.
What does the piece of string symbolize?
The string symbolizes the fragility of truth and reputation: a worthless scrap that becomes the instrument of a man's destruction, showing how trivial circumstances can have catastrophic consequences.
What narrative technique does Maupassant use to open the story?
He opens with a broad naturalistic description of Norman peasants walking to market, using vivid sensory detail to establish social milieu before narrowing focus to Hauchecome as the protagonist.
How does Maupassant use situational irony in the ending?
The ultimate situational irony is that the returned pocketbook, which should exonerate Hauchecome, only deepens suspicion and accelerates his death, producing the opposite of the expected outcome.
What is the effect of Hauchecome repeating his story obsessively?
His compulsive retelling becomes a form of tragic self-defeat: the more elaborately he defends himself, the more guilty he appears, illustrating how excessive protest can paradoxically confirm suspicion.
What does 'economical like a true Norman' reveal about the story's cultural setting?
The phrase signals Norman frugality as a regional trait, but it also hints at the cunning associated with Normans, which makes Hauchecome's enemies quick to read his behavior as cleverness rather than innocence.
What does 'incredulous' mean as used when the mayor dismisses Hauchecome's explanation?
Incredulous means unwilling or unable to believe; the mayor shakes his head in disbelief because he cannot accept that a man would pick up a scrap of string and hide it with such apparent guilt.
What does 'subtile' mean in the phrase 'his arguing more subtile'?
Subtile (an archaic form of subtle) means overly clever or intricate; as Hauchecome's defenses grow more elaborate, they read as craftiness rather than honesty, further undermining his credibility.
What are Hauchecome's last words as he dies in delirium?
His last words are: 'A piece of string, a piece of string -- look -- here it is, M'sieu the Mayor.' His dying delirious protest mirrors the futile claim he made throughout his life.
What does Hauchecome say is the worst part of his ordeal?
He says: 'What grieved me so much was not the thing itself as the lying. There is nothing so shameful as to be placed under a cloud on account of a lie.' He suffers more from the injustice than from any practical loss.
What does the horse dealer say at Jourdain's tavern that reveals the new accusation against Hauchecome?
The horse dealer says: 'There is one that finds and there is one that reports. At any rate you are mixed with it.' This is the moment Hauchecome realizes people believe he staged the pocketbook's return through an accomplice.