The Hand Flashcards
by Guy de Maupassant — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Hand
Where is M. Bermutier telling his story?
He is at a social gathering, standing before a fireplace, surrounded by a group of women who have pressed closer to hear him discuss an unsolved mystery.
What crime is being discussed at the opening of the story?
The Saint-Cloud mystery, an inexplicable murder in Paris that had captivated the public for a month with no solution found.
Where was M. Bermutier serving as a judge when the central events occurred?
He was a judge at Ajaccio, a small white city on the edge of a bay surrounded by high mountains in Corsica.
What type of cases dominated M. Bermutier's work in Corsica?
Vendetta cases, rooted in the Corsican code of revenge that compelled retaliation for insults against a person and all their descendants and relatives.
How does M. Bermutier first meet Sir John Rowell?
He shoots a partridge that lands on Rowell's property and uses it as a pretext to introduce himself, handing over the bird and begging the Englishman's pardon.
What is the most striking object in Sir John Rowell's parlor?
A dried, blackened human hand mounted on a square of red velvet, chained to the wall with an enormous iron chain strong enough to hold an elephant.
Where does Rowell say the hand came from, and how was it preserved?
He says it came from America: the bones were severed by a sword, the skin cut off with a sharp stone, and the hand dried in the sun for a week.
What does Rowell say about the chain holding the hand, and why does it unsettle the narrator?
Rowell says the chain is needed because the hand "always wants to go away," speaking with calm seriousness rather than as a joke, which leaves the narrator unsure whether Rowell is mad or a practical joker.
How is Sir John Rowell killed?
He is strangled during the night; his face is black and swollen, his neck bears five or six puncture wounds resembling iron instrument marks, and the physician concludes he appears to have been strangled by a skeleton.
What grim clue is found in Rowell's mouth after his murder?
One of the fingers from the missing hand, sawed off down to the second knuckle by his own teeth during the struggle.
What does the servant reveal about Rowell's behavior in the month before his death?
Rowell had become agitated, burned many letters upon receiving them, often struck at the dried hand in fits of rage, kept his room locked at night, and was heard arguing loudly with what seemed like no one.
Where is the hand eventually found, and what detail is notable?
It is found three months after the murder in the cemetery on Sir John Rowell's grave, with the first finger missing — the finger found in Rowell's mouth.
Who is M. Bermutier?
A French judge who serves as both the story's narrator and the frame-story host; he is rational, skeptical of the supernatural, and admits the case was ultimately abandoned unsolved.
How is Sir John Rowell physically described?
He is a big man with red hair and beard, very tall and broad, described as a kind of calm and polite Hercules — imposing but courteous.
What hints does Rowell drop about his past during his conversation with the judge?
He mentions extensive travels in Africa, India, and America, speaks of hunting dangerous animals, and casually adds that he has "frequently been man-hunting," laughing it off warmly.
What is the story's framing device?
A story-within-a-story: the outer frame shows a group of women listening to a judge at a social gathering, while the inner narrative is the judge's own past experience in Corsica.
What role does ambiguity play in the story's ending?
Maupassant deliberately withholds a definitive answer; the judge offers a rational explanation (a living enemy reclaiming the hand) but the women — and the reader — remain unconvinced, preserving a sense of the uncanny.
How does Maupassant use the setting of Corsica to reinforce the story's themes?
Corsica's culture of vendettas — blood feuds spanning generations — provides a naturalistic framework for the supernatural revenge plot, blurring the line between human vengeance and something more sinister.
What is the significance of the hand being chained to the wall?
The chain symbolizes Rowell's belief that his enemy's malevolent will is still active; it foreshadows the hand's eventual escape and the fulfillment of that revenge.
What is the central theme of "The Hand"?
The story explores the tension between rational and supernatural explanations for horrifying events, suggesting that some acts of violence — especially those rooted in deep enmity — resist neat explanation.
How does the theme of vengeance function in the story?
Vengeance operates both literally (the Corsican vendetta cases the judge describes) and supernaturally (the hand returning to kill Rowell), suggesting that unresolved hatred can transcend even death.
What does the word "inexplicable" signal in Maupassant's storytelling strategy?
The judge insists on using "inexplicable" rather than "supernatural," signaling Maupassant's technique of keeping the horror ambiguous — never confirming the paranormal while never ruling it out either.
What does the judge mean when he says "Man is the worst" dangerous animal?
Rowell uses this line to hint at his own violent history and the idea that human malice surpasses that of any beast — a comment that takes on darker meaning once his murder is discovered.
What does the judge say at the end, and why does it frustrate the women?
He offers a rational explanation — that the hand's original owner was still alive and retrieved it — but immediately acknowledges this will not satisfy his audience, ending on deliberate irresolution.
What does the word "vendetta" mean, and how does it connect to the story's plot?
A vendetta is a prolonged feud in which a family or individual seeks revenge for a real or perceived wrong; the judge's Corsican context makes vengeance — human or supernatural — the story's governing logic.