Alphonse Daudet’s autobiographical novel ‘Le Petit Chose’ tells the coming-of-age story of Daniel Eyssette, who never loses hope despite his unfortunate circumstances. What meaning does his journey—striving to preserve his innocence while enduring poverty and hardship—hold for us today?
Who is Daniel Eyssette, the protagonist of Alphonse Daudet’s (1840–1897) first novel ‘Le Petit Chose’? He’s a classic loser. Using a modern term, he’s a quintessential ‘poor person’. Few people are as poor as he is. His father’s business began failing when he was born, and he couldn’t even attend elementary school properly. Fortunately, he became a scholarship student and attended high school without paying tuition, but even there, he was bullied—what we’d call ‘socially excluded’ today. Moreover, he didn’t even graduate from that school. As graduation approached, his father’s business completely collapsed, forcing him to part ways with his family and throw himself into the workforce. Everything was because of poverty. Yet, he suffered misfortune even in his first job. His friendship was betrayed, and he was ultimately fired. Though he seemed to possess some artistic talent, he failed miserably. He succumbed to the seduction of a femme fatale-like woman, leaving his soul wounded. Furthermore, the person he loved most, his guardian figure, his brother Jacques Eyssette, also passed away. And that’s not all. Amidst all this misfortune, the burden of his mission—“to rebuild the family”—remained.
In short, the protagonist must play the same role in real life that he did as a child playing in the ruined factory with the gatekeeper’s son – the role of ‘Robinson Crusoe’. A lonely Robinson Crusoe, exiled to a deserted island, forced to solve everything on his own! And a Robinson Crusoe even lonelier than the real one, without a Friday or a parrot!
This protagonist is certainly enough to bring tears to our eyes. Yet it’s strange. Reading ‘Le Petit Chose’, we find ourselves smiling more often than we shed tears. Humor overflows everywhere, warmth flows everywhere. Even when the protagonist sheds tears of sorrow, we find ourselves moved by those tears, feeling moist-eyed, yet simultaneously wearing a faint smile.
Why is that? Primarily, it’s because this book’s protagonist doesn’t sink into despair because of his misfortune. He maintains his mental health. A person who steadfastly guards their mental health, no matter how difficult their circumstances, does not stimulate our tear ducts. We truly feel sorrow for someone when they are mentally broken or devastated. When they are suffering from mental anguish.
Yet, the protagonists of ‘Le Petit Chose’, Daniel Eyssette and his brother Jacques Eyssette, never despair, no matter how difficult the situation. They neither lament nor rage. Recall the scene where Jacques Eyssette, with a mere 60 francs, plans their monthly budget with Daniel Eyssette. How brightly hopeful are they as they make plans for the future and find happiness in that utterly destitute situation? How mentally healthy are they? Maintaining mental health without lamenting or raging when hardship strikes is truly no easy feat.
How could the protagonists of ‘Le Petit Chose’, Daniel Eyssette and Jacques Eyssette, manage such a difficult feat? How could they avoid losing their mental balance? The answer is simple: because they are kind and innocent. Because they are full of affection. Of course, they suffer because of the fate that made them poor. But they bravely overcome that fate. They don’t overcome that fate with heroic resolve to battle and conquer the world; they overcome it with kind and innocent hearts. They transform that difficult fate into something worth living.
If you were in the protagonists’ situation, what attitude would you adopt? Some people would lament the situation itself. They might resent their parents for not giving them a silver spoon or express jealousy and anger toward those with silver spoons. This is an attitude frequently seen in our society today. Yet it is the most passive stance. Why? Because it treats one’s given fate as absolute. It is an attitude that waits for that fate to change from outside, for someone else to change it. You probably wouldn’t adopt such an attitude.
Two attitudes remain. Let’s repeat them. One is the heroic resolve to confront and conquer the world, overcoming and changing that fate. The other is the attitude of overcoming with a kind and innocent heart, like the protagonist of this novel, transforming that difficult fate into something worth living. Let’s ask again. Which attitude will you choose?
Most people would likely choose the former. It appears the most proactive and assertive stance. Moreover, everyone assumes that kind and innocent people struggle to navigate the storms of this selfish, calculating world.
But is that truly the case? I boldly tell the world: Be kind and honest. If you believe living that way will only lead to losses in society, it’s difficult advice to give. But I add this: This world is truly selfish and harsh. Competition is fierce indeed. That’s why kind people, honest people, innocent people, and those full of compassion are rare. What does it mean for such people to be rare? It means they are precious. Precious people are treated well everywhere. Precisely because the world has become so corrupt, it craves such people even more! Break free from the illusion that being kind makes life difficult. A good person can shine even when hidden!
And I’ll add one more thing. The fact that the world has become so harsh also means people are getting tired of harsh lives. Perhaps an era is coming where we value warm-hearted and generous people more than clever and smart ones. Deep down, I truly hope that happens!
If, while reading ‘Le Petit Chose,’ you found yourself deeply empathizing with Jacques Eyssette and Daniel Eyssette instead of rolling your eyes thinking, ‘What kind of fools are these?’, then you’ve already joined them in participating in this world’s transformation.
What stays with me most is what Jacques Eyssette told Daniel Eyssette as he was dying.
“Daniel Eyssette, I won’t tell you to grow up. Perhaps Father Germain was right. He said you’d always remain a child, didn’t he? But Daniel Eyssette, I beg you. Please stay a good and wonderful child forever. Especially… especially… never let those black eyes cry.”
Alphonse Daudet was born on May 13, 1840, in Nîmes, an ancient city in Provence, southern France. When he was nine, his family moved to Lyon because his father, who ran a silk factory, had closed it down. When his father, who was a wholesaler in Lyon, went completely bankrupt, Alphonse Daudet dropped out of school and worked as a self-study supervisor at a public middle school in Alès. Later, with the help of his older brother, Ernest Alphonse Daudet, he went to Paris.
Reading Alphonse Daudet’s life up to this point, you might slap your knee in surprise. Isn’t it almost exactly the same as the plot of ‘Le Petit Chose’? Yes, it is. ‘Le Petit Chose’ is a novel based on the author’s own youthful experiences. The only differences are that his brother died earlier than in reality, and Alphonse Daudet became a novelist rather than a pottery merchant.
Alphonse Daudet published a poetry collection in 1859 and released the short story collection ‘Letters from My Windmill’ in 1866, which included stories like ‘The Star’ and ‘The Girl from Arles’. However, it was ‘Le Petit Chose’, published in 1868, that brought him literary fame. He also published the short story collection ‘Monday Tales’ in 1873. Regarding ‘The Nabob’, published in 1877, Émile Zola, the master of naturalism, referred to it as a naturalist novel.
However, there is a certain distance between Émile Zola’s naturalism, which was based on strict scientific observation and experimentation, and Alphonse Daudet’s works. As we saw in ‘Le Petit Chose’, Alphonse Daudet’s works overflow with sentiment. It is more accurate to say he caressed the world with his sensitive antennae rather than observing it with a strict eye. Precisely because of this, his works have many readers worldwide.
He died suddenly at his home in Paris in 1897.
