In this blog post, I’ll explore the sense of loneliness evoked by Maupassant’s “A Certain Life” and its significance.

Jeanne’s Misfortune and the Reader’s Loneliness

How did you feel after reading “A Certain Life”? You were probably overcome by a sense of melancholy. The reason we feel this melancholy after reading the novel is likely, first and foremost, our sympathy for the protagonist Jeanne’s heartbreaking life. However, that alone does not fully explain this melancholy. While there are many novels featuring unhappy protagonists, it is rare to find a character who evokes such deep melancholy in the reader as Jeanne does.
First, I’d like to ask: Why did Jeanne end up leading such an unhappy life? In fact, there is no single, specific cause. She spent her youth full of dreams, waiting for true love to come her way. However, the husband she met in reality was not the hero on a white horse she had imagined in her fantasies. He was merely a selfish and stingy man, and her illusions were shattered as soon as they were married. That said, it would be too harsh to claim that she became unhappy simply because she was lost in fantasy. If one does not harbor such fantasies in youth, how barren a life would that be?
Some might criticize her misfortune as the result of her father’s upbringing, her innocent nature—naive to the ways of the world—or her excessively kind disposition. However, such criticism also lacks persuasiveness. If Jeanne had lived a shrewd and worldly life—if she had sought solace in the secular world rather than finding joy in nature—would she have been able to escape that unhappiness?
Others might argue that Jeanne’s blind love for her son, Paul, made her life miserable. But what parent does not have at least some blind love for their child? And can we really conclude that loving one’s child too much necessarily leads to unhappiness? If Jeanne had been able to restrain that love, would her life truly have been different?
One might criticize Jeanne, as Rosalie does, by saying she’s “talking out of a full stomach.” The point is that, compared to people who work hard every day just to eat, Jeanne is relatively happy. However, such criticism also misses the heart of the matter. Happiness is not determined solely by material conditions.
In the end, can we simply attribute Jeanne’s unhappiness to “bad luck”? Perhaps that is part of it. That is why she even considers suicide at one point. Taking her own life seemed like the surest way to escape that cruel fate. But she cannot bring herself to do it. She thought of her parents, who would grieve after her death. In the end, she faints without even having the will to commit suicide, and thus continues to live her unhappy life. That is precisely the core reason why reading this novel leaves us feeling desolate. It is because we, too, once harbored dreams that were shattered, and have at times lamented, “Why me?”

Happiness, Illusion, and the Essence of Life

Everyone dreams of a happy life. We ponder what constitutes a happy life, listen to advice from those around us, and even read books that claim to teach us about happiness. While these efforts are all commendable, if we become obsessed with the idea that “we must be happy,” we run the risk of living without ever truly understanding what happiness is or feeling it. If we fall into the illusion that “only a happy life is desirable,” we easily fall into the delusion that everyone else seems happy while we alone are unhappy.
Human life is by no means composed solely of pleasure or happiness. While joy and happiness exist in life, so do disillusionment and suffering. The reason is simply that we are alive. It is not that we suffer because we are living our lives wrongly; rather, the very fact of being alive brings with it unhappiness and suffering. Because Maupassant’s “A Certain Life” unflinchingly reveals this stark reality, the story evokes a sense of melancholy in us.
The story’s conclusion vividly illustrates how comfort, hope, and suffering intertwine. Jeanne, holding her infant granddaughter, is moved to kiss her passionately, rediscovering dreams and hope in that young life. Yet we know that this joy is not eternal. That said, we cannot call that hope an illusion. Without such fleeting hope, it would be difficult to carry on living. It is precisely this contradictory reality that makes us feel a sense of melancholy.
Furthermore, the melancholy we feel in “A Certain Life” also takes on a comforting quality. Through that comfort, we come to empathize with Rosalie’s final words: “When you think about it, life isn’t as good as we imagine, nor is it as bad.”
Do you relate to Rosalie’s words? If so, you will discover a deep affection not only for Jeanne’s pitiful life but also for your own. If there is one thing we must do as we navigate this world, it is to love our own lives in whatever way we can.

The Title, the Translation, and Maupassant

For reference, this novel is commonly known in Korea as “A Woman’s Life.” However, the original French title is “Une Vie,” which, when translated accurately, means “A Life” rather than “A Woman’s Life.” This title may have been chosen due to an error in the early translation process or an intentional translation choice. Since this novel depicts the life of a specific individual rather than a generic “woman’s life,” I hope the title can regain its original meaning.
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was born in 1850 in Seine-Maritime, Normandy. His father was Gustave de Maupassant, of Dutch noble descent, and his mother was Laure, who came from the bourgeois class. When he was ten years old, the family moved to Étretat, the setting of this novel.
His mother, who possessed great artistic talent, had been friends with Gustave Flaubert since her youth. Hoping that Maupassant would become a great writer, she asked Flaubert to take her son as a protégé. Flaubert accepted her request, and in 1872, when Maupassant turned 22, he went to Paris to begin his mentorship with Flaubert.
In Paris, through Flaubert’s introduction, he met Émile Zola, the master of naturalist fiction, and was deeply influenced by him. Under Flaubert’s influence, he initially published works characterized by strict realism, carefully selecting every verb and adjective. As a result, he is regarded as a writer who employs the most precise expressions suited to each situation.
In his early career, Maupassant wrote mainly short stories. In particular, “Boules de Suif,” published in 1880, received high praise even from Flaubert. He wrote approximately 300 short stories, and for this reason, he is regarded, along with Russia’s Chekhov, as one of the writers who brought Western modern short fiction to its peak. It is somewhat paradoxical, however, that he did not consider the short story his true calling but rather viewed it as a training ground for writing novels.
“A Life,” published in 1883, surprised many people. It is particularly well-known that Tolstoy praised this work as the greatest French novel since Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.”
Subsequently, Maupassant received critical acclaim for novels such as ‘Bel-Ami’ and ‘Pierre and Jean’, but around 1892, he began exhibiting signs of mental illness, attempted suicide, and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he passed away in 1893 at the age of 43.

Film Adaptations and Modern Reception

‘A Life’ has been adapted into films on several occasions and has been widely loved. In particular, the 2016 film directed by French filmmaker Stéphane Brizé was highly praised for its beautiful cinematography and restrained narrative.