Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Money = Happiness
The excerpt we read last night by Balzac talked about how Goriot's happiness was defined by money. Goriot no longer has a relationship with his children because he has lost all of his money. He says that money is the cause and solution for his problem. I really like this statement because I feel like even today money is a problem for most people but it is also a way to fix the problems. Money is such a big part of society that people allow it to determine their happiness. What did yall think about the reading and the role money plays in society?
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4 comments:
I find it interesting that Goriot seems to suggest that he does not deserve the respect of his daughters and their husbands. First of all, he did not only want to be seen as "money" in their eyes. But second, he felt that he was worthless and even undeserving of his daughters' love, because he had been involved in affairs. These thoughts seem to suggest that Goriot values love more than money. However, when Goriot's daughters stop "loving" him due to his financial problems, he begins to feel like money is more important, but only because it will bring him "love" from his family.
I agree, Olivia. I think because his daughters take advantage of him for money, Goriot feels he must have money for his daughters to love him. Money also plays an influential role in society today, especially due to the our nation's economy. Even though money itself is just paper, people kill one another over it and destroy relationships that really matter, such as Goriot's daughters' bond with their father. When people get preoccupied with material things and lose sight of the bigger picture, making money seems to be the meaning of life.
I think that Balzac is questioning whether or not relationships exist at all in the absence of money. Money didn't destroy Goriot's connection to his daughters. Instead, it formed connections where there were none. Even today, it seems that humans are motivated by the promise of money above all else. It is the force that controls the growth and decline of cities and towns. Many a family has fragmented as a result of insufficient funds. Though I do not believe that money is the most powerful force in the world, it definitely functions as such in Pere Goriot.
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