Goriot, Book II: The Enchantment of High Society

            Book II opens with starry-eyed Eugene de Rastignac, charmed by the possibilities of Paris to become a member of the elite. However, he is lost in his thoughts on the way to meet the haughty Madame de Restaud and splashes in some mud. This perhaps foreshadowing encounter and metaphors this chapter's theme of what starts off as a nice pair of shiny boots, but soon acquires a mud stained surface.

            The following scene at Madame de Restaud presents Restignac with a somewhat disillusioned wake up call. He does not fit in at all, and the others use it to mock him. The student envies the elegant Maxime so much to mentally comment on his polished mud-free boots, thus enforcing this contrast of social status. The conversation of the room is reminiscent of the likes of Pride & Prejudice, the underlying tensions between classes concealed (or not) by witty comments of the one trying to outdo or impress the other. Unlike Elizabeth Bennett though, Restignac fails at this completely. His blunder of calling Goriot by his nickname proves fatal as he is basically kicked out of Madame Restaud’s house. Nonetheless, he is enchanted by Maxime’s natural talent of charming women and hopes to one day “to reign supreme over such an eminently Parisian woman” (56).

            Restignac retreats for mentoring from his cousin, Madame de Beauseant, in the ways of high society. This scene also features the gossip and strategic play of talk as shown previously. Beauseant gives Restignac his first piece of advice: “if you wish to succeed, you must learn to hide your feelings,” which she proceeds to do as her 'friend' arrives and blurts out how her lover with is going to marry some other woman (66). Then she teaches him a lesson when recounting Goriot’s story: women are unforgiving. They will take your money and leave you to ruin, just as Goriot’s daughters did to him. This section shows the unapologetic realism of the novel that borders on cynicism. The only way to succeed in this world to play the game (similar to the moral of Game of Thrones) – be a vain man, Beauseant tells Rastignac, and women will fall for you.

            Back at the boarding house, Vautrin mocks Rastignac for his resolve to penetrate the high society. But Rastignac spits back at him and defends Goriot, as we know he is now trying to get with one of his daughters. Rastignac retreats back to his room to write to his family, asking them to give him all their money for his cause. The rest of the chapter ends with more Goriot back-story.

            This chapter starts to illustrate Rastignac’s disillusionment with the glittering surface of high society and his fall into knowledge. He is corrupted by the fashion and elegance of Maxime and further pushed by Beauseant. He is enticed by the power and influence of money which changes his moral values. Vautrin also reinforces the feeling of inadequacy and smallness he felt from his blunder at the Restauds’ -- something Rastignac never wants to feel again. In addition, upon learning Goriot’s story, Rastignac is given evidence of a future in where he fails at playing by these rules. Thus, Rastignac resolves to the immoral, pushing back his studies and asks his already struggling family for money to basically attempt to become a pimp. And through these letters, he sees himself noble that his sisters and mother will advance his success! Balzac certainly does not hold back on illustrating the cynical realism of the novel, where even the purest, innocent man will eventually fall to being a con artist.