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Introduction:
Eugénie Grandet is a French novel by Honoré De Balzac. It was published in 1833. The novel’s setting is on Saumur, France. It follows a rich girl, Eugenie Grandet, who falls in love with one of the guests she meets in her house. She waits for him for several years, however, she ends up marrying someone else.

Plot:
Felix Grandet, a dexterous barrel maker, married a wealthy woman and bought valuable property. He got high respect in the town and even became the mayor. When his daughter grew up, people began to see her as the one who would inherit his wealth. Some townspeople had candidates in mind to marry her, which caused curiosity and excitement because inheriting money was a big deal. Felix Grandet is extremely stingy and counts every penny. He refuses to repair his old house. On Eugénie’s birthday, a stranger named Charles arrives with a letter from her uncle. The uncle is bankrupt and planning to end his life. Charles needs help to go to the Indies. Eugénie misunderstands some letters and thinks Charles wants to marry her. She gives him gold coins and keeps a gold case.
Meanwhile, Felix makes money dealing with gold coins and plans to profit from his brother’s failed business. After Charles leaves, Eugénie secretly misses him. Her father, Felix, gets angry when he learns she gave away valuable coins and punishes her. Her mother gets sick and begs Felix to forgive Eugénie, but he refuses. When the notary warns Felix that Eugénie will inherit their property if her mother dies, Felix changes his behavior temporarily. When her mother dies, Felix convinces Eugénie to give up her inheritance. Years pass, Felix dies, and Eugénie becomes wealthy. She lives with her loyal servant, Nanon, and waits for Charles, remaining unmarried. Charles becomes wealthy by trading slaves but is greedy and unfaithful to Eugénie. He decides to marry into a noble family in Paris for status. He insults the creditors who ask him to pay his father’s debts. Charles writes to Eugénie, saying he’s engaged but doesn’t love his fiancée and that their lives are incompatible. He demands his belongings back and sends her a check. Eugénie is shocked and cries in despair. Des Grassins brings a letter saying her husband will ruin Charles’s social standing by making him bankrupt. Eugénie decides to marry Cruchot without any physical relationship. She sends him to pay off Charles’s debts. Charles realizes Eugénie is wealthy. Cruchot becomes a court president but dies. Eugénie inherits his money and lives modestly, donating to charity. Suitors still come hoping to marry her for her wealth.

Analysis:
In the novel, we can see how Eugénie Grandet has never lived a poor life. She had never experienced poverty since she was born in a rich household. This novel goes over the theme of social hierarchy and how the ranks of the households depend on how abundant each household is. The author may want to make the readers aware of this social stratification situation. It also goes over the theme of family. During the novel, there is a conflict between Eugénie and Felix Grandet, her dad. It shows the realistic lives of wealthy families and that just because your household is abundant, doesn’t mean they don’t have any conflicts or troubles. It also may be talking about how just because you are rich, doesn’t mean that you’ll be happy. The novel shows the realistic and true lives of wealthy people. It also shows realistic romantic lives, not stories from romance movies or shows. The fact that the author wanted to cover romance is love doesn’t always come true. It is also shown in the novel that people usually want to marry for money rather than love. We could also see the close relationship between Eugénie and her mother. In the book, Eugénie mostly talked to her mother rather than anyone else. Also, her mother stayed by her side and supported her throughout Eugénie’s life. We could also see the awkward relationship between Eugénie and her dad. They had a big conflict and I could see how he was strict with her. Observing the events where Eugénie and her dad interacted, they are incompatible and their personality are different. The author made this novel to show the realistic lives of wealthy households and families.

Conclusion:
Eugénie Grandet is a novel by a French author, Honoré De Balzac. It was published in 1833. The novel’s events happen in the town of Saumur. The Grandets’ household faces various events and challenges as they live through their abundant lifestyle and household. The author covers the themes of social hierarchy, the realistic lives of wealthy people, and realistic romantic lives through Eugenie’s life especially around her family.