Francois Moriac, The Monkey: A Summary of the Book

The story of the French writer Francois Moriak “Monkey”, a brief summary of which is brought to your attention, was created in 1951 and subsequently translated into many languages ​​of the world. The plot focuses on the fate of the patient since the birth of a twelve-year-old boy who is behind in development from his peers. Not only nature was unjustly dealt with young Guillaume. The baby does not feel the love and support of loved ones, is subjected to constant attacks from his mother.

Descendant of a noble family

A thin chicken neck, a short-cropped head with large ears, a drooping lower lip, with which drool constantly oozes - this is the portrait of the youngest offspring of the clan of the Barons de Cernay. Mother calls her son a monkey, a geek, degenerate and other offensive nicknames. In addition, the boy constantly gets slaps and slaps from a woman who hates him as much as her own husband. Indeed, Guillaume is an exact copy of his father, who suffers from a mild degree of dementia.

Moriak The Monkey Summary
In the book “Monkey” Moriak Francois does not give an exact definition of Baron Galeas’s illness, but outlines the man’s appearance: he is not tall, has a huge head, narrow sloping shoulders, unnatural thinness. Strange things also appear in the behavior of Herr de Cernay. During family meals, he spreads on plates all that can be spread, mixes wine with soup, crumbles bread and other products there. The old baroness, the mother of Galeas, and the grandmother of Guillaume hardly manage to keep the boy from imitating his father.

Mad Fury Madame de Cernay

In the castle, where a pious family lives, scandals constantly flare up. The troublemaker is Guillaume's mother, whose name is Paul. The unfortunate boy suffers most of all, the anger of a woman who is unsatisfied with her fate is directed at him. A gall face, covered with a dark fluff over the chin and upper lip, sleek dark hair - this is how the heroine of Moriak's “Monkey” looks. The summary of the story of her appearance in the house does not cause the reader sympathy.

Francois Moriac “Monkey” summary

Thirteen years ago, Paul married the ugly baron only to intermarry with a noble aristocratic surname. Unable to share the bed with an eccentric husband, Madame de Cernay takes out anger at others. Households call her a monster, a monster, a Gorgon for her eyes. Little Guillaume, hated by his mother, seeks protection from his grandmother, father and the maid of honor, serving in the castle. But only the elderly maid of honor refers to the boy with genuine tenderness and sincere love.

In Moriak’s short story “Monkey”, a brief summary of which cannot contain all the nuances of the depressing atmosphere in the house, the relationship between the baron and his wife is spoken softly: only once did Paul respond to her husband’s hugs, as a result their son Guillaume was born.

Faint ray of hope

Despite the lag in development, the boy mastered the basics of literacy. He was given twice to private boarding houses, but they did not want to support a sick child there - Guillaume stained the sheets. Paul arranges with a secular school teacher who lives near the castle to study individually with her son. It was not easy for the closed kid to decide to meet with Mr. Bordas, whom he imagined to be a "cannibal". Ignoring the tears and pleas of his son, Paul brings him to the first lesson on a rainy autumn evening.

The Monkey by Moriak Francois

It turned out that the teacher is not so scary. After a two-hour conversation with him, the boy gained confidence in his own abilities, the hope for finding a new friend, a kind and understanding mentor, was awakened. That night, for the first time in his short life, Guillaume fell asleep with a smile on his lips. I would like it to end on this bright note in the story of Francois Moriac “The Monkey”. A summary of the last chapter tells about the gloomy events that turned into a tragedy.

Relief from mental anguish

The next morning, under the pressure of his wife, who was unpleasant in the appearance of the little Baron de Serne, Robert Bordas sends a note to the castle, informing him of the refusal to deal with a sick child. In the house, a scandal erupts again between mother and grandmother. Paul pours insults at a worthless son and a demented husband.

In order not to hear malicious statements, his father takes Guillaume to the street. They go to the family cemetery, to which Galeas devotes all his free time, caring for the graves of their ancestors. The baron takes up the usual work, and the boy, sitting on the gravestone, cannot hold back tears, mourning for his uselessness. After all, even a teacher who was so kind and considerate does not want to deal with him.

Somewhere in the distance, a river rustles. This sound attracts Guillaume, and he confidently walks in a hurry towards liberation from physical bullying and mental suffering. The father, noting the absence of his son, goes in search of him. Galeas, no less than his boy, was tired of a joyless earthly existence. The abyss of the river took the lives of the last two representatives of the de Cernay clan.

“Since Mr. Galeas, taking his son’s hand, decided to share eternal sleep with him, no one else cares about the graves in the family cemetery.” So ends the story of Moriak "Monkey", a summary of which you just read.


All Articles