Old Goriot (Pere Goriot)

Considered to be one of Balzac's most important works, "e;Old Goriot"e;, or "e;Pere Goriot"e;, is the story of its title character Goriot; a mysterious criminal-in-hiding named Vautrin; and a naive law student named Eugene de Rastignac. We are introduced to the characters at Maison Vauquer, a boarding house owned by the widow Madame Vauquer. Central to the theme of the book is the struggle to achieve upper-class status in society. Rastignac is eager to achieve this upper-class standing but is unfamiliar to the ways of Parisian society. Vautrin tries to convince Rastignac to pursue an unmarried woman named Victorine, a dubious suggestion which involves the disposal of her brother who blocks the woman's fortune. The failings to achieve this upper-class status are exemplified by Goriot who has bankrupted himself to support his two well-married daughters, yet they reject him. A classic and tragic story, "e;Old Goriot"e; is one of the most pivotal works in Balzac's sweeping novel sequence "e;La Comedie Humaine"e;, which endeavors to depict the effects of society on the entirety of the human condition.