The Horla by Guy de Maupassant

The Horla By fathead de Maupassant Guy de Maupassants short story The Horla is a large example of the nonion that art roughlytimes imitates life. In 1887, while battling the end stages of syph and institutionalized for insanity, de Maupassants last story The Horla was published. In the pages his fictive character, the cashier, chronicles his move around into madness while fighting an un check offn beast. The adept can be compared to de Maupassant and his suffer struggle with syphilis and psychosis. This story was origin all in ally written in French, the designer de Maupassants native language.It begins merrily with the fibber, who by all means seems young, healthy and wealthy, living in an estate, journals his prototypical entry on whitethorn 8th exclaiming, What a lovely day (de Maupassant 1). In subsequent entries what the narrator says about himself, through his actions, his diary becomes the witness of his madness and parallels the authors own progression of syphi lis. The first signs of the narrators depression begin to manifest four age after he spots a superb-three mast Brazilian vessel and salutes it.He will later come to count that this single gesture, performing a salute, has unconsciously invited a supernatural be that was aboard the ship to take down his inhabitation. He is plagued by a pyrexia and melancholy, ever-changing his mood from happiness into despair. Feeling as if whatever misfortune has upset his nerves and given him a fit of low animate (de Maupassant 2). Like his fictional character, the narrator, de Mausspant would have standardisedly suffered from fever. The disease plaguing de Mausspant, Syphilis, is sexually contractable and has many symptoms.In the early stages of his disease, fever is a mutual symptom of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease. The medical checkup symptoms of Syphilis tend to mimic many some other(prenominal) diseases. Patients within four to ten weeks after assure the virus tend to have flu care symptoms fever, muscle aches and decreased appetite. As the story continues, the narrator is overwhelmed with anxiety as if some nonrational being is at work, unmatchable that the human eye can non see tho is nonetheless to blame, he begins to wonder if the fever is not only having an effect on his consistency but also on his mind. On May 16th he enters in his journals that yes, e banks he is becoming seriously ill. His writing begins to show that he is being gripped by paranoia. Feeling as if something inevitable, some unseen force is around the corner and realise to attack his physical well-being. He has a wretched sensation of some danger threatening him (de Maupassant 3), but has yet to give his affliction a name. Paranoia as being defined by Websters mental lexicon is a psychosis that is characterized by delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations. There may also be a tendency on the part of an individual towards irrational suspici ousness or distrustfulness.Subsequently, paranoia is a defying feature for paranoiac schizophrenics. Using these guidelines and the narrators own explanation of his emotional state, it would tend to lead the reader into believe he is suffering from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is also a medical induced symptom of syphilis (Kaplan, and Sadick). To function his overwhelming feelings of being tormented and haunted by the unknown, the narrator outpourings to Mount St. Michel. Feeling refreshed, he returns shell in good health and spirits. However, very in short after his return, his nightmares return.Once once again, he opens and travels to Paris, hoping to enjoy the July 14th festivities. In Paris, he has the opportunity to attend a proof of hypnosis. At this demonstration, he learns about the power of suggestion. His spirits renewed, he decides to return home and once again the manifestations return. The creature which he has named The Horla, takes control of his body. Soon, hes unable to leave his home in order to escape from this unseeyn monster. Reaching this point in the story, one would believe the narrator is struggling with an inner demon, mental illness, not a physical entity.Fearing an unseen monster has have him, the narrator becomes withdrawn unable to leave the landmark of his home. You could ask, is the monster real or just another symptom of schizophrenia? Has the author, de Maupassant described his own feelings? Displaying his feelings as his protagonist in the story? People with schizophrenia may have hallucinations, hearing voices that other multitude dont hear. They may believe other people or things are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to disability them. This illness can make a someone seem withdrawn or extremely agitated. On August 18th, the narrator writes OhYes I will obey Him, follow His impulses, fulfill all His wishes, show myself humble, submissive, a coward. (de Maupassant 14) Feeling overpo wered, the narrator succumbs to the control of The Horla. His writing becomes like that of a maniac cumulating to thoughts of knock offing his captor, the captor that at times resides inside of him. Feeling that he may be able to take control when The Horla is go around the house and kill him the narrator in a moment of frenzy sets fire to his home. With his home in blazes the narrator flees to escape, only to realize he has trapped his servants in the home. The home has now became the servants grave.Overcome with paranoia when he realizes that he could not kill that which he could not see he decides his only way to escape is death. The narrators final line brings the oddment to this story, I suppose I must kill myself (de Maupassant 18). Many sufferers of mental illness believe that suicide is the answer. On average, one out of every 10 schizophrenic patients will commit suicide. The high hazard of suicide in schizophrenia is due in large part to the depression and paranoia th at characterize the disturbance (Veague). While unknown to the readers if the narrator actually kills himself, he was surely mad.This very madness has been documented in the real life of the author Guy de Maupassant. He himself tried to commit suicide by snip his throat in 1891. His failed suicide attempt, his growing business organization of death and paranoia led to his being institutionalized. He would conk his last 18 months of life in a Paris mental institution (Lombardi). His last work, The Horla should be remembered as one of his best short stories, one in which he had written himself into, as the stories own antagonist. Guy de Maupassants short life end on July 6th, 1893. Works Cited de Maupassant, Guy. The Horla (Fantasy and Horror Classics).Digital. Read Books Limited, 2011. 1-18. eBook. Kaplan, Harold, and benjamin Sadick. http//www. schizophrenia. com/family/misdiag. html. Schizophrenia. com. BaltimoreWilliams & Wilkins, n. d. Web. 18 Oct 2012. Lombardi, Esther. Gu y de Maupassant Biography. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. . Veague, Heather. Schizophrenia, Impact on Families and Society. Suicide and Schizophrenia. N. p. , 12 2009. Web. 17 Oct 2012. .