Set during the four month the siege of Paris of 1870-1871, this story by Guy de Maupassant stereotypes (from a French perspective) the patriotism and valour of two Frenchmen and the barbaric brutality of the Prussian (German) soldiers surrounding the city. After a few drinks, two friends on opposite sides of the political spectrum (one a monarchist, the other a republican) set off to escape the deprivation and boredom of the besieged city by going fishing in the “no-man’s land” between the two armies. Themes: friendship, loyalty, patriotism, courage, the brutality of war.
Although the friends are portrayed as patriotic and brave, they are also naïve and foolhardy. In thinking that if caught they could buy their freedom with a few fish shows a lack of understanding of the reality of war. Given that a military password is needed to exit and re-enter the city, their “fishing” story is so unlikely that the enemy would almost certainly see them as spies. It could be argued that rather than being brutal, the Prussian officer was only doing his job (summarily executing two spies who may have discovered vital information), whereas the French colonel who gave the two hapless men the password put the whole city of Paris at risk.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (2,200 words)