Alcohol Addiction in The Drunkard Novel

The Impact of Alcohol on Violent Behavior

Guy de Maupassant’s “The Drunkard” story illustrates that alcohol abuse is dangerous; after taking excessive alcohol, Jeremie engages in various regrettable actions. For example, Jeremie murders Melina, the wife, in cold blood. Further, Jeremie insults Mathurin, a benefactor, for no apparent reason. Moreover, Jeremie falls into a ditch from where he has to be retrieved. This essay analyses “The Drunkard” to highlight that alcohol is dangerous based on the following behaviors of Jeremie: Jeremie murders Melina, the wife, in cold blood; Jeremie insults Mathurin, a benefactor, for no apparent reason; and Jeremie falls into a ditch from where he has to be retrieved (Maupassant, n.d.).

Alcohol-Induced Aggression

Given that Jeremie murders Melina, the wife, in cold blood, “The Drunkard” demonstrates that alcohol abuse is hazardous. In this regard, Jeremie arrives home past midnight. Given that he is utterly drunk, Jeremie does not realize that Melina is fast asleep. Jeremie thus takes offense when he speaks with Melina and fails to obtain any response. In this inebriated state, Jeremie decides to punish Melina by hitting the wife with a chair. Jeremie thus repeatedly strikes at the sleeping Melina. By the time he halts his assaults against the wife, Jeremie has already passed out. On her part, Melina is lying dead after sustaining multiple injuries from Jeremie’s blows. Considering that Jeremie has dealt numerous blows to Melina, Melina’s body has been broken into pieces and ground into a meaty pulp (Maupassant, n.d.). From this scenario, a reader would validly hold that Jeremie’s alcohol abuse brings about the gory death of Melina. If Jeremie did not abuse alcohol, he would not misconstrue the wife. Jeremie would thereby not kill Melina in a brutal manner. This analysis highlights that alcohol abuse is dangerous.

The Breakdown of Social Relationships

Alcohol abuse is further hazardous in that Jeremie insults Mathurin, a benefactor, for no apparent reason. On this note, it is important to bear in mind the idea that Mathurin has just feted Jeremie with a huge amount of alcohol. Consequently, if anything, Jeremie should be thankful to Mathurin. Despite this reasonable consideration, Jeremie hurls several verbal insults at Mathurin for no apparent reason (Maupassant, n.d.). Given that a reader would find it difficult to identify why Jeremie insults Mathurin, a reader would validly hold that alcohol abuse causes Jeremie to engage in this dishonorable behavior. In this case, alcohol abuse causes Jeremie to adopt harmful conduct. Consequently, “The Drunkard” underlines a particular danger of alcohol abuse. This instance also highlights the way alcohol can undermine social bonds and alienate individuals from their community.

The Physical Perils of Intoxication

Jeremie falls into a ditch from where he has to be retrieved, thus further emphasizing that alcohol abuse is perilous. To this end, Jeremie errs by taking an amount of alcohol that he cannot manage. On his way home, Jeremie teeters and falls into a ditch. Given that he is extremely inebriated, Jeremie has to be retrieved from this ditch by some of his benevolent neighbors (Maupassant, n.d.). This state of affairs underlines that alcohol abuse is dangerous; alcohol abuse causes Jeremie to get into dangerous situations. While in this ditch, Jeremie could suffer various forms of harm, such as physical injuries or exposure to environmental dangers. In this way, “The Drunkard” stresses that alcohol abuse is perilous.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through Jeremie’s conduct, “The Drunkard” underscores that alcohol abuse is dangerous. To this end, Jeremie murders Melina, the wife, in cold blood. Moreover, Jeremie insults Mathurin, a benefactor, for no apparent reason. Further, Jeremie falls into a ditch from where he has to be retrieved. It would be insightful to find out why Maupassant focuses on the dangers of alcohol abuse. Such a focus could offer a deeper understanding of the societal issues related to alcohol and the personal tragedies that often accompany addiction.

References:

Maupassant, G. de. (n.d.). The Drunkard.