Question

The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their language? What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?

Answer 1

Even though they speak English, it’s not their first language. The story was written by Maupassant in French and then translated into English. Again, the text itself shows enough French words to show that it’s not true. First, characters like Madame Loisel, Madame Forestier, and the minister, George Ramponneau, have names that make it clear they are French. Then, monetary terms like Franc and Sou indicate the same thing. Also, the fact that the shop is near ‘Palais Royal’ and ‘Champs-Élysées’ shows that the story and characters are based on French history.