55 pages • 1 hour read
Émile ZolaThe Ladies' Paradise
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1883A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
A young working-class woman named Denise Baudu arrives in Paris with her brothers, Pepe and Jean. They left rural France on train, traveling in the cheapest seats. Denise is the oldest sibling at 20, while Jean is 16 and Pepe is five. The city threatens to overwhelm them as they search for Rue de la Michodiere, home to their uncle Baudu, who offered to take the siblings into his home after their parents died from the flu. As they search, Denise is struck by a department store window that is bursting with color. The store is named The Ladies’ Paradise and is far grander than any store Denise has seen, particularly the provincial drapery store where she was employed for two years. The silks, clothing, and furs on display are luxurious, though Denise is surprised they are so cheap. Mirrors reflect the lavishly dressed mannequins from many angles.
As the siblings stare at the department store, a gray-haired man watches. Denise and Jean recognize him as their uncle Baudu. He is outside his own store, Au Vieil Elbeuf. In contrast to The Ladies’ Paradise, Au Vieil Elbeuf is small and dingy. When Denise introduces herself, Baudu is surprised. She explains that she and her siblings tried to run their father’s store after his death, but it failed. Denise does not tell him about Jean’s scandalous affair with the daughter of a local aristocrat, which prompted their sudden departure to Paris.
The siblings enter Baudu’s gloomy store and meet their aunt Madame Baudu, their cousin Genevieve, and Baudu’s assistant, Colomban. Baudu explains that his business is struggling; three of his five sons died young, and the surviving two left home. Genevieve is the only child left to help him. Since their business is struggling, the Baudus cannot afford to house Denise and her siblings. They devise a plan as they share a depressing meal. During the meal, Denise laughs at her uncle’s suggestion that she might marry a rich man. Impoverished and with two younger brothers to care for, she explains that she does not see herself as an enticing prospect. Baudu says that Genevieve plans to marry Colomban, and they will take over his store. Denise looks at the prospective couple and believes their arranged marriage lacks passion.
Later, Denise studies the excited crowds as they shop at The Ladies’ Paradise. The store seems to be a “machine working at high pressure” (16) The department store is a controversial subject in the Baudu home. Baudu avoids discussing the subject by taking Denise to visit Vincard, a fellow store owner who is seeking to hire a salesperson. Vincard says he filled the job opening just a few hours ago, but a customer named Robineau (who works at The Ladies’ Paradise) says that she should visit Madame Aurelie at the department store, as they are always hiring. As the others disparage the large store, Denise is filled with pride. On the way home, they pass a small umbrella carving store owned by a man named Bourras, who explains to Baudu how the owners of The Ladies’ Paradise tried to take over his store so that they can expand. Bourras angrily insists that he will never sell to them.
At dinner that evening, Baudu says The Ladies’ Paradise is owned by a notorious philanderer named Octave Mouret, who is distantly related to Madame Baudu. He married Caroline Hedouin, whose father and uncle founded the department store. Caroline then died under mysterious circumstances—Madame Baudu hints that she was killed by Mouret. Baudu believes that Mouret’s plans for the store are overly ambitious and that he will soon bankrupt himself. The store, he complains, treats their employees and customers as commodities. The low prices threaten the livelihood of smaller stores, to the point where Baudu dreams of founding a union of small business owners. He insists that he will persevere. Denise shifts awkwardly when Baudu asks whether she will seek a job there. She does not answer but looks at the well-lit department store from inside Baudu’s gloomy shop. She feels herself drawn to it. Baudu believes that Denise will apply for a job there the next day, which she confirms.
Chapter 2 Summary
Denise stands outside The Ladies’ Paradise as the shop assistants hurry in. She meets a man who is also applying for a job, but their conversation is short, as he is as shy as she is. Denise feels men staring at her, and she feels exposed. She does not know that one of these men is Mouret. The narrative switches to Mouret, who enters his large office and freshens up under a portrait of his late wife. Bourdoncle, a long-standing supervisor, enters. The men joke about Mouret’s fondness for parties. Bourdoncle signs papers as Mouret talks about Madame Desforges, a woman he saw at the party the previous night. Bourdoncle believes that women will eventually get revenge against Mouret.
The men discuss an upcoming sale. Though Mouret invested heavily, he is sure to make vast profits. He plans to use Madame Desforges to help him expand his store. The men go to inspect newly arrived stock. As Bourdoncle and a buyer named Bouthemont argue about the best tactic for selling silk, Mouret gets annoyed. He threatens to undermine both men’s commissions by giving the silk away as a promotional item. Mouret and Bourdoncle proceed through the store, uncovering mistakes and errors and striving to put them right.
Mouret and Bourdoncle speak to Albert Lhomme, known in the store for being the son of Madame Aurelie, the buyer for the ladieswear department. Bourdoncle blames Albert for a mistake, but Albert makes excuses. Mouret and Bourdoncle continue their inspection. As an employee named Hutin arranges a display of silk scarves, Mouret intervenes and changes the previously symmetrical display to something more chaotic yet captivating. Denise enters and admires the display. Mouret notices her reaction and hires her on the spot. Denise, recognizing Mouret from earlier, discerns a strange look in his eye. She leaves the store, unsure of whether to feel excited or fearful. Outside, she meets the man who was also applying for a job. His name is Henri Deloche. Wishing good luck to each other, they part ways.
Chapter 3 Summary
The following Sunday, Madame Desforges hosts a tea party. She invited Mouret and Baron Hartmann, who, since the death of her husband, is her financial advisor as well as a director at a bank. He is also Madame Desforges’s occasional lover, as is Mouret. Madame Desforges is in love with Mouret, though she fears he is interested in her only as a means of meeting powerful people like Hartmann. Mouret bows to the female guests, who admiringly discuss their purchases from The Ladies’ Paradise. They all spend a great deal of money in the store, often more than they can afford, so they hide their purchases from their husbands.
A man named Vallagnosc arrives. He attended the same school as Mouret, and they retire for a private conversation. Though Vallagnosc was the smartest boy in the class, he has a relatively modest job. Mouret notes that his job has nothing to do with what he learned at school. Furthermore, very few of his employees have any education. Nevertheless, he makes vast sums. In contrast, Vallagnosc never achieved much in spite of the expectations placed upon him. Mouret defends his lifestyle, claiming to have many lovers and many passions. He criticizes anyone who cannot enjoy themselves in this modern age. He invites the indifferent Vallagnosc to his store to witness money being made. The conversation shifts to Vallagnosc’s fiancée, Blanche. He seems less than certain that the marriage will take place, as Blanche’s family has trouble with money due to her mother, Madame de Boves, and her many affairs.
Madame Desforges introduces Mouret to Hartmann. In private, Mouret flatters Hartmann and then mentions his plan to expand his store. Hartmann is reluctant. Mouret points to the tea party guests, suggesting that they will be his customer base. He sells with a slim profit margin but in vast quantities. Mouret claims to know how to play on his customers’ desires. Spending money, he claims, is “the flesh and blood of Woman” (75).
The female party guests chat about fashion and shopping. Mouret quietly assures Hartmann that these potential customers are ripe to be exploited. The speech has an effect on Hartmann, though he warns that these women will eventually have “revenge” against Mouret. Mouret invites Hartmann to partner with him, but Hartmann’s answer is delayed when the women call out to Mouret. They ask about the store’s upcoming sale, which they all plan to attend. Mouret talks positively about his many wonderful products and the great prices he will offer. The women are intrigued by his charm. Mouret talks about a future in which the middle class will benefit enormously from shops such as his. The male guests, fearful of their wives’ spending, are not impressed.
Noting Mouret’s effect on these women, Hartmann warns Madame Desforges not to be swayed by the store owner’s charm. Suspecting that Mouret is using her to gain access to Hartmann, Madame Desforges resolves to make Mouret fall in love with her. Hartmann wonders if she will be the vehicle for the women’s revenge. Later, as the party breaks up, Hartmann tells Mouret that—should the upcoming sale prove to be a success—he will broker the financing for the expansion.
Chapters 1-3 Analysis
The opening chapters of The Ladies’ Paradise portray paired settings: The excess and luxury of the titular department store is contrasted with the gloom and poverty of Baudu’s shop, and the lavish sitting room of Madame Desforges is juxtaposed against the dingy living quarters of the Baudu home. These paired settings illustrate Emerging Class Differences and Class Consciousness in the characters’ lives. While they may live in the same city and, in the case of Mouret and Baudu, work in the same business, their lives are very different. While Baudu’s ambitions fester in the dark confines of his musky, moldy home, the middle-class characters chat and flirt over afternoon tea, lounging in relative luxury. The Ladies’ Paradise brings these distinct worlds into contact. The working-class employees serve the middle-class customers. Their lower status is inescapable, as they sell products they cannot afford to people who do not need them. The opening chapters draw a distinct juxtaposition between the social classes, reminding the audience that the working class plays an essential, unseen, and unappreciated role in the luxurious lives of the middle class.
Denise exists on the boundaries between worlds. While she is sympathetic to the Baudu family’s struggles, she cannot help but be enraptured by The Ladies’ Paradise. She confesses to her uncle that she will seek a job at the store that is ruining his family. Denise may be a working-class girl, but she is not powerful enough to escape the pull of the department store. For the small business owners whose livelihoods are being destroyed and the working-class employees who sell their labor for Mouret’s profit, this gravitational pull remains irresistible. The Baudu family stares at the store they loathe, and in spite of their hatred, they cannot look away. Mouret’s shop represents a business model that is changing society so much that even the victims of his ambitions are enthralled by his ideas.
Mouret’s success comes at a cost, and even the wealthy characters feel that Mouret will not escape without punishment. He is warned that the women whose spending has made him rich will have their revenge. Bourdoncle and Hartmann believe this to be true, as though Mouret’s success cannot be sustained. They suggest that his deeds will come back to haunt him. This implication—that Mouret’s success is built on immoral and unsustainable foundations—is mirrored in the rumors that he killed his wife and her blood seeped into the foundations of the store. The Ladies’ Paradise, these rumors hint, is built on Mouret’s violence against women. His rumored physical violence is joined to a financial and moral violence, with the other characters convincing themselves that Mouret will be punished for his sins. Despite their ominous warnings, Mouret continues to thrive.
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