55 pages • 1 hour read
The Ladies' Paradise
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Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary
Denise is still dazed after her sudden dismissal. She has nowhere to stay, so she wanders the streets until she spots Bourras’s umbrella store, where a “Room to Let” sign is hanging in the window. Bourras reluctantly shows her the tiny room. Denise rents the room and must bring Pepe with her since she cannot afford to pay for his room too. Denise misses meals so that Pepe can eat. Jean appears and asks for more money, adding to her anxieties. Denise resolves that she will never sell her body for money. She sees Hutin and Mouret pass often, as well as Pauline and Henri Deloche, but she does not allow them to know where she is living.
When Pepe falls ill, Bourras feels pity. He brings them soup and then offers Denise work fixing umbrellas. Bourras allows Pepe to accompany Denise to work since he loves children. Pepe likes the animals Bourras carves. He plays with them while Bourras repeats that he will never close his store, no matter how much the big shops offer him or pressure him. He enjoys hearing Denise’s stories about how badly she was treated at The Ladies’ Paradise. As grateful as she is, Denise knows that she must find a better-paid job. She learns that Robineau bought the drapery store from Vincard. Robineau hopes to unite the local small business owners against the big department stores. Denise visits the store and is hired right away. Bourras promises to watch Pepe while Denise is at work. Denise receives a salary in her new role but no commission. When the supplier, Gaujean, complains about the imbalance in power created by the big stores, Denise notes how much the customers seem to appreciate the low prices. She suggests that such big stores will be the natural evolution of commerce. Gaujean shows her a new silk product that he hopes can undercut The Ladies’ Paradise.
Robineau launches his war. He advertises his low-cost silk and sells plenty until Mouret lowers his prices, undercutting Robineau. The two men compete to lower prices until Robineau is in danger of losing his business. Robineau begins to use Paris-Paradise, the department store’s signature product, to make clothes. He removes the selvedge trim, however, so that no one will know. When Madame de Boves insists that The Ladies’ Paradise sells higher-quality silk, he becomes enraged. He shouts at her for claiming to see a difference when there is none. Offended, Madame de Boves tells everyone what Robineau is doing. Robineau slips toward bankruptcy as the scandal costs him customers. He apologizes to his wife, whose money helped him start the business. She assures him that she will always love him.
Denise takes Pepe on walks and provides money for Jean, though she refuses to listen to his salacious stories. Bourras learns that Mouret bought the hotel next door to him. He believes that he is being squeezed by Mouret, who makes many offers to buy the store. When Bourras refuses, The Ladies’ Paradise steals Bourras’s latest innovation—a ruffled umbrella—and sells it at a lower price. Denise happens to meet Mouret in a park. He is polite and apologizes for the manner of her dismissal. His words comfort Denise, but she turns down his offer to return. Mouret praises Robineau but worries that Bourras is “a madman who will force [Mouret] to ruin him” (204). Denise cannot help but agree, praising the new business methods that she has observed in Paris. Mouret is impressed by her insight. He suggests that she encourage Bourras to sell his business. As they part ways, Mouret wonders whether he is falling in love with Denise. He goes to visit Madame Desforges.
Denise is deeply affected by the meeting. She returns home to learn from Bourras that his landlord went behind his back and sold the building to Mouret. After listening to Bourras’s furious rant, Denise follows Mouret’s advice and recommends that Bourras accept Mouret’s generous offer. At that moment, Baudu enters. Bourras tells Boudu the news, swearing to never leave his store. He tells Baudu that Denise is now on “the side of the scoundrels” (207). Denise cries, and Baudu feels guilty for the way he treated his niece. She accepts his invitation to lunch. Denise exits, warning Bourras that he will be buried beneath his own collapsed house if he does not accept change.
Chapter 8 Summary
The Ladies’ Paradise is expanding thanks to funds from Baron Hartmann, and it will enclose Bourras’s store on both sides. Denise has lunch with the Baudu family, whose house seems dimmer and sadder than before. Colomban is invited as well, even though he has spoken to Denise about how he loves Clara rather than his fiancée, Genevieve. Denise speaks about her belief in the “logical development of business” (210). Baudu stridently disagrees. Yet, as much as he loathes The Ladies’ Paradise, he cannot stop talking about it. Baudu praises Colomban as someone from the earlier, better era. After lunch, Denise sits with Genevieve. When Genevieve begins to weep, Denise notices how thin and frail she has become. Genevieve confesses that she is not well and that she knows Colomban does not love her.
In the following months, Denise pays regular visits to Genevieve. The construction work at The Ladies’ Paradise disrupts the lives and businesses of the neighborhood. New departments are added to the store, each one threatening more of the local businesses. Baudu insists on trying to compete. His repeated failures force him to sell his house in the country at a loss, thus abandoning his retirement dream. The house is bought by the Lhommes. That evening, Madame Baudu listens to her husband complain about the Lhommes and big businesses. When he pauses, she reveals that Genevieve is not well and suggests that her wedding to Colomban should happen soon. Upset, Baudu agrees to speak to Colomban.
Baudu tells Colomban that he does not want to give him a failing store. Colomban says nothing. Since he is in love with Clara, he does not want Baudu to marry Genevieve. Baudu postpones the wedding so that he has more time to put his business affairs in order. Colomban stays silent, much to Baudu’s frustration. When Baudu tells his wife what happened, she is concerned that this latest postponement could have a terminal effect on her daughter. She does not share with her husband the true reason for Genevieve’s suffering.
Denise decides to return to The Ladies’ Paradise since Robineau’s store is struggling and she does not want to be a burden. Bourras is astonished by her decision; he is launching a court case against Mouret for the invasive construction. When Denise runs into Deloche, she learns that Mouret and Clara are now lovers. That night, Denise cries. She misses the countryside of her youth. The following day, she sees Colomban alone in the Vieil Elbeuf. She confronts him, accusing him of “killing” Genevieve, but Colomban blames Baudu. Denise tells Colomban that Clara has many lovers and that she is not interested in him. As Colomban turns pale, Genevieve appears. She heard Colomban declare his love for Clara, but she is then interrupted by Madame Bourdelais. Since Madame Bourdelais is the last loyal customer they have, the couple must ignore their feelings and serve her until Baudu arrives. When Madame Bourdelais praises the silk at The Ladies’ Paradise, Baudu becomes angry. He tells her to leave, which she does. The family watches their last customer walk away. The Ladies’ Paradise has taken everything from them: the business, Genevieve’s health, and Genevieve’s fiancé. Denise wrestles with her guilt for returning to The Ladies’ Paradise, a machine that is “crushing the poor” (231).
Chapter 9 Summary
In March, the new buildings of The Ladies’ Paradise open with a sale of the latest summer lines. The small business owners stare in horror at the luxurious new layout. Across 39 departments, the store now employs 1,800 people. Mouret designed the store to provoke and fulfill women’s desires. He advertised heavily and invented the idea of returns, allowing customers to bring back unwanted items so that they have no excuse not to purchase in the first place. On the eve of the grand reopening, he has an inspiration. Rather than having separate departments, Mouret orders that everything be mixed together. Bourdoncle doubts the effect, but Mouret believes it will lead customers to get lost in the store and spend more money.
Denise is surprised by the renovated store. Mouret spots her and takes pleasure in her astonishment. He invites her to his office later in the day. After Denise agrees, Bourdoncle privately warns Mouret about Denise’s influence. Mouret dismisses his concern. Instead, he shouts at employees to rearrange displays. Then, the doors open. A mob surges in, with people squeezed together so tightly that they seem to be suffocating. Outside, Madame Marty and Valentine talk to Madame de Boves and Blanche. They are reluctant to enter the store and spend too much, but they are swept along by the rush. The dazzling colors and vibrant displays captivate the women. They soon become lost and, with the sales assistants’ influence, begin inspecting items that they neither want nor need. The women (joined by Madame Bourdelais and her children) ride in the elevators and visit the store café. They meet more familiar faces, all of whom seem to be spending money.
Monsieur de Boves and Vallagnosc visit the store. They are greeted by Mouret, who learns from Vallagnosc that Monsieur de Boves is ignoring his wife because he is having an affair with Madame Guibal. Meanwhile, Vallagnosc plans to marry Blanche de Boves as soon as his wealthy aunt dies. Elsewhere, Madame Desforges inspects the lavish aesthetics of the store. She notices that the crowd is not limited in class or age. She sees Bouthemont, who revealed to her that Mouret is having an affair with a sales assistant at the store (he did not mention Clara’s name). When she asks to see some silks, Hutin bellows to Favier. Since Robineau’s departure, he has taken over the department with a tyrannical zeal. Madame Desforges quizzes Bouthemont about the name of Mouret’s lover, but their conversation ends when Hutin notices Denise passing and—to spite Favier—asks her to help Madame Desforges. Denise leads Madame Desforges through the crowds.
Mouret launches into a speech about women who steal from the store. He points out Jouve, who is chasing a potential shoplifter. When Mouret greets Madame Desforges, she catches his affectionate glance toward Denise as she is led to the ladieswear department. Since the assistant buyer quit, the department is in chaos. Madame Desforges compares Denise’s features to those of a “peasant girl” (257). Madame Marty appears, having bought many items already, and tells Madame Desforges that Clara (not Denise) is Mouret’s lover. Madame Desforges is unsure. When Madame Guibal attempts to return a set of curtains, the resentful sales assistant accuses her of trying to use the store as a rental option. As the women complain about how the store has trapped them, Mouret smiles. Madame Desforges notices his pleasure and plots her revenge against him and Denise. Vallagnosc mentions that Mouret tempts people into theft by placing so many desirable goods on display. The women split up, with most leaving but Madame Desforges lingering in the store to exact her revenge.
That night, Denise visits Mouret’s office. He offers her the position of assistant buyer in the ladieswear department. He is pleased by her delighted reaction as Albert and Lhomme carry sacks of money into the office. Mouret is told that the store made 87,210 francs. When the men leave, he encourages Denise to take the money in her hand. Through his demeanor, Denise discerns that he loves her. Their intimate moment is interrupted by Bourdoncle. Denise thanks Mouret and leaves.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
Mouret and Bourras go to war. Bourras’s small shop manufactures artisanal umbrellas, with Bourras carving each handle himself. The Ladies’ Paradise begins to sell umbrellas, which make up a fraction of their portfolio but threaten to impoverish Bourras. The decision to compete directly with Bourras is not necessarily financial. Mouret loathes Bourras because Bourras’s store is the last property on the block that has not been absorbed into The Ladies’ Paradise. Though Mouret offers Bourras vast sums of money to give up his lease and leave, Bourras refuses. He is stubborn and stands in the way of Mouret’s ambitions. Mouret takes a particularly vindicative approach to driving Bourras out of business. Typically, Mouret justifies the suffering of the small business owners by blaming them for not modernizing. In Bourras, however, he has a loud and principled adversary. Bourras does not care about money, which only enrages Mouret further. He fights against Mouret simply because Mouret represents a new world that Bourras loathes. Bourras cannot win because he is not fighting Mouret or The Ladies’ Paradise. He is fighting against social change, and Denise believes this change is inevitable.
Colomban has been engaged to Genevieve in an arranged marriage since he was a teenager, and he stands to benefit financially from the marriage by inheriting her father’s store. Colomban and Genevieve are not marrying for love but because they have been told that they will marry, and they have settled into a familiar and convenient routine. However, as the store veers toward insolvency, Colomban cannot help but pursue other romantic options. He falls in love with Clara, much to Denise’s chagrin. She cannot understand why he would betray Genevieve in favor of Clara. While Denise’s moral stance is understandable, particularly as Clara often bullied Denise, her condemnation of Colomban illustrates her view of loyalty. Denise’s inability to empathize with Colomban is one of the few limits on her empathy, but one that results from her concern for Genevieve and the value she puts on fidelity.
Clara is not the only character who bullies Denise. After deciding that Mouret is in love with Denise, Madame Desforges wages a bitter unspoken war against her. She seeks to embarrass Denise by mistreating her in public. The only way Madame Desforges can think of to win back Mouret is to remind him of his class status, particularly in comparison to Denise. In doing so, she fundamentally misunderstands Mouret, a man of relatively modest means who is obsessed with ushering in an era of social change through his store. Like Mouret, Denise is from a modest background, and she looks hopefully toward the future. She understands and agrees with Mouret about the rise of consumerism and the need to modernize business practices. By reminding Mouret of Denise’s working-class status, Madame Desforges fails to understand the way Mouret views the world. She aligns herself with the status quo that Mouret wishes to leave behind. Her appeals to the class system only make her seem all the more unsuitable in Mouret’s eyes.
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