What is a prominent theme in "The Uncomfortable Bed" by Guy de Maupassant?
One theme could be the pride of the narrator. He is so concerned about out-smarting his friends that he, in effect, out-smarts himself, by moving his bed to the middle of the floor and making his room dark. When the valet trips over him and spills his breakfast, he is not being “pranked” – the valet simply could not see him and did not expect to find a mattress in the middle of the room. So in a sense the “prank” is the narrator’s own suspicious nature!
Another possible theme could be appearance vs. reality : the narrator is paying close attention to the behavior of his friends, and his interpretation of their good spirits is that they must be up to something. The reality of the situation is not really available to us as readers; we can assume, however, by the events of the story that the narrator was...
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wrong about his friends.
A third possible theme is paranoia. If we think about the narrator as someone who is paranoid, then his actions and suspicions take on the character of mental illness: everyone is out to get him; even though he will go to any length to avoid being pranked, jokers are the only sort of people he cares to know; his suspicions cause him to behave in an irrational manner (by moving the bed and assaulting the valet). Even the final line of the story (“How they all laughed that day!”) suggests that despite all his efforts he has been “gotten” in the end.
Finally, another theme could be victimization. The tone of the story is very light-hearted, but there is an edge to it – a sense that perhaps not everything is as happy as the narrator would have us believe. We don’t have much information about the relationship of the narrator to these “friends,” but there does seem to be an abusive element to it. Another aspect to this theme would be the idea that the narrator is self-victimizing; why else would he prefer to associate only with practical jokers, unless he somehow enjoyed or desired to be the object of such jokes? In that case, the end of the story, and his reflection on his friend’s laughter, could be an expression of gratification: their laughter affirms his value as a suitable “target” for their pranks.
The theme of "The Uncomfortable Bed" by Guy de Maupassant is you get as good as you give. The gentleman is visiting friends who are practical jokers, and he admits to being one himself. This makes him very suspicious when he enters the bedroom in the chateau. He hears laughing outside of his door and thinks that his friends are waiting for him to be the subject of one of their jokes. After lighting all of the candles and securing the windows, he stays awake. Soon, he decides to retire to his bed but not before remaking the bed on the floor. In the morning, he is awakened rudely by the butler who trips over the visitor while delivering the morning tea. Hot tea spills all over him, which he believes to be an awful liquid. In the end, the joke was on him.
What could be a strong thesis statement for Guy de Maupassant's "The Uncomfortable Bed" and three main points to expand upon?
A great thesis statement for the short story "An Uncomfortable Bed" by Guy de Maupassant would likely include an examination of the role of laughter or humor in literature. The story concerns a practical joke so it is perfect for this. The humor analysis could be contrasted with the opposite emotion of fear (as a second point) as the two experiences are neatly juxtaposed in this story. In fact, practical jokes are only really funny when there is an element of fear, no matter how small. In our narrator's case, the fear is allowed to build and brood slowly so that by the time he reaches his bedchamber he is already in a state of anticipation and suspense that makes his sense of dread even worse. He has known since he arrived at the chateau that a trick will likely be played on him.
You could then examine and explore the exact structures and literary elements in the story which contribute towards the overall humorous effect. Include elements such as narrative, pace, timing and imagery. This could be your second point.
Thirdly you could examine the development of the humor in "An Uncomfortable Bed" to show what you consider to be the story's deeper messages and themes. Consider the idea of the subconscious human mind and how it is triggered by fear or humor. Perhaps allude to the Edgar Allen Poe poem "The Raven" in which the fearful imagination is allowed more free rein causing things like nightmares and ethereal voices. Fear of ridicule is another theme since one of the things our narrator fears most is that he will be laughed at by his friends. Humiliation is an unpleasant experience for anyone and the visitor is afraid of looking stupid when he is at his most vulnerable (for example when he is partially clothed in night garments or stumbling around in a sleep stupor). He seems very unsure of the whole idea of the coming practical joke even though it seems he has participated in them before. Perhaps things feel rather different when one is the victim of a practical joke rather than a perpetrator. As for sources, well obviously enotes is an excellent choice as it has many essays you could research and cite on these themes in literature. It also has useful profiles on Guy de Maupassant and Edgar Allen Poe or Henry James. All of these would be good sources for inspiration.