THE INN

BY GUY DE MAUPASSANT
CHARACTERS

INDIRECT CHARACTERS

The family of Jean Hauser

The old guide, Gaspard Hari.
The young guide, Ulrich Kunsi.
Sam, the great mountain dog.
The mother, Jeanne Hauser.
The daughter Louise.
SETTING

The setting of the story is in the High

Alps situated at the foot of glaciers in
the barren rocky gorges that intersect
the summits of the mountains.
PLOT

The story introduced Gaspard who always went out

the abode so one day, there was a feast in the inn at
Schwarenbach that people could find fresh meat.
One morning he went out as usual. The thermometer
outside marked eighteen degrees of frost, and as the
sun had not yet risen, the hunter hoped to surprise
the animals at the approaches to the Wildstrubel.
He wanted to go there before climbing the slopes
which led to Wildstrubel.
While Ulrich was thinking about the problems that
Gaspard might be living, Ulrich and Sam were in the
abode and went out to Wildstrubel.
INTERNAL CONFLICT

Ulrich was afraid because he was alone at home and

he was starting to think if Gaspard was dead.
Suddenly, they heard something like if someone was
trying to enter the home and Sam started to bark and
to defend Ulrich who was under the effects of the
alcohol.
EXPOSTION

Gaspard was lost in the mountains while Ulrich was

at home with Sam. Ulrich who was under the effect
of the alcohol, started to hear some noise if someone
were outside of house.
RISING ACTION

After three weeks, Ulrich had consumed his stock of

ardent spirits. But his continual drunkenness only
lulled his terror.
CLIMAX

He sprang to the door and opened it, to see who was

calling him and to force him to keep quiet, but such a
gust of cold wind blew into his face that it chilled him
to the bone, and he closed and bolted the door again
immediately, without noticing that Sam had rushed
out.
FALLING ACTION

The one was continually walking round the house

and scraped the walls with his nails so vigorously
that it seemed as if he wished to destroy them, while
the other, inside, followed all his movements,
stooping down and holding his ear to the walls and
replying to all his appeals with terrible cries.
RESOLUTION

The winter was over and the Gemmi Pass was

practicable again, so the Hauser family started off to
return to their inn.

The family and the doctors found that he was mad,

and nobody ever found out what had become of his
companion.
POINT OF VIEW

Third person point of view.

THEMES

Loneliness

Fear

Desperation