Maupassant’s writing style in “Boule de Suif” is full of exaggerated language meant to both highlight the absurdity of war as well as the comical nature of wealthy people trying to act moral. The following passage—which occurs when Miss Rousset is sharing the contents of her food basket with the higher-status travelers—shows the sort of exaggerated language Maupassant uses in regards to the three married couples traveling from Rouen to La Havre:
[S]urrounded by people eating, suffocated by the odors of the food, the Count and Countess de Breville, as well as Madame and M. Carré-Lamadon, were suffering that odious torment which has preserved the name of Tantalus. Suddenly the young wife of the manufacturer gave forth such a sigh that all heads were turned in her direction; she was as white as the snow without; her eyes closed, her head drooped; she had lost consciousness.
Here, Maupassant employs hyperbolic language at several different points, describing how the de Brevilles and Carré-Lamadons were “suffocated by the odors of the food” and “were suffering that odious torment which has preserved the name of Tantalus.” Translated into simple language, Maupassant is merely saying that the two couples liked the smell of the food and felt jealous that they weren’t eating it. (Tantalus was a thirsty and hungry figure in Greek mythology for whom food and drink were always just beyond reach.) His exaggerated language captures the melodramatic ways that people with wealth experience their (not so hard) hardship. Additionally, the description of Mrs. Carré-Lamadon being “as white as the snow” outside is also clearly exaggerated language. This is Maupassant’s way of signaling how far this bourgeoisie woman is willing to go to avoid sharing food with a sex worker.
