Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Ladies’ Paradise, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Consumerism and Excess
Women, Exploitation, and Power
Tradition vs. Modernity
Class and Mobility
Summary
Analysis
One day in August, the Ladies’ Paradise closes while the staff count the stock. Denise, although recovering from a sprained ankle, decides to go to work. She walks around her room—which she has decorated since becoming assistant buyer—to test her ankle. She is glad that she declined an invitation to dine at Baudu’s that night with Pépé and Jean. Just then, the housekeeper knocks on her door and hands her a letter from Mouret, asking Denise to dine with him that evening. Denise knows what this means: Mouret has asked Clara and other girls to dine with him before. She drops the letter and falls into a chair. Recently, she confessed to herself that she loves Mouret and has ever since she first saw him.
Although Denise loves Mouret, she is distraught rather than thrilled to receive his letter. She recognizes the letter as the same one that Mouret has sent to other salesgirls he has had affairs with, so Denise believes he's offering her the same casual love he offers to women in general. This suggests that Mouret—although he has genuine feelings for Denise—is not yet willing to elevate his expression of love to a higher form. For her part, Denise is not willing to lower herself to the level of Mouret’s love, so the two are at an impasse.
Themes
There is a knock on Denise’s door, and Pauline enters. Since the girls are forbidden to talk in their rooms, Denise and Pauline go to the common room. Noticing that Denise is upset, Pauline presses her until she tells her about the letter from Mouret. Pauline, who knows that Denise likes Mouret, gives her a kiss on the cheek. Pauline is surprised when Denise bursts into tears and says that the letter upsets her very much.
From an outside perspective, it is illogical that Denise is upset by Mouret’s letter. However, the fact that she loves Mouret at all makes her desire a deeper expression of love than the one he is willing to give her. In general, Denise views love as typically silly and destructive, and Mouret’s letter doesn’t change this impression.
Themes
Pauline assures Denise that Mouret is no longer seeing Clara or Madame Desforges. Denise, hurt by the thought of Clara and Madame Desforges, says that when a man loves a woman, he marries her, like Baugé is doing with Pauline. Pauline says that it would not make sense for Mouret to marry Denise since he is her superior. Denise starts crying again. Pauline, not understanding why Denise is so upset, lectures her kindly, saying that many girls would love to be in Denise’s place and that Denise might lose her job if she refuses. They hear Madame Aurélie coming. Denise dries her eyes and goes downstairs with Madame Aurélie.
Pauline’s advice does not satisfy Denise because it is both too modern and too old-fashioned. Denise is not ready to lead a sexually liberated lifestyle like her female coworkers are, but she also despairs that it is still inappropriate—as per the traditions of the class system—for a man to marry beneath his class. Denise—as a combination of modern and traditional values—wants Mouret to want to marry her, an act that would be both progressive and traditional.
Themes
When Denise approaches on Madame Aurélie’s arm, the ladieswear department salesgirls flock around her, asking how her ankle is. Over the past few weeks, Denise had used her charm to win over the department. The salesgirls initially complained about the injustice of Denise’s promotion, but they are now respectful of her, and Madame Aurélie is affectionate. Only Clara continues to despise her and believes that Denise robbed her of the assistant buyer position.
Despite her ascendance to a high position for no apparent reason, no one in the ladieswear department harbors bad feelings towards Denise. This suggests that Denise is very likable on a genuine rather than a superficial level; it takes a while for her to win everyone over (especially in a place like The Paradise), but she is respected once she does.
Themes
Get the entire The Ladies’ Paradise LitChart as a printable PDF.
Denise sits on a chair, writing down the numbers of goods as the salesgirls call them out. Clara gossips about how much money Denise will likely make after the raises are announced the next day. Clara—who made the least sales in the ladieswear department that year—says she doesn’t care, and that she will retire when her father dies. Madame Aurélie snaps at Clara and she returns to counting silks. Then, Mignot comes up to Clara and borrows 10 francs from her.
Clara’s gossiping about money reveals that many people at The Paradise who care about money have no need for it. Clara seems to care that Denise will make more money than she will out of jealousy and vanity, but not because she needs the money.
Themes
Mignot then goes to Lhomme and borrows another 10 francs. Madame Aurélie yells at everyone to get back to work and rebukes her husband for being too weak to refuse Mignot money. Clara starts teasing Joseph, a salesman, for having a crush on Mademoiselle Fontenailles, a 28-year-old orphan and protegee of Madame Desforges, whom Mouret hired just to please her. Joseph blushes and casts glances at Mademoiselle Fontenailles. Clara drops a pile of clothes, and Madame Aurélie snaps at her. Mouret and Bourdoncle appear, conducting an inspection. Everyone hastens to look busy. Denise pretends not to notice Mouret and keeps writing down numbers.
Madame Desforges’s chosen orphan with wealthy ancestors is nothing special to Mouret; he usually hires whoever will work hard. In this way, class distinctions disappear at The Paradise: a lower-class person can become working class, and an upper-class person might find themselves with no opportunities. Denise, for her part, is a testament to the opportunities the Paradise offers poor women, as she began the novel poor and is now in a powerful position.
Themes
Meanwhile, Pauline tells Deloche that Mouret asked Denise to dinner. Deloche then tells Lienard, with whom he had become friends since he moved into Hutin’s old room in the hotel where Lienard lived. Lienard spreads the news to several others, along with the story of what happened the night before: Lienard and Deloche went to a café, where Deloche overheard Favier saying insulting things about Denise sleeping with Mouret. Deloche, who’s still in love with Denise, called Favier a liar and said that Denise only had eyes for Hutin.
Even though Denise is now respected by most of the people at the Ladies’ Paradise, she is still the subject of racy gossip. This has less to do with Denise and more to do with what people are interested in talking about, especially at The Paradise: everyone is interested in crude, meaningless gossip suggesting that, along with a culture of consumerism, a culture of superficiality has begun.
Themes
In the silk department, Favier counts silk while complaining about being shut inside on a beautiful sunny day. There is tension in the silk department: now that Hutin has gotten Robineau’s job, he is after Bouthemont’s position, while Favier is after Hutin’s. Favier tells Hutin about his encounter with Deloche in the café and says that Denise received a letter from Mouret asking her to dinner. He mentions that everyone knows she led a “loose life” at Bourras’s house. Mignot comes by and slips 10 francs to Albert. Favier tells Hutin what Deloche said about Denise liking him. Hutin is privately flattered, but he pretends to be scornful.
Everyone finds it inconceivable in this day and age that Denise could be chaste and respectable, and so they come up with evidence that suggests she is not. Moreover, Hutin pretends to be scornful as if showing his genuine feelings would be looked down upon in this environment. This culture of insulting others is exacerbated by the competitive nature of the Ladies’ Paradise. Because they know there is the opportunity to rise, everyone goes after each other’s jobs.
Themes
The lunch bell rings, and the assistants go to the new cafeteria, now equipped with huge appliances made for turning out thousands of meals per day. Mouret recently improved the food, deciding that the better his staff were fed, the harder they would work. Favier, Mignot, Lienard, and Deloche line up at the hatch and ask for chicken. They wait while one of the kitchen staff deals with a cut finger that is bleeding on the food. Finally, they get their plates and go to the dining room, which is now a large hall with windows.
Mouret did not improve the quality of the food because he cares about his employees, but because he wants to give them the strength to work as hard as they can—an action that benefits him in the end. In this way, although the employees might benefit indirectly from improved conditions at The Paradise, the motivation for these conditions is still for the benefit of the businessowner.
Themes
The assistants pass around the loaf of bread and complain that they all got chicken legs. Deloche, who is always hungry, picks at his chicken neck and stares at Favier. Favier is talking about the various clubs that the shop assistants have formed, all of them steadily rising above the bawdy life of music halls and bars. They then get on the subject of the stock-counting; it has been a good year, and they all hope to get raises. The waiters bring artichokes and peaches.
The detail that the employees at have formed clubs illustrates how being employed at The Paradise has the effect of raising a lower-class person to a higher class—or at least to a respectable class of their own. Moreover, since The Paradise is steadily growing, the money they earn is steadily growing as well, giving them hope for a continuously improving future.
Themes
The assistants get on the subject of Denise and Mouret. Looking at Deloche, Favier says that Mouret is not the first person Denise has been with. Deloche throws his wine at Favier, splattering the nearby assistants. Everyone decides that, since Deloche got so upset, Denise must be his mistress. Everyone laughs and makes fun of Deloche, who now feels terrible for giving everyone the wrong impression of Denise with his outburst. Deloche reproaches Lienard for telling everyone about the letter. The bell rings, and the assistants slowly leave the dining hall.
In this gossipy environment, it is impossible to convince anyone of the truth. In the past, Denise was unable to convince Jouve and everyone else that Jean was her brother and not her lover; and now, Deloche is unable to convince everyone that Denise is not his lover. The Paradise—in promoting instant gratification—creates a culture so obsessed with sex that anyone who does not lead a sexually liberated lifestyle is not understood.
Themes
Baugé goes to meet Pauline in their secret meeting place. There, Denise comes upon them kissing, and Pauline asks her not to tell anyone. Leaving the dining hall last, Deloche comes up to Pauline, Baugé, and Denise and scolds Pauline for telling Lienard about Mouret’s letter to Denise. Denise then realizes that everyone knows about Mouret’s letter, which she still hasn’t answered. Realizing that Denise is considering accepting Mouret’s invitation, Deloche goes away depressed. Denise and Pauline have lunch, then return to counting stock. Outside, pedestrians peer curiously through the windows of the locked store.
As Denise considers whether or not to reply to Mouret’s letter, her character is at a turning point. Just as she had once debated whether to betray the Baudus and the traditional business model altogether and finally decided to join The Paradise (the modern world), she now debates whether she should accept a more modern version of love. On the other hand, she wonders if it is still against her nature to be casual with love.
Themes
Denise and Madame Aurélie go to the pattern room to cross-check their two lists of stock. Madame Aurélie leaves the door open, and snaps at the other salesgirls when they start talking too loudly. After they cross-check the lists, Madame Aurélie leaves Denise to add up the numbers, sending Mademoiselle Fontenailles, who is being ruthlessly made fun of, to help her.
When Denise first arrived at the Ladies’ Paradise, Madame Aurélie—the woman with the highest authority at The Paradise—was mean to her. Now, Madame Aurélie values Denise and is kind to her, suggesting that Denise too is becoming a powerful woman at The Paradise.
Themes
Under the pretext of inspecting inventory, Mouret comes by to look for Denise. Madame Aurélie takes him to the pattern room so he can look over their lists. Outside, the salesgirls increase their gossip. Denise watches Mouret as he looks at the lists. Madame Aurélie sends Mademoiselle Fontenailles on an errand, then looks for an excuse to leave herself. Finally, Marguerite fetches her, and Mouret and Denise are left alone.
Mouret pretends to inspect the stock-taking so as to talk to Denise, revealing that he is thinking more about her than he is about work matters. This suggests that Mouret is breaking his own rules: he used to patrol the store in ecstasy over its efficiency and believed that love would threaten his power.
Themes
Mouret asks Denise if she will dine with him that night. Denise refuses, saying that she has plans to dine with her brothers at her uncle Baudu’s. Shocked by her calm refusal, Mouret insists, then asks if she will come tomorrow. When she refuses, he asks what she is afraid of. Denise says that she’s not afraid, she just doesn’t want to.
Mouret’s confidence is completely rocked by Denise’s refusal because he is used to being so powerful that he gets whatever he wants. He is used to getting women to accept his advances without having to sacrifice any of his power.
Themes
Jouve, who is passing by, closes the door, drowning out the sound of the gossiping assistants. His voice shaking, Mouret says that he loves Denise and begs her to accept him. He offers her money, but she refuses, saying she’s known how to earn her own living since she was 11. Mouret is being refused by a woman for the first time, and he feels frantic. Tears come to his eyes, and he cries that he is suffering. He seizes her hands, and she feels her resolve soften. She wants to throw her arms around his neck, but she pulls her hands away. Denise says she is not Clara, and she doesn’t share people’s affections. Mouret is bewildered and doesn’t know what she wants. At her request, Mouret opens the door.
Denise’s lack of regard for Mouret’s money also shocks Mouret. Through creating the Ladies’ Paradise, Mouret learned that people were consumerists: they want money and material goods above all else. He also looks down on women and sees them as easy to manipulate. Therefore, Denise’s refusal challenges the validity of Mouret’s central principles. She does not fulfill Mouret’s perfect equation for putting himself in the ultimate position of power, causing him to start to question whether this equation is in fact foolproof.
Themes
Mouret starts yelling at everyone about the stock counting. Bourdoncle, who had been upset to hear that Mouret was alone with Denise, alerts him to the overstock of silks, and Mouret goes to yell at Bouthemont. By six o’clock, the stock counting is finished and all the departments clean up. Madame Aurélie announces that the store earned 10 million more than it did last year. Denise then excuses herself to go get ready for dinner at her uncle’s. Everyone is shocked to learn that she declined Mouret’s invitation. Deloche is relieved, but Pauline can’t believe that Denise turned down her fortune.
Mouret is put into a bad temper, showing that his confidence and certainty were compromised by Denise’s surprising refusal. Up until this point, Mouret has held power over everyone: the small tradespeople, women, and all of Paris as his customers. In the singular instance of Denise’s refusal, Mouret is forced to realize that he is not all-powerful. He can’t figure out why Denise doesn’t bow to him like everyone else.
Themes
As Denise is passing by the silk department, she overhears Favier say to Hutin that Denise wants to take him by force. Denise can’t believe that she had just had the courage to turn down the man she loved when a few months ago, she would have been weak enough to be with Hutin—a man she now despises. She hurries from the store, looking up to see Mouret standing at the banister. He forgets his “empire” as he watches her go, leaving darkness behind her.
This scene makes a connection between true love and refusal. Denise refuses Mouret because she loves him, suggesting that resistance (in a consumerist society of casual possession and instant gratification) indicates true value and love. For Mouret’s part, he feels that his consumerist empire falls because Denise refused what it stands for.
Themes
