The Ladies’ Paradise

by

Émile Zola

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The Ladies’ Paradise: Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
In February, the new Rue du Dix-Decembre—made up entirely of the Ladies’ Paradise—opens. A huge crowd gathers at the entrance for the inaugural “white sale.” The new buildings are made of black and green marble at the base and decorated high up with bright mosaics. The central door’s arch is a scene of gilded women being dressed by cupids. The “wound” where Bourras’ hovel was is now filled in. Across the way, Mouret used Baudu’s empty shop (Baudu has gone to a home for the elderly) to hang a huge flag with an old-fashioned depiction of Paris diminished behind an illustration of the massive Paradise. 
This sale at the Ladies’ Paradise heralds the final defeat of old-fashioned Paris and the traditional business model. With Bourras’s shop gone, there’s now little indication that the old ever existed—it’s being totally consumed by the modern. Mouret’s advertisements for The Paradise are advertisements for a modern Paris as opposed to a traditional Paris. In this way, the Ladies’ Paradise symbolizes modernity, and ushers it forth by dominating an entire street.
Themes
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The Ladies’ Paradise had spent 600,000 francs on advertising. An enormous crowd gathers for the sale amid blaring trumpets and fluttering streamers. Flags of the provinces of France and foreign nations fly from flagpoles. Everything in the display windows is white. the Ladies’ Paradise is even more popular today because the Quatre Saisons, the big rival department store that Bouthemont had just started, burned to the ground a few weeks ago. Mouret, who was jealous that Bouthemont had had the great idea of having the Quatre Saisons blessed by a vicar, now has no competition for his customers.
The Ladies’ Paradise is so powerful that it not only defeats small, traditional businesses, but also big department stores like itself. This shows how the department store model completely dominates, centralizing all of a city’s needs in one place and amassing all the city’s workers and customers. In this way, the Ladies’ Paradise represents the centralized consumer retail businesses seen in modern times.
Themes
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Tradition vs. Modernity Theme Icon
By three o’clock, the Rue du Dix-Decembre is packed. Madame de Boves and Madame Guibal, who are now friends since Madame de Boves decided she wanted her husband’s affair to take place at home, look at a display of children’s clothes in one of the windows. They decide to go inside, and Blanche says that Vallagnosc (whom she married a few weeks ago) is meeting them in the reading room. 
Although much of the hypocrisy of the higher classes has been revealed, this class of people continues to maintain the mask of sophistication and normalcy. However, the sale at the Ladies’ Paradise—as it has in the past—might bring out more of the true nature of the aristocratic class.
Themes
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Class and Mobility  Theme Icon
Just then, Madame Desforges arrives in a carriage. She greets her friends and says, feigning nonchalance, that she and Mouret are still friends and she wants to see his expansion. However, she can’t forgive him for marrying Mademoiselle Fontenailles to a porter. The ladies are swept into the store along with the crowd. They hope to find Madame Marty, who recently went to live with an uncle after Monsieur Marty became tyrannical in a spell of mania.
The Paradise promotes behaviors that the traditional aristocracy doesn’t—such as marriage between a high-class orphan and a porter—and forces the aristocrats to act unsuited for their class—such as so seducing Madame Marty that she drives her husband broke and insane. In seducing the aristocracy despite the conflicting values, The Paradise brings the aristocracy down a peg.
Themes
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Class and Mobility  Theme Icon
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The ladies are amazed by the interior of the Ladies’ Paradise. There are now fifty departments and 3,045 employees. There is nothing but “an orgy of white” as far as their eyes can see. White linens tumble like snow, and white silk scarves encircle the bannisters. Shafts of light cause the white goods to shine like light. An altar of “virginal whiteness” is made from curtains. This display of white was Mouret’s genius idea, and everyone is enchanted by it.
Although the proliferation of white is compared to an orgy, the pureness of white is virginal. To appeal to his female customers as always, Mouret combines the usual seductive, immodest atmosphere with a new chasteness, suggesting that he is reevaluating his opinion of women and what tempts them.
Themes
Women, Exploitation, and Power Theme Icon
Among all the white, the customers look like black spots on Alpine slopes. As soon as Madame de Boves enters the store, Jouve starts following her. The ladies stop to admire the bunches of white violets being handed out for free with every purchase. As they move on, they hear two salesmen wondering whether the violets foreshadow a wedding between Mouret and Denise. Madame Desforges pretends to be indifferent. Madame de Boves and Blanche go up to the first floor, Jouve following them covertly.
The fact that everything at the Paradise is white also suggests that Mouret has marriage on his mind. Whereas before in his displays he had confused his customers with explosions of color, he now wants to enchant them with simplicity. This shows that Mouret’s business schemes have changed to become more humane as a result of his feelings for Denise.
Themes
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Women, Exploitation, and Power Theme Icon
A few weeks ago, Denise announced her plan to leave the Paradise for Valognes after the white sale. Some people think that Denise is forcing Mouret to propose by threatening to leave, so people are making bets that she will come back married to Mouret. Denise has no scheme to make Mouret marry her. She wants to leave because she is afraid of giving into Mouret’s advances and regretting it. She is pained to leave him but feels that her courage and resolve will bring her peace.
Throughout the story, Mouret has used nothing but schemes to ensnare his customers and his lovers. In contrast to this, Denise employs no schemes to get Mouret, and only tries to act out of qualities that are good in themselves—courage and resolve. This demonstrates how Mouret’s exploitative schemes have their limits.
Themes
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Women, Exploitation, and Power Theme Icon
When Denise told Mouret she would be leaving, he tried to reason with her, telling her not to throw away all she achieved. He offered to give her whatever advantages another job might give her. When she refused, he decided that she must be meeting the person she said she loved. This knowledge pains him. During her last week, Mouret walked through the store feeling the uselessness of his power and money. He was afraid to ask Denise to marry him in case she was “the revenge” that would ruin his business success. Sometimes he feels like surrendering to Denise, but he's worried she will still say no.
Denise and Mouret are in a standoff because Mouret refuses to relinquish the last bit of his power and ask her to marry him. He fears that Denise will ruin his business, not realizing that not having her has already ruined his energy for business and his enjoyment in the result. Whereas before it seemed that surrender would weaken Mouret, it now seems that surrender—if it gets him Denise—is the only thing that will restore his power.
Themes
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On the day of the sale, Bourdoncle finds Mouret crying in his office. Bourdoncle shakes Mouret’s hand and tells him to marry Denise. Recently, Bourdoncle decided that if Mouret married Denise, his charm would be weakened enough that Bourdoncle could usurp his powerful position. Mouret brushes off Bourdoncle and the two start their daily inspection.
Like others at the Paradise, Bourdoncle sees opportunity to rise in power, and sets about scheming his way to the top. In this way, The Paradise brings out each person’s ambition, but also brings out their cruelest instincts.
Themes
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Meanwhile in the children’s department, Denise helps Madame Bourdelais find clothes for her kids. Just then, Jean appears. He has just married and will go with Denise to Valognes with his new wife Therese. He came to make an exchange for Therese and brought Pépé, who is now 12 and goes to school in Paris. Denise’s brothers are still her world. She gave half her savings to Jean to set up his house and the other half for Pépé’s school.
Jean and Pépé’s situations reveal how Denise has not only raised herself out of poverty, but also her brothers. Denise took advantage of modern opportunities to improve her family’s life, but she also guarded against the bad influences of modernity, ultimately protecting Jean from a life of promiscuity.
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While making his rounds, Mouret notices Denise scolding her brothers in her gentle, motherly way. He remarks that her brothers are a lot like her, and she jokes that they are better-looking. Unable to resist her love for her brothers, Mouret asks Denise to come to his office after the sale. He goes back to his rounds, and Denise resumes helping Madame Bourdelais.
Mouret is particularly touched by Denise’s love for her brothers, suggesting that what truly made him fall in love with her was not her beauty or anything material but rather her genuine character and values, exemplified by her concern for her family.
Themes
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Women, Exploitation, and Power Theme Icon
Then, Denise leads Jean and Pépé to the ladieswear department so Jean can make Therese’s exchanges. Clara has disappeared—some saying to become a sex worker—and Marguerite has put in her notice. Madame Aurélie fears losing her job, knowing that Albert’s extravagance and their lack of a family life is putting an end to the “Lhomme dynasty.” Madame Aurélie greets Denise warmly and begs her not to leave, saying everyone will miss her too much.
In contrast to the power and admiration Denise receives due to her strong family values, Madame Aurélie’s lack of family values has ultimately led to her downfall at The Paradise. This suggests that the love of family—a traditional value—is vital to success, even in new modern conditions.
Themes
Tradition vs. Modernity Theme Icon
Denise then leads Jean and Pépé through the other departments. They pass the dressing rooms, little stalls of frosted glass where salesgirls are helping women try on clothes. Outside, a man is losing his temper over his wife undressing without him. Denise and her brothers pass through the corset, petticoat, and underclothes departments. Passing through these successive departments, a person witnesses the gradual undressing of women down to their chemises, strewing white garments.
The successive undressing that one witnesses as they pass through the departments is an analogy for the deeper understanding Mouret has gained of women throughout the story. While he first had a shallow understanding of female superficiality, he now seems to have a more intimate knowledge of women, exemplified by the undressing right down to underclothes.
Themes
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In the linen department, Pauline—who has had her baby—runs up to Denise and tells her she can’t leave before she helps Pauline get promoted to assistant buyer. Denise laughs and promises to get Pauline promoted. Denise, Jean, and Pépé continue downstairs. Salesmen quickly stop gossiping about Denise when they see her pass. Pépé and Jean are intimidated by the massive shop and stick close to their sister.
Denise has become vital to the Paradise in her devotion to securing employee rights and helping out her coworkers. In this way, Denise has injected warmth and humanity into the store’s operation, which before had operated impersonally, like a machine. She has made it a place of genuine human improvement.
Themes
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Class and Mobility  Theme Icon
Mouret, Denise, and Madame Desforges pass each other. They all look coldly at one other and then move on. Venting her feelings to Madame Guibal, Madame Desforges says it is shameful that Mouret married a marchioness (Mademoiselle Fontenailles) to a porter. They then go to the silk department, which is like a “huge bedroom dedicated to love.”
Significantly, the silk department is like a bedroom dedicated to love rather than to sex. This suggests that Mouret is now appealing to the deeper female instinct of love (which he has learned since liking Denise) instead of their superficial desire for sex.
Themes
Women, Exploitation, and Power Theme Icon
In the silk department, Favier helps a pretty customer and speculates to Hutin about her life. Hutin stays quiet. The management is displeased with his turnover in the silk department, and his job is now in jeopardy. He can sense that Favier will overthrow him just as Hutin overthrew Robineau. Favier gossips about Denise, and Hutin blurts out that he should have slept with Denise to climb his way to the top. Seeing Madame Desforges, Hutin starts a whispered conversation with her about leaving the Ladies’ Paradise. Madame Desforges promises to get him a job at the Quatre Saisons when it reopens. Hutin offers her a bunch of violets, but she refuses, saying she wants no part in that wedding.
Hutin realizes that his efforts to climb the ladder of success at the Paradise were in vain. No matter what, the success he gained through overthrowing others would never last, because there will always be others below him to overthrow him. This constant cycle of succession of employees is simply part of the efficient and impersonal machine that the Paradise is. On the other hand, those who are in Denise’s favor will be truly successful, her influence at the Paradise seeming to have introduced more of a merit system.
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Madame Desforges rejoins Madame Guibal, who has met up with Madame Marty and Valentine. They have been in the store two hours and have purchased heavily from all the departments. Behind them, a salesman drags a chair piled with purchases. Madame Desforges asks Madame Marty about Monsieur Marty. Thrown off from her fit of spending, Madame Marty answers cursorily. The ladies go to the flower department, and Madame Marty buys a branch of silk apple blossoms. The ladies then go upstairs.
Although Madame Marty’s feverish spending at the Ladies’ Paradise led to her husband’s bankruptcy and his mental break, she continues to buy, presumably now spending the money of the uncle she is living with. This illustrates how the consumerism that the Paradise inspires is an uncontrollable madness that—while it appears to benefit them at first—really only destroys the customer.
Themes
Consumerism and Excess Theme Icon
On the way to the perfume department, the ladies pass through the buffet room where assistants are weaning a crowd of customers off the sweets. Madame Marty purchases heavily from the perfume department and then the ladies go to the Japanese display, where Madame Desforges discreetly buys a carved ivory piece. While Madame Marty and Valentine look at china, Madame Desforges and Madame Guibal go to the reading room where they find Vallagnosc. He informs them that Madame de Boves and Blanche are in the lace department and goes to fetch them.
Even Madame Desforges—whose high-class airs make her too proud to openly support the Ladies’ Paradise—buys something at the sale. Her secrecy in buying the figurine shows how the sophistication that distinguishes the aristocracy is only a disguise; really, Madame Desforges is just like everyone else who is gathered at the Paradise to shop—a mix of all classes pursuing the same desires.
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The lace department—“a white chapel”—is very crowded. Madame de Boves, after walking around for a while with Blanche, commands Deloche to pile the finest lace on the counter. Blanche sees Madame de Boves plunge her hands deep in the lace and make some disappear up her sleeve.
Describing the lace department as a “white chapel” again suggests that Mouret is going for an innocent, yet reverent vibe. Madame de Boves’s attempted theft reveals that class has nothing to do with a person’s character.
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Jouve—who has still been spying—whispers for Madame de Boves to follow him. Madame de Boves looks anguished but composes a haughty expression and follows Jouve to Bourdoncle’s office. Blanche lingers outside, torn in her loyalties. In his office, Bourdoncle asks Madame de Boves to return the stolen lace. Madame de Boves puffs up indignantly and accuses Bourdoncle of accusing the wife of a count of theft. She threatens legal action, but Bourdoncle sends for two salesgirls to search her.
This scene reveals that, in this modern society—or at least in the Ladies’ Paradise—a person of high class does not receive special treatment. Although Bourdoncle is perhaps gentler to Madame de Boves than he would be with someone of a different class, his accusation and search of her shows a new disregard for class in favor of equality.
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Jouve and Bourdoncle go to a different room while the salesgirls search Madame de Boves. They find 14,000 francs worth of items stuffed in her clothes. She has been stealing like this for a year, her enjoyment increased by the knowledge that she is risking her husband’s reputation. Madame de Boves falls into a chair, screaming that someone has set her up. Bourdoncle tells her she must sign a paper that says she stole from the Ladies’ Paradise, and that he will keep it under threat of publishing until she brings him 2,000 francs. Madame de Boves cries and throws insults, but she eventually signs the paper. She leaves in a huff while Bourdoncle prepares to fire Deloche.
Madame de Boves is held accountable for her attempted theft, showing that her high class means nothing at the Ladies’ Paradise. Her success or failure to pay for what she did wrong will determine her reputation henceforward, suggesting that only actions—rather than one’s given class—serve to establish a person’s place in the world in these times. In general, a person’s class is no longer immutable, and mobility up and down from one’s born class occurs through action and character.
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Meanwhile, Blanche finds Vallagnosc and tells him that Madame de Boves was caught stealing. Vallagnosc is shocked by this news and by the fact that Blanche was an accomplice. Seeing Mouret go by, he runs up to him and they go to Mouret’s office. Mouret assures Vallagnosc that the de Boves will face no penalties. In a manner uncharacteristic of his usual boredom, Vallagnosc laments that he has married into a family of thieves. He usually scoffs at suffering, but not when it befalls him. They return to the store, where Madame de Boves takes Vallagnosc’s arm, lying that the Ladies’ Paradise had offered her an apology. Vallagnosc and the de Boves leave.
In realizing that a person’s reputation cannot protect them when a person commits a crime, Vallagnosc can no longer sit comfortably and laugh at others’ misfortune. He is forced to see that life is not a matter of fortune and misfortune, but instead that a person’s actions and character define their place in the world. This at last jolts him from his boredom as he realizes that there is mobility both ways between the classes: just as others can rise to better positions, he can easily fall into misfortune himself.
Themes
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Mouret walks through the store, observing the “nation” of women at his mercy. It is six o’clock, and the white merchandise glows like moonlight. The displays are like curtains concealing “the white nudity of the bride.” the Ladies’ Paradise is becoming a “new religion” of beauty.
The Paradise—which tempts through mystery and concealment—now hides “a bride.” This image suggests that what Mouret and his business have been missing all along is matrimony.
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Mouret watches his customers leave, knowing that he possesses them all—Madame Marty, Madame Guibal, Madame de Boves, Blanche, Vallagnosc, and even Madame Desforges. He listens to the sounds outside of his customers returning to their homes, and “the soul of Paris” disappearing into the night. Mouret feels something change within him. In his victorious state of having conquered “Woman,” he feels the irrational need to be conquered himself.
In the very height of his triumph, Mouret feels incomplete without also surrendering himself. This suggests that an essential part of triumph is one’s own surrender. Mouret’s mastery of Paris has made him feel powerful, but it has also made him feel lonely, vain, and disgusted with his own power.
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Quotes
That evening, Mouret waits in his office. He is about to stake his life’s happiness, and he trembles with anxiety. He hears footsteps approach and Lhomme and Joseph appear, dragging the enormous money bags. Lhomme announces the day’s takings: over 1 million—a new record. Bourdoncle enters and exclaims over the money piled on Mouret’s desk. Mouret shrugs with indifference, and Bourdoncle again tells him to propose to Denise. Mouret says he knows Bourdoncle only wants his job, and then says that he was wrong that marriage would ruin the business; marriage is “the health necessary to life.” He dismisses Bourdoncle coldly.
Up until this point, Mouret has always staked his entire capital in his store’s success, but now he is staking something immaterial—his happiness in a different kind of effort. Mouret realizes that marriage—which he can’t buy—is necessary to life. Ironically, just as he has this realization that money is not what really matters (that happiness is a much more valuable and therefore risky thing to risk for something), the Ladies’ Paradise earns a million francs.
Themes
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Quotes
Just then, Denise appears. Having just heard of Deloche’s dismissal, she is sad and is worried that she won’t be brave enough to resist Mouret. Mouret seizes Denise’s hands and asks if she will stay if he marries her. Denise begs him to stop, reminding him of her brothers. Mouret says that they can be his brothers too, but Denise again refuses.
When Mouret surrenders and proposes to Denise, she continues to resist him, even though marriage gives her the certainty in love she has been seeking. This shows that Denise has become obstinate in her ideals, and now she too may have to surrender.
Themes
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Mouret feels driven mad by the irony of Denise’s refusal and the million dollars sitting on his desk. He yells at Denise to go and be with the man she loves. Astonished by his despair, Denise flings her arms around his neck, and says that he is the man she loves. Mouret collapses onto his desk, not noticing the million dollars. He and Denise clutch each other and plan their marriage, while Madame Hédouin smiles in her portrait above them.
Madame Hédouin’s portrait smiles as if to sanction Denise and Mouret’s eventual marriage. This suggests that the Ladies’ Paradise was initially founded on principles of true love and—after having strayed away from these principles into a culture of consumerism and excess—it found its way back to this principle, a reversion which actually promises to reinforce rather than destroy the progressive changes the Ladies’ Paradise made.
Themes
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Women, Exploitation, and Power Theme Icon
Tradition vs. Modernity Theme Icon