Guy de Maupassant was a popular French writer, who’s work has influenced many creatives, both in literary circles and film. Considered one of the leaders in modern short stories, he mainly captured the essence of war, more notably, the impact on it had on civilians.
However, he also wrote well over 300 stories, and during his last few years, when his health began declining due to syphilis, his work grew darker. It was during this time that he wrote “The Horla,“ a story that actually influenced H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu.”
When Was The Horla Originally Published?
Originally published as “Letter From A Madman,” in 1885, “The Horla” underwent two more revisions before its final publication in May 1887. It is important, however, to note that his original work is entirely in French, and therefore, all English translations should be expected to have minor variations. The following analysis was done using the translation from 2008’s Vampires, Wine & Roses, edited by John Richard Stephens, and printed by Metro Books.
Summary and Symbolism In The Horla
The story is told in a series of journal entries that display the hallucinations and obsessions of a man losing his mind. It begins light and airy, detailing the unnamed narrator’s wealth and dreamy childhood. That is until he sees a Brazilian vessel, described as a “superb three-mast,” and impulsively waves to it. Little does he know that he is inviting an unseen creature into his home, and perhaps even his mind.
The creature, which he refers to as the Horla, begins to torment him, making him feel depressed. He awakens in the middle of the night in cold sweats after dreaming that the creature has invaded his room. He feels like he’s being watched, and the water by his bedside is empty, despite never drinking it himself.
He leaves his home after the doctor can’t find any reason for his torment, and spends time in Mont Saint-Michel. His malady disappears there, so he returns home, only to be immediately tortured again.
It is then that he reads about Brazilians fleeing their homes:
“they are pursued, possessed, and governed like human cattle by…a species of vampire, which feeds on their life while they sleep…[and] drinks water.”
Upon making the connection, he decides to set fire to his home. Unable to destroy the supernatural Horla by setting the fire, he commits suicide.
Symbolism in Maupassant’s The Horla
But what does it all mean? The following is a collection of symbolic elements found throughout the story:
- At the start of the story, our unnamed narrator fills your mind with descriptions of beauty. The narrative is light, pleasant. It is only when the Horla begins to haunt him that the story takes a dark turn, changing the descriptions, and the narrator himself. There’s cause and effect at play here, and the depression and torment the narrator suffers from are mental representations of the Horla. On the other hand, the cold sweats and fevers are the physical representations.
- Soon, the Horla begins to dominate the thoughts of the narrator, which symbolizes his alienation and his quetionable sanity.
- Depending on the translation, you’ll read the term “parasite” to describe the Horla. It is described later on as a vampire. However, the term “Horla” is really made up of two French words – hors (outside) and là (there). It essence, the Horla is translated to “the one out there,” or better still, “the outsider.”
- In lore, mythology, and religious texts, fire is symbolic for purification. When the narrator sets fire to the house, and the Horla still persists, the narrator realizes nothing can destroy the supernatural being.
- Connecting fiction to reality, when Maupassant wrote this story, he was suffering from syphilis, and nearing the end of his own life. The narrator’s mental illness is reminiscent of Maupassant’s own frail mind. Making a further connection, the Horla is symbolic for syphilis itself, or more importantly, anything that can torment humanity.
- The Brazillian vessel is described as ” perfectly white and wonderfully clean and shining.” Oddly enough, it was the beginning of the end. This contradiction is clear: everything evil starts out pure.
Remember to keep an eye out for more story symbolism here on Literative!
