The story in one page
Eugene de Rastignac arrives at the Maison Vauquer with noble dreams and empty pockets. He quickly discovers that Paris functions on a currency of influence and betrayal. His neighbor, the elderly Goriot, was once a wealthy merchant but has reduced himself to a threadbare existence to support the aristocratic whims of his two daughters, Delphine and Anastasie. While Eugene tries to woo Delphine to secure his future, he is tempted by the cynical criminal Vautrin, who proposes a lethally efficient shortcut to wealth. As Goriot’s health and finances collapse under his daughters' relentless demands, Eugene is forced to choose between his remaining conscience and the ruthless ambition required to survive the city's salons.
Who's who
- Eugene de Rastignac
An ambitious law student learning the brutal social codes of Paris.
- Father Goriot
A former merchant who sacrifices everything for his ungrateful daughters.
- Vautrin
A cynical criminal mastermind hiding in a respectable boarding house.
- Delphine de Nucingen
Goriot's daughter, a banker's wife seeking status through Eugene.
- Anastasie de Restaud
Goriot's daughter, an aristocrat trapped by debt and a lover.
- Mme. Vauquer
The miserly owner of the decaying Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve lodging-house.
What it's really about
- Paternal Obsession
- Love as a self-destructive, blind force.
- Social Stratification
- The impenetrable barrier between the Latin Quarter and Faubourg salons.
Why it's memorable
- Goriot selling his silver plate to pay his daughter's gambling debts.
- Eugene looking down at Paris from the heights of Père Lachaise cemetery.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
After burying Goriot in a pauper's grave, Eugene stands overlooking Paris and issues a challenge to the city, before heading off to dine with Delphine.
For your book club
- The ethics of sacrificing one's own life for a child's vanity.
- Whether Vautrin’s cynicism is a critique or a reflection of Parisian society.