Emile Zola's novel Germinal
Germinal is notable in the French tradition. It depicts a coal miner's strike in Northern France in the 1860s. The title "Germinal" is the name of a French calendar month that means "seed." The novel's central focus is the plight of miners and their search for life. As one of the best books about the labor struggle, the author depicts the struggle between capitalism and the working class. This paper examines the author's purpose, symbolism, naturalism, and capitalism in the book.
Intention of the author
The main theme of the novel is the suffering of miners and their struggle for survival. The author shows the conflict between capitalists and the working class and is, therefore, one of the best novels about the labor movement. This paper discusses the intention of the author, symbolism, naturalism, and capitalism in the novel.
Intention of the author
The main theme of the novel is the miner's struggle for survival. In the novel, the author expresses his outrage at the exploitation of the many by the few. It also shows that humanity is capable of compassion and hope. The character Etienne Lantier is an unemployed railway worker. He is an uneducated, but a clever man with a bad temper. Lacking an alternative, he takes up a job at the Le Voreux mine. The author describes the lives of the miners and portrays the issues they face such as oppression, socialism, capitalism, justice, human nature and relationships. The author also puts forward the idea of resisting oppression, as seen when the workers carry out a strike. He shows that this does not come without a struggle, as the people were starving (Zola and Raymond, 226). The title of the novel itself infers to the idea of germination in plants. In his analogy, he is trying to show that social and political ideas are like seeds. When sowed and in good soil and provided with the right conditions, they will grow and develop much more than their initial state.
Symbolism
Symbolism refers to when an author uses a word or an object to represent an abstract idea. Instead of blatantly saying a specific mood or emotion, the author can use symbolism to represent it.
The author describes the mine as an "evil beast." He says that "the pit was evil-looking, a voracious beast crouching ready to devour the world" (Zola and Raymond, 116). It is compared to a beast since it has killed many miners. It also emitted dangerous fumes, and therefore the workers lacked clean air to breathe. It can also refer to the poor working conditions experienced by workers in the mines such as deprivation of their basic rights. The name of the mine is "Voreux," which is a Latin word meaning "the one that devours."
The word black is used symbolically in the first chapter to show negativity. It is used to describe how dark it was as Etienne walked in the night. This is used to express the bad times that lie ahead of him. "On a pitch-black, starless night, a solitary man was trudging along the main road from Marchiennes to Montsou, ten kilometers of cobblestones running straight as a die across the bare plain between fields of beet" (Zola and Raymond, 17). The title of the book "Germinal" refers to the germinal months of March and April. The author uses germination of plants as a symbol of how the workers gain consciousness and recognize the source of their suffering. They begin to organize themselves and to fight these problems, carrying out a strike.
In the mine, there is a horse named "Battle." It worked in the mine for ten years without ever leaving the mine. It died during the flooding accident. Its name is symbolic of the horrible encounters that it goes through working in the mine. Between the mine and the village, there is a tavern called "The advantage." Its name is symbolic of its strategic location as it is at an advantage of getting customers who are traveling between the mine and the village.
Naturalism
Naturalism is a type of extreme realism which suggests that family roles, social factors, and the environment play a role in the formation of human character. Therefore, naturalistic stories are based on the idea that these factors determine human character.
This novel is set in the backdrop of a mining village in France. It depicts the harsh life experienced by miners, which is what was happening in France in the nineteenth century. Each character is not only a victim of the social conditions but also of their mental condition. The miners live a miserable life as all they do is work for long hours. It is not work which they enjoy doing, as the working conditions are extremely poor. In addition to this, they receive negligible pay for their work. Before the arrival of Etienne, the workers are already used to these poor conditions and take no effort to change them. Etienne on the other hand, being learned and having been exposed to the outside world leads the workers in striking for better conditions.
The main character of the book, Etienne, is an alcoholic. He inherits this from his parents since the author says that he is the son of alcoholics. Through him, the author portrays the struggles of the working class in the nineteenth century in France. For the miners, alcohol leads to their ruin. Etienne confesses that he was fired from his job after striking his boss, under the influence of alcohol. "I ought to say that I had been drinking," he went on, "and when I drink, I get mad; I could devour myself, and I could devour other people" (Zola and Raymond, 41). We are shown that he depends on alcohol during his moments of stress. For example, during the strike, he downs three glasses of gin while the miners damage property in the mine. He also gets intoxicated while killing Chaval to save Catherine from her lover's sexual abuse. Etienne is a typical modern-day alcoholic since he turns to alcohol when faced with stressful situations.
Capitalism
In a capitalist system, a stimulus is provided to the productive forces, while the masses remain poor. A capitalist system is therefore beneficial to those who are in power, at the expense and exploitation of the workers. In the novel, Zola examines the nature of the economic system in France and the existing class relations.
There were two major classes: the capitalists and the workers.
In the novel, the miners are exploited in various ways. They are forced to work hard and for long hours, irrespective of their age. They do this on empty stomachs and are physically stunted. They are also alienated from the products of their labor. Since they do not receive enough money, they are unable to detach themselves from laboring in the mines. They live their lives in anxiety and are prone to both physical and mental illness. Since they spend all their time in the mines from a very young age, they have little or no education (Zola and Raymond, 118). The only forms of entertainment are the basics that they can afford, which is alcohol and sex. They lack culture, as everything in their lives just happens to them. As the mine is depicted as a beast, the miners are also beastlike and animalistic (Zola and Raymond, 342).
On the other hand, the bourgeoisie have a comfortable life, full of luxury and idleness. However, their interests are not similar. Some are complacent and do not care about the poor miners (Zola and Raymond, 193). The middle-class women have no idea about what happens outside their own lives and have no interest in how the money they spend is made. There are men who have an interest in the mines. These are, however, portrayed as paternalistic. They are more interested in making profits than in the well-being of the workers, only gaining interest when it has an effect on their productivity. During the strike, the owner of the mine is unable to survive with limited capital and is eventually forced to sell the company. In the mines, the supervisor only sits and orders the miners around, while depriving them of their rights. The deaths of the workers can, therefore, be blamed on him. Being the owner, he gets all the profits and keeps them to himself.
In conclusion, the author employs the aspects of naturalism, symbolism, and capitalism to bring out various themes in his book. By doing so, he achieves his intent of portraying how the situation was in the mining industry in France in the nineteenth century.
Work Cited
Zola, Émile, and Raymond N. MacKenzie. Germinal. Hackett Publishing, 2011.
