Emile Zola and "La Bête Humaine"
Emile Zola wrote a novel called La Bete Humaine in 1890. The title's translation into English is "Human Beast." The title portrays the violent seizures that assault people and turn them into beasts. Three major characters—Lantier, the steam engine's driver, Roubaud, the station's deputy master, and his wife, Severine—are at the center of the story. Lantier is the one who is most affected by human beastliness because he is constantly plagued by the urge to kill any woman who makes him feel attracted to her. Lantier claims that his genetic mentality stems from his alcoholic ancestors. Roubaud committed the first murder and there are many other deaths that occurred in the course of the story which were either out of revenge, greed, or love.
Darwinism and "On the Origin of Species"
The book 'On the Origin of Species' by Charles Darwin in 1859 introduced the term Darwinism in relation to the evolution of different species, especially the human race. Darwinism mainly involves the process of human evolution from apes and monkeys. In order to survive against harsh environmental conditions, natural selection enabled apes and monkeys to develop certain traits. Those creatures with heritable qualities that fit best to the prevailing environs are best suited to survive. This development improved traits of the following generations leading to the existence of the human race. Darwinism shows that humans were at a particular time, wild creatures; only that they improved features to enable them to survive. As such, there are instances whereby traits of those creatures tend to overcome some humans leading them to act like beasts. The desire to murder fellow human indicates the beastliness in certain humans because no life should be terminated unnaturally for whatever reason. La Bete Humaine shows Darwinism in the following ways;
Animal Instincts and Beastly Behaviors
The explicit reference to animal instincts in the title shows the author's general observation of characters in the book. The author intends to demonstrate to the reader that the majority of the episodes in the book are dominated by actions that can only be traced to beasts. Even though humans in the 19th century lived in a polite society whose behaviors were governed by moral sentiments defined by the moral absolutes of religious belief, there are some behaviors that can be traced back to where humans evolved from. The title prepares the reader to expect the beastliness throughout the book. These beastly behaviors assonate with Darwinism which implies humans were at a time wild beasts. This origin of humans in some cases tends to overcome them resulting in weird actions attributable to beasts.
Murder and Natural Selection
Almost all of the characters in La Bete Humaine had a desire to kill their fellows either for revenge, love, or greed. In killing, a character would eliminate competition, thus enhancing one's chances of survival. Although such murders were not in line with the natural selection advocated by Darwin, both correspond with it in terms of results. According to Darwinism, natural selection would ensure that creatures with the qualities that best suit the environment survive. In La bête humaine, characters such as Lantier and Severine murdered Roubaud whom they perceived would be an obstacle to their sexual affair. Thereby, they contemplated that eliminating Roubaud would not only allow them to enjoy their affair but it would also eliminate a threat to their survival. Hence, the book shows its connection by Darwinism.
Lantier and the Beast within Him
Lantier, the locomotive driver, is depicted as the most affected by the beast impulses, although he seems gentle. He has developed a certain kind of symbiotic relationship with the steam engine, in that it satisfies his sexual desires. Lantier calls the train by a female name, La Lison, and the train calms anxiety in him, especially sexual anxiety. Even though Lantier has a moral sense of what is right or wrong, he is driven by a strong primitive desire to murder and conquer any woman who sexually arouses him. The beast in him has made him almost kill a number of women, including his cousin, Flores. This feeling connects Lantier to Darwinism, which states that humans evolved from wild creatures. Hence, explaining why Lantier is instantly conquered by a beast desire to kill.
Control and Overcoming Primitive Impulses
However, he has improved his hereditary traits such that, in most animal impulses that attack him, Lantier has been able to control himself. Darwin states that for the creature to enhance its chances of survival, it must possess qualities which will enable it to overcome harsh environments. This state has enabled the creatures to continue improving their traits generation after generation. Lantier, in many cases, had been able to suppress hereditary primitive animal impulses to murder which he inherited from his alcoholic forefathers, thus improving his traits as well as his overall survival. The ability to master his desire to murder, Lantier has suppressed the beast in him, enabling him to live according to Darwinism and avoid being on the wrong side of the law.
Roubaud and the Brutal Murder
Darwinism in La bête humaine is also shown by the behaviors of Roubaud, the deputy master at the railway station who committed the first murder in the book. As Roubaud and his wife Severine were engaging in marriage romance, Severine fortuitously tells him of her affair with Grandmorin. Grandmorin was Severine's godfather who brought her up. In the course, Severine became Grandmorin's mistress. This revelation arouses the beast in Roubaud, making him press his wife for details and forced her to write a letter inviting Grandmorin to travel on the same train Roubaud and his wife were traveling in, in order for Roubaud to take revenge. Roubaud was burning with the desire to murder Grandmorin, and it did not take long once the journey began. The author vividly describes how, through the beast in Roubaud, he brutally murdered Grandmorin by slitting his throat. Although Roubaud had evolved significantly, the animal impulses were still hurling him.
Greed and the Urge to Kill
Another instance of how Darwinism showed in this piece of work was through Severine. Apart from being an accomplice in the murder of Grandmorin, she initiated the notion of killing Roubaud so that she and Lantier could take possession of the money she and Roubaud had taken from Grandmorin before he died. The beast of greediness stimulated her to initiate how she and Lantier could kill Roubaud, and she later made Lantier kill him without the knowledge of Lantier's unfortunate condition. She was doing this because she believed that it would help to improve her survival. Darwin stated that creatures could do whatever the situation necessitated to ensure their survival. These creatures would kill others to ensure that they are best suited to environmental conditions. As such, according to La bête humaine, Severine saw Roubaud as an obstacle between her and her well-being in the future, necessitating the urge to kill him.
Flore's Jealousy and the Tragic Outcome
Flore was secretly in love with her cousin Lantier, and whenever she sees Lantier and Severine, Flore felt insanely jealous. This feeling continued to hurl her, igniting the beast in her to plot how she would murder both. One morning, she sees an opportunity and seizes it by crashing a horse onto an incoming train, resulting in a fateful crash. Many people are killed, Severine escaped unhurt, but Lantier sustained serious injuries. However, consumed by the guilt of killing many innocent lives, Flore took her own life. This implies that even though Flore still had the beast in her, her traits had significantly improved to a point of discovering her wrongs. Darwinism had improved her traits such that she felt that her survival does not mean taking other people's lives. Thus, since she could not live with her action, she resorted to suicide.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, Darwin attempts to connect humans with their origin. Darwinism explains that humans originated from wild creatures; apes and monkeys. These creatures, which developed certain traits, were able to evolve over generations to the present form of humankind. As such, it is argued that the present form of the human race possesses characteristics of their original form, which makes them commit certain outrageous actions. La bête humaine perceived that such despicable actions such as killing fellow humankind can be traced back to the beast still alive in some humans. Hence, the majority of characters in the book such as Lantier, who would desire to kill in the place of sex, clearly show a certain degree of Darwinism in La bête humaine.
Bibliography
Baguley, David. Critical Essays on Emile Zola. Macmillan Reference USA, 1986.
Nelson, Brian. Naturalism in the European novel: new critical perspectives. Berg Publishers, 1992.
Zola, Émile. La bête humaine. Litres, 2017.
