what was their pastime before the war was broke out?
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Introduction to ''Two Friends''
Have you ever met someone and the two of you just seemed to click? Or maybe the two of you couldn't stop talking or didn't need to say a word, but either way, you had an immediate connection? The two men in Guy de Maupassant's short story ''Two Friends'' have such an understanding. This French story, published in 1883, takes place in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, which lasted for about a year between 1870 and 1871. The two men meet and form a bond while fishing. Their conversations form the basis for the author's exploration of wartime politics, French bravery, and German stereotypes.
In the following sections, let's take a look at what happened in the story before delving into the deeper meaning.
Summary of ''Two Friends''
The two friends, Monsieur Morissot, a watchmaker, and Monsieur Sauvage, a draper, would meet on Sundays while fishing. Both enjoy this pastime and, with few words being spoken between them, fall into a comfortable friendship with each other. Unfortunately, they have not been able to meet for quite a while due to the war.
One day they happen across each other and happily greet each other. They lament not being able to fish due to the war, especially on such a nice day. They go for a drink at a nearby cafe. While drinking, Monsieur Sauvage recklessly suggests the two go down to their old fishing spot, which is in occupied territory. He knows the Colonel and believes he will let them through the French outpost.
They meet again, this time with their fishing rods, receive the password, and make their way into dangerous territory. They point up ahead where the Prussian army is and decide to offer the Prussians fish if they should meet any. They carefully make their way to the water and both begin to catch many fish.
The two men hear cannons fire. This cannon fire leads them to discuss war. Though differing on some points, they ''agree on one point: that they would never be free.''
Suddenly, soldiers arrive and surround the two friends. The soldiers bind the men and bring them to an officer. The officer tells the men he will kill them for being suspected spies unless they give him the password that allowed them to come out into the area. He tries to individually persuade each man to give up the password to no avail.
The men shake hands and wish each other goodbye. Then the order is given and the soldiers execute them. The soldiers tie Morissot's and Sauvage's bodies to rocks and throw them into the water. Noticing the fish the men caught, the officer orders the fish to be cooked and goes back to smoking his pipe.