Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Victor Hugo's poem "The Bourgeois" offers an incisive critique of a particular social class that emerged as a potent force during his lifetime-the bourgeoisie. Hugo paints a nuanced portrait of a man of material wealth and moral impoverishment, laying bare the contradictions and shortcomings that define him. The Bourgeois is, in many ways, a product of his age-an age marked by the rise of industrial capitalism and a shifting social order.

At the surface level, the Bourgeois appears successful and prosperous. He owns vineyards, fields, and woods. He was once a vendor of basic goods-eggs, cheese, and soap-but now he's moved up the social ladder. However, his newfound social standing doesn't bring about a broadening of his perspectives; rather, it narrows them. He hates the poor and has no love for noble blood, dismissing lineage and heritage as insignificant.

The poem highlights the dichotomy of his character in the lines: "He is austere, and virtuous, and discreet." Despite his external veneer of moral integrity, he hates "lovers" and "men of intellect," showing an aversion to both emotional and intellectual pursuits. This makes him a moral paradox. He gives alms, but also lends on usurious terms, offering a semblance of charity while perpetuating the poverty he claims to alleviate.

His disdain for notions of "progress" and "pure liberty" reveals an inherent conservatism. He has little room for ideas that challenge the status quo, particularly if those ideas might destabilize the social order that has allowed him to thrive. He subscribes to "good Sancho's coarse, rough common sense," a reference to Sancho Panza, the simple, earthbound squire in "Don Quixote." Unlike Panza, who has wisdom despite his simplicity, the Bourgeois' brand of common sense serves only to uphold his own narrow worldview.

One of the most damning critiques comes in his religious hypocrisy. He attends Mass, not out of devotion but for appearances. He believes that the "rabble" needs to fear God to be lawful, but himself remains comfortably agnostic. Thus, he uses religion as a tool for social control, devoid of any personal conviction.

The Bourgeois is, in the end, a man of surfaces, not depths. He presents an exterior of respectability and moral certitude but lacks a core of genuine ethical belief. Hugo doesn't just paint him as a social climber or a hypocrite; he presents him as emblematic of a broader societal issue-the elevation of material success over moral and intellectual development.

In "The Bourgeois," Victor Hugo doesn't merely describe a character; he holds up a mirror to society. It's a society that has made room at the top for men like the Bourgeois, who are rich in material but poor in spirit, replete with worldly goods but empty of soul. This poem serves as both a character study and a societal critique, addressing not only the failings of one man but the collective ethical shortcomings of the age.

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