Père Goriot

by

Honoré de Balzac

Madame Vauquer is a widow who has run a Paris boarding house, the Maison Vauquer, for decades. At around 50 years old, Madame Vauquer is plump and pale, and she seems to match her shabby yet respectable boarding house. Madame Vauquer is fond of her boarders, except for Goriot, whom she blames for a thwarted attempt at romance (one motivated chiefly by her desire for a fortune and social respectability). She has a selfish streak.

Madame Vauquer Quotes in Père Goriot

The Père Goriot quotes below are all either spoken by Madame Vauquer or refer to Madame Vauquer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The False Allure of Wealth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Everyone now fully understood Vautrin, his past, present and future, his ruthless doctrines, his religion of indulging his own good pleasure, his regal authority, deriving from the cynicism of his thoughts and deeds and a power of organization applied to everything. The blood rushed to his face, his eyes glittered like those of a wildcat. He bounded up and down with such ferocious energy, he roared so fiercely, that he wrung cries of terror from all the boarders.

Related Characters: Vautrin, Madame Vauquer
Page Number: 183
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Try and be philosophical, Ma,’ Collin went on. Did it do you any harm being in my box at the Gaîté last night?' he exclaimed. ‘Are you any better than us? The brand we bear on our shoulders is not as shameful as what you have in your hearts, flabby members of a putrid society. The best among you could not stand up to me!’

Related Characters: Vautrin (speaker), Madame Vauquer
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Père Goriot LitChart as a printable PDF.
Père Goriot PDF

Madame Vauquer Quotes in Père Goriot

The Père Goriot quotes below are all either spoken by Madame Vauquer or refer to Madame Vauquer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The False Allure of Wealth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Everyone now fully understood Vautrin, his past, present and future, his ruthless doctrines, his religion of indulging his own good pleasure, his regal authority, deriving from the cynicism of his thoughts and deeds and a power of organization applied to everything. The blood rushed to his face, his eyes glittered like those of a wildcat. He bounded up and down with such ferocious energy, he roared so fiercely, that he wrung cries of terror from all the boarders.

Related Characters: Vautrin, Madame Vauquer
Page Number: 183
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Try and be philosophical, Ma,’ Collin went on. Did it do you any harm being in my box at the Gaîté last night?' he exclaimed. ‘Are you any better than us? The brand we bear on our shoulders is not as shameful as what you have in your hearts, flabby members of a putrid society. The best among you could not stand up to me!’

Related Characters: Vautrin (speaker), Madame Vauquer
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis: