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Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Ladies’ Paradise, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Consumerism and Excess
Women, Exploitation, and Power
Tradition vs. Modernity
Class and Mobility
Summary
Analysis
At 7:30 the next morning, Denise waits outside of the Ladies’ Paradise. The shop assistants are just arriving, hurrying into the store, their collars turned up against the cold wind. Several men stare at Denise as they pass, and she walks around the block, too timid to enter with them. A man who is also waiting outside the Paradise asks Denise if she is a salesgirl. They discover that they are both applying for jobs, and they blush and separate. Sales assistants continue to pass, and Denise feels conspicuous. A tall man with gold eyes glances at her as he enters the Paradise, and his look disturbs her. She walks around the block again.
Denise is outnumbered by the male salesmen entering the Ladies’ Paradise. This suggests that, although the retail world is co-ed, it is still a male-dominated field. A pattern develops in which Denise’s timidity and fear coexist alongside more positive emotions, such as excitement. For instance, her fear of the Ladies’ Paradise made her excited to join its world.
Themes
The man with gold eyes is Octave Mouret, the owner of the Ladies’ Paradise. He spent the night at a stockbroker’s house after a party and is wearing dress clothes under his coat. After entering the Paradise, he washes his face and goes to his big office. He looks at a portrait of Madame Hédouin on the wall and thanks her for giving him the Paradise through marriage. There is a knock and a man named Bourdoncle enters. Bourdoncle started at the Paradise when Mouret took over and eventually became the overall supervisor. Bourdoncle teases Mouret for his partying, and Mouret teases Bourdoncle for being boring.
Mouret is a mixture of serious and unserious qualities. He spends his free time partying, which suggests that he lives a self-indulgent lifestyle and doesn’t take anything too seriously. On the other hand, he is grateful to his late wife, suggesting that he understands how fortunate he’s been and will work hard to live up to the opportunities he was given. This dichotomy in his character makes it unclear whether Mouret is a protagonist or an antagonist.
Themes
Bourdoncle used to have mistresses. Now, he hates women and pours his energy into the Ladies’ Paradise, where he can exploit customers instead. Mouret, on the other hand, loves women and sleeps with them to get them to come to the Ladies’ Paradise. While he signs bills, Mouret raves about Madame Desforges, a woman he saw at a ball the night before. Bourdoncle warns Mouret that the women will get their revenge—that one woman will avenge the rest. Mouret brushes him off.
Mouret and Bourdoncle both exploit women, but the attitude in which they exploit them is very different. Mouret has a natural affection for women whereas Bourdoncle hates women and exploits them out of hatred. However, despite his hatred, Bourdoncle thinks of women as capable of revenge, whereas Mouret does not. In this way, Bourdoncle sees women as powerful—where Mouret does not.
Themes
Literary Devices
After a silence, Bourdoncle mentions the winter sale starting Monday. For this sale, Mouret spent all his money and yet is guaranteed to make millions, a method that makes Bourdoncle nervous. Mouret says that the store is still too small and alludes to a plan involving Madame Desforges. He laughs at Bourdoncle’s reluctance. Mouret tells Bourdoncle that he plans to offer a commission for every error that clerks find in the sales book. This is in keeping with Mouret’s sales method: offering commissions that evoke a “struggle for survival,” exploiting people’s passions to make them work hard.
Mouret’s method of making millions involves him spending everything he has so that, on the surface, it looks as though he is risking total bankruptcy. This, combined with his plan to offer extra commissions for the clerks, suggests that he follows the business model that suggests one has to spend money to make money. This is, interestingly, the exact opposite of how Baudu runs his shop: he refuses to spend any extra money on it and just hopes his customers will keep coming.
Themes
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Bourdoncle and Mouret go down to the receiving room in the basement, where packages of goods are streaming in on silver chutes. Mouret watches the “flood” and reflects on his task of launching these goods all around Paris. A gang of men receive the packages and go through the contents while the heads of the departments check invoices. Mouret asks Bouthemont, a successful buyer at the Paradise who started a rivalry with his father when he left his drapery shop, about the new goods.
The comparison of the influx and outflux of packages from the Ladies’ Paradise to a flood reveals Mouret’s method at work on an enormous scale: he buys a huge amount of goods, but also sells a huge amount of goods. Also, he talks of launching his goods all through Paris, showing that the Paradise’s customer base is not local, but comprised of the whole city.
Themes
Literary Devices
Bourdoncle picks up a piece of new silk and examines it. Bouthemont, who visits factories throughout Paris and negotiates with manufacturers every month, explains that the manufacturer charged extra for this fine design. Mouret suggests they price the silk just under cost, and Bouthemont agrees. Bourdoncle (whose commission is based on total profits) is wary of Bouthemont (whose commission is based on total sales) lowering the prices to increase sales. Getting angry, Mouret says he wants to give the silk away to his customers to gain their absolute trust. He wants all of Paris to be talking about his cheap silk.
The contention between Bourdoncle and Bouthemont puts into play Mouret’s method of creating a struggle for survival among his staff. Since Bourdoncle and Bouthemont’s commissions are based on opposing goals, they are both motivated to work harder towards their goal. Mouret again explains how what appears like a plan to lose money is actually intended to buy him something way more profitable in the long run: customer trust.
Themes
The assistants smile to hear Mouret talk. Bouthemont says that the manufacturers are upset and claim that the Ladies’ Paradise is running them out of business. Mouret says that the manufacturers should be pleased. The assistants go back to checking the invoices while Mouret watches. Then, he and Bourdoncle continue though the basement, passing the stock room and cafeteria before coming to the dispatch room, where there are cubbyholes for the districts of Paris. Mouret asks the dispatch supervisor about an order that was not delivered. The man replies that the cash desk wrote the address down incorrectly.
Mouret’s comment that the manufacturers should be pleased shows that there are two ways of looking at the failure of small businesses. While the small businesses and manufacturers complain that the Ladies’ Paradise is robbing their business, Mouret claims that the manufacturers and small businesses are failing only because they refuse to join the Paradise—something that would actually make them thrive.
Themes
Before going to the cash desk, Mouret and Bourdoncle go upstairs to the mail room. When Mouret asks one of many clerks opening letters, the man replies that they received 534 letters that morning. Mouret and Bourdoncle go downstairs to the counting office (one of a network of offices that deals with payouts), where a huge safe is built into the wall. Mouret tells some laughing cashiers about the new commission for detecting errors, and they suddenly get serious. Bourdoncle and Mouret then go to the cash desk to see Albert Lhomme, the son of the ladieswear buyer Madame Aurélie.
Mouret and Bourdoncle’s tour of the offices and departments at The Paradise reveals how sprawling and intricate the store is. The quantity of various offices, tasks, and appointed staff makes the Paradise seem like a bustling city in which there is a post office, bank, and other fixtures of a town. Readers also see here how Mouret’s commission system works in his favor: the cashiers are instantly willing to work harder the moment they hear that there’s money involved. Paying them more will ultimately benefit Mouret, as the cashiers may find expensive errors in the reports.
Themes
Bourdoncle reprimands Albert for making a mistake with the address, so Albert calls on another cashier and tries to make the man blame the customer. Bourdoncle chastises Albert again, but then Lhomme—Albert’s father—runs up and asks what is wrong. Mouret wants to look magnanimous, so he brushes aside Albert’s mistake and then engages Lhomme in a discussion about a concert that Mouret had given him tickets to go see.
Mouret conceals his ruthlessness by acting friendly. In this way, he deceives his staff like he deceives his customers. He ensnares his customers by getting them to think that he’s giving them amazing deals, and he ensnares his employees by leading them to believe he is kind and generous (such as with concert tickets and extra commissions).
Themes
Mouret and Bourdoncle move on through the silk and linens departments. They stop in the wool department, where one boy is being reprimanded for being tired and another is being scolded for coming to work late. In the glove department, a boy complains about the cafeteria’s food. Mouret—who knows that the chef cuts corners to make a profit out of his small allowance for groceries—gives an empty promise to talk to the chef about the food.
Mouret’s concern for the health and well-being of his employees is all an appearance. On the surface, the Ladies’ Paradise seems like an equal-opportunity employer that provides its employees with benefits and opportunities. However, Mouret is only willing to do just enough to keep his employees working (like write them bigger checks), not enough to keep them truly happy (like by improving the food situation).
Themes
At this point, the man at the door clocking in the employees puts away his book. The salesmen finish dusting and uncover their displays of merchandise. At the silk counter, a young man named Hutin whispers to a man named Favier that Favier should hit Robineau—the assistant buyer whose job Hutin covets. Hutin tries to pit the whole department against Robineau; he even brought in someone to take the vacancy that was promised to Robineau.
The Ladies’ Paradise—being a large-scale business with a hierarchy of employees— offers the opportunity to rise to a higher position. Getting more in the employees’ minds here shows that Mouret is successfully creating an environment where employees fight with and deceive each other to try to improve their positions. And all of this ultimately benefits Mouret, as his employees seem willing to stick around, play the game, and continue working hard.
Themes
Mouret comes up to Hutin, who is now arranging a display of silks. Mouret asks Hutin why he is making the display “easy on the eyes.” He takes the silks and jumbles the colors into a dazzling display. As opposed to Hutin’s symmetrical display, Mouret’s is an avalanche to make customer’s eyes “sore.”
Mouret’s business model is based not on making things easy for his customers, but rather on overwhelming and seducing them. He wants to make their eyes “sore,” suggesting he wants to put them in a position where they feel they must buy things in order to relieve discomfort.
Themes
Just then, Denise appears, having finally worked up the courage to enter the Ladies’ Paradise. Mouret’s silk display arouses her, and her cheeks flush. Mouret is touched by Denise’s reaction. Denise goes up to Hutin, who recognizes her as the “tart” he saw earlier in the street, and asks where Madame Aurélie is. Hutin gallantly leads Denise up the stairs to the ladieswear department. Denise is moved by Hutin’s gentlemanliness. Hutin goes back downstairs and jokes to Favier about Denise’s skinniness.
Denise’s reaction to the silk display illustrates Mouret’s purpose in rearranging it, revealing that Mouret gains more customers by arousing them and making them a bit uncomfortable than by making things simple and comfortable. Denise is touched by Hutin because of his obvious kindness, but this—like Mouret’s kindness towards his employees—is only a front meant to deceive.
Themes
In the ladieswear department, Denise goes up to one of the salesgirls and asks for Madame Aurélie. The salesgirl asks the other salesgirls, and they all tell Denise she’ll have to wait. Denise waits, looking out the window at the depressing sight of the Vieil Elbeuf. The salesgirls—whose names are Clara Prunaire and Marguerite Vadon—whisper about Denise’s shabby boots and say that she won’t make it long.
Denise gets confidence by reminding herself of how depressing Baudu’s is. The salesgirls pick on Denise’s shabbiness, suggesting that the working class salespeople at the Ladies’ Paradise are more sophisticated than the working class shopkeepers, like the Baudus. By taking a job at the Paradise, Denise would begin to transcend her class.
Themes
Literary Devices
Suddenly, Madame Aurélie, a majestic woman in a black dress, appears. She rebukes Madame Frédéric, another saleswoman, about something, and then, noticing Denise, asks what she wants. Shaking, Denise gives her name and age, and says that she’s strong despite her frail appearance. Madame Aurélie sends Clara for the application book.
Madame Aurélie—a woman in a high position—is impressive in that she is so powerful in a society where women often don’t enjoy professional power like this. In The Ladies’ Paradise, a person gets to high positions by proving themselves, so Denise insists she is stronger than she looks.
Themes
Literary Devices
Mouret and Bourdoncle appear and talk to Madame Aurélie about her son Albert’s mistake. Mouret, surprised to see Denise, asks Madame Aurélie what she’s doing there. Bourdoncle then says that Denise is too ugly to work at the Paradise as Clara Prunaire comes back with the book. Denise explains that she has no previous experience in retail in Paris, but Mouret is pleased to hear the name of the store she worked at in Valognes. When asked, Denise says she lives across the street at Baudu’s. She laughs, and her whole being lights up. Mouret whispers to Bourdoncle that she is pretty. Mouret says that he respects Baudu and hopes that Denise will tell him he'll ruin himself by sticking to old-fashioned business.
Mouret seems to see something of value in Denise that underlies her appearance. Denise’s lack of physical beauty—which Bourdoncle notes—makes her appear useless to the Ladies’ Paradise, a place that trades in superficial beauty. Mouret’s perception of something deeper in Denise suggests that he is not simply a heartless business owner who believes in and exploits female superficiality. It also suggests that Denise has something beyond looks to offer Mouret and his business.
Themes
Denise realizes that this man—the same one she saw in the street—is Mouret. She feels she can see the dead Madame Hédouin in his eyes and feels a complicated emotion akin to fear. Madame Aurélie says she will contact Denise, knowing privately she will hire her just to please Mouret. Denise thanks Madame Aurélie and turns to leave, wondering if she should feel excited or afraid. She has two lasting impressions from her visit to the Paradise: her uneasy feeling around Mouret, and the pleasure she felt at Hutin’s kindness.
Denise’s uncertainty as to whether she should feel excited or afraid indicates that her experience at the Ladies’ Paradise will be both good and bad. Her lasting impressions—that Hutin was kind and that Mouret was frightening—are mixed up, though Denise doesn’t realize this yet. Hutin had been kind on the surface but cruel in private, and Mouret—frightening on the surface—had seen true beauty in Denise.
Themes
Outside the Paradise, Denise runs into the shy man she waited with earlier. As they chat, they discover that they both applied and are both waiting to hear the verdict. They blush. The man introduces himself as Henri Deloche, and they wish each other good luck.
Denise has a lot in common with Deloche. She reacts to three men in this chapter—Hutin, Mouret, and Deloche—and she will later have to sort out how she feels about each.
Themes
