y (Maupassant 203). A woman such as Mme. Walter felt that she could do just about anything, no matter how corrupt, and go to church and everything would be taken off her conscious.Another fine example of literary symbolism, lies in the painting; “Christ on Water.” The painting depicted Christ walking on water, hence the title. It is quite ironic that Mr. Walter purchased this painting because Mme. Walter viewed it as a shrine to Georges. It is on page 256-257 that Mme. Walter realizes her obsession for DuRoy(Maupassant 256-57). Suzanne exclaims, “but he looks like you, Bel-Ami,” referring to the striking similarities of DuRoy and Jesus. Mme. Walter turns a ghostly white after hearing this observation. It is later on page 278 when Mme. Walter falls before the painting and prays to her righteous ex-lover.As the novel progresses on, DuRoy acquires a new title, and wears the Legion of Honour pin quite proudly upon his chest. DuRoy receiving this title was a hint that he was on his way to the top of society. Most of the upper middle class men had a title, in which they could show off they’re wealth and power. According to A Lion in the Path, Maupassant was using the title to simply project power (Steegmuller 214). Nobody could ever just be happy during the Belle Epoque. If you had money you needed more. If you were not of noble birth, you had to buy the name. Everyone was so hung up on class and the hierarchical ladder of society that they forgot to be good people. Such an example of this was the gossip column, or the newspaper DuRoy worked for.The newspaper is the omniscient eye of the society it circulates in, according to the Dictionary of Graphic Images (Davenport & Thompson 165) The newspaper is were people look for facts and fiction. This was apparent in Bel-Ami. Everyone had to get a newspaper everyday to read about the city and its good times and its tribulations. People also relied o...
