Name: Aurelia Puti Imani

NIM: 19320172

Class: D

A Super Short Story Without Intricacy Plot and Characters, Yet Very Interesting to
Be Read

Can you believe if a super short story can be an excellent literature work without any
complexity plot and characters like other usual stories? After reading this analysis about a
short story by Honore de Balzac, you will give a yes answer and understand the excellence.
This super short story is named “Innocence” by Honore de Balzac. The interesting thing
about this short story is that its length is not more than 800 words and it does not have any
complex plot nor characters like other usual short stories. It only talks about the author’s
opinion about the true meaning of “Innocence” packaged with some literary elements which
makes it more meaningful to be read.

The plot of this story begins with the author’s point of view of “the man finest work”
which was said that it is not a poetry, nor painted pictures, nor music, nor statues, nor
something elses, but “children”. Then he described the reason that is because of children’s
innocence. In the middle of the story he began to put the characters such as Queen Catherine
and her children, Francis and little Margot. It was being said that Queen Catherine’s father in
law presented a precious picture painted by a Venetian named Titian, in which there were
potraits of Adam and Eve at the moment of God left them to wander about the terrestrial
Paradise. There is almost no conflict in the story, but just because the poor king that had a
disease which could made him eventually died, yet at almost the end of the story the queen
brought the children and the picture to the king’s room, while the children talked randomly as
the children will, she told them that the two people in the picture are their first parent, Adam
and Eve. Then, Francis playfully asked his sister “which one of the two is Adam?” and with
the full of innocence and purity, his sister, Margot replied “You silly! To know that, they
would have to be dressed!” because of this reply, the King and Queen Catherine were
delighted and Queen Catherine even mentioned it in a lette which proved that this delighted
moment because of the innocence of children is remaining like a sweet flower in the tale.
 The characters of this story are shortly described by the author, there are Queen
Catherine who is caring and of course has a maternal side in her, as she patiently told her
children the people in Titian’s picture, and narrowly heard her children conversation which
made her delighted by seeing their innocence already tells that she is a caring mother. The
story also mentions a poor king who had a serious disease of which he eventually died, yet he
was patient and friendly to his children who could easily get amused by his children by their
randomly talks. The last one is Francis and Margot, two children whose innocence made their
parents delighted and amused. These characters are very related to our real life, the parent
that always get amused by theit children without even trying.

There are also some literary elements in this story such as metaphors “Children are
Flower and Fruit.”, “They are fruits of love and the flowers of life.” These meraphors show
that children are the sources of happiness of their love and life. Just by watching them
playing prettily and innocently, munching the sweets confectionery in the house , nibling in
the store and always laughing as soon as their teeth are cut, as the author’s said, we will agree
that they are in every way lovable. The author also describe thrw children as “Sweet flower”
whose smell and beauty always remain in our mind with their purity and innocence. As the
story mentioned: “No writer having brought it to light, it will remain, like a sweet flower, in a
corner of these Tales, although it is no way droll, and there is no other moral to be drawn
from it except that to hear these pretty speeches of infancy one must beget the children.”

In conclusion, even though “Innocence” by Honore de Balzac is a brief story without

complex plot and characters and with no more than 800 words, its message about the
children’s innocence can be easily delivered to us, the reader, as it is very related to our real
life. I do agree with the autho’s point of view about the innocence of the children like flower
of life and fruit of love, they are so adorable and loveable in every way that make us can
easily get amused and delighted by just watching them playing and laughing together.
Children are the best gift from the God, their purity and innocence are always remain in our
heart.