Demanding Obedience to Show Who's in Control: Angie Chau's Quiet as They Come and Guy De Maupassant's The Olve Grove

According to Charles Darwin’s most famous theory, species around the world experience a mechanism called natural selection; in short, the survival of the fittest. In every species, there is a distinct characteristic that allows for the increase in survival rates. Similar to men in the human species, men display an inherit tendency to exert superiority over others. Specifically, to be superior is to be in control of the situation. In the short story, “Quiet As They Come” by Angie Chau and “The Olive Grove” by Guy De Maupassant, the main characters demanded respect or obedience from others to convince the challenger that they are in control. In “Quiet As They Come”, Viet Tran grew up in Vietnam influenced by his passion for philosophy. Throughout the story, he applies the fundamentals of Confucian sayings that contributed to his personality. In Vietnam, he lived a privilege life. He was a college philosophy professor who was well respected by many. When he came to America, he carried with him the same expectations for and the value of respect. At the post office where he was first employed, he expected the younger employees to greet him as an elder; just as practiced in Vietnam. However, when he was provoked by one of his coworkers, Melvin, he felt disrespected. When Viet’s value of respect was challenged, it motivated him to demand respect from Melvin to gain superiority. Similarly, in “The Olive Grove”, Abbe Vilbois was a wealthy cure of Garandou who devoted his fortune to the poor. Although he may be perceived as a respectable man in society, he always had an ulterior motive for his kindness. His wealth and social status gave him the freedom of opportunities and implied superiority. With money, he had the privilege to assert his...

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...spect from Melvin to gain superiority. Similarly, Abbe held close the value of his superiority. Already, he was given the wealth and power of the rich which implied and reinforced his desire to exert authority over others. When his perception and value of superiority was threatened by the reminder of his shame found within Philippe-Auguste and in other circumstances, his maid, it motivated him to demand obedience from others gain superiority. Thus, both characters are influenced by their cultural perspective and personal values that motivated them to demand respect or obedience from others to gain superiority.

Works Cited

Chau, Angie. “Quiet as They Come.” Quiet as They Come. New York: Ig Publishing, 2010. 68-81. Print

Maupassant, Guy. “The Olive Grove.” Reading and Writing from Literature. Ed. John E Schwiebert. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. 278-294