Self Made

A self made man is someone who has become successful by his own efforts, suavely coming from nothing. The idea of being a self made man seems wonderful, to go from the bottom to the top and not owe anyone anything. In fact, being “self made” is an ideal many of us strive for. However, the thought of this notion of a completely “self made man” is not viable in society. 

In Pere Goriot, Rastignac strives to become a self made man, and become apart of this society that he claims to abhor. However, in Pere Goriot, Rastignac is about the furthest thing possible from a self made man. He uses and manipulates society and Perl Goriot’s daughters to gain status. Furthermore, he relies on his family to send him money, even going as far as to convince his sisters to send them the money they have saved up. Additionally, Rastignac uses Anastasie’s status to give himself a boast in society as his cousin suggested. While Pere Goriot is considered to be a self made man, it seems that his success is partly due to good luck, and his determination. There is a difference from being brave enough to take a leap and bet on yourself, and not having any help on the way. 


This notion of self made is misleading, for no one can be completely self made, and when good fortune or aid comes along one must be courageous enough to seize the opportunity. While Rastignac may not be a self made man, Perl Goriot cannot be considered a complete self made man either. This idea of self made is extremely attractive to society, however not plausible, and must realize that there is a balance between leaning on people and being completely alone. 

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