L'Assommoir

Interesting Facts

• The book is part of the «Rougon-Macquart» series, in which Émile Zola explores the influence of heredity and environment on human destiny.
• The main heroine, Gervaise, symbolizes the struggle for survival amid poverty and social injustice.
• The novel is considered one of the first works of naturalism, where Zola uses detailed descriptions of daily life and environment to create a realistic picture of existence.
• Zola uses the image of the laundry as a metaphor for society, where people are forced to «wash away» their sins and vices.
• The book explores themes of alcoholism and its destructive impact on the individual and the family, which was innovative for literature of that era.
• The novel shows how the dreams and hopes of the characters are gradually destroyed under the pressure of life’s circumstances, making it especially tragic.