Notes B.A English universty of Gujrat Short stories and Plays
The Diary of Mad Man The writer has created horror through a mentally upset character. In this story Maupassant lets up peep into the mind of magistrate. The magistrate of the story works in court very carefully. We do not find a clue which may prove that he is mad. After his death his diary shows that he has committed cold_ blooded murders. Our mind boggles to know his rash and cruel acts. We can say that he is not a mad man but psychologically deranged or abnormal. The following incidents show that he is suffering from some complex. Firstly we note that he kills a goldfinch. He squeezes it to death. He takes the scissors and cuts its throat. Thus he derives pleasure out of this brutish act. Secondly he commits the murder of a small child. He throttles him to death and throws his dead body in a ditch. He does not feel any prick of conscience. Thirdly he strikes the head of fisherman who is sleeping under a tree. After this cruel act he feels proud and relaxed. The above incide...