Boule de Suif

by Guy de Maupassant

"Boule de Suif" by Guy de Maupassant is a short story published in 1880. During the Franco-Prussian War, ten passengers flee occupied Rouen in a stagecoach, including a patriotic prostitute nicknamed Boule de Suif. When a Prussian officer demands she sleep with him before letting them continue, the travelers initially support her refusal. But as days pass, they pressure her to sacrifice herself for their freedom. Maupassant exposes the hypocrisy and cruelty of bourgeois society through this powerful tale of prejudice and ingratitude.