A Vendetta is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant. Released in 1883, it tells of the titular vendetta.
Characters[]
- Paolo Saverini's widow - the mother of the murdered man who plots revenge
- Sémillante (or Frisky) - Antoine's dog
- Nicolas Ravolati - the man who stabs Antoine
- Antoine Saverini - the son of Paolo Saverini whom is knifed to death
Plot[]
In the Sardinian coastal village of Bonifacio, the widow of Paolo Saverini lives with her son Antoine and their dog. One evening, Antoine is treacherously stabbed to death by his neighbor Nicolas Ravolati. On receiving the body, Antoine's mother declares vengeance on the murderer and weeps over the corpse.
As Antoine had no relatives besides his aged mother and Nicolas fled Bonifacio for the nearby village of Longosardo (said to be a refuge for Corsican bandits), it seems that Antoine will never be avenged. His mother sits at her window looking out at the village of Longosardo while plotting.
One day she forms a plan. She starves her dog and crafts a human figure out of straw with a sausage around its neck. Using this she trains the dog to tear out throats on command. After finishing this training, she travels to Longosardo in the disguise of an old ragged beggar. On sighting Nicolas she uses her dog to kill the murderer of her son.
Sources[]
- Wikipedia