“She stopped on the threshold of the dining-room and looked in. The first thing she saw was the stranger lying at full length on the floor, close to the wall. He was sleeping, or feigning sleep. Next she noticed the overturned lamp. And last of all, under the table, she saw the feet and legs of the abbé, in their black shoes and stockings.”
— “The Olive Grove” by Guy de Maupassant
Technique
In “The Olive Grove,” Maupassant perfects the “show, don’t tell” technique by gradually revealing the scene. He sets it up by having the housemaid approach the dining room, limiting us to her perspective.
As the housemaid surveys the scene, the room tells the story without the character speaking: a body lying down, unmoved; an overturned lamp, indicating a struggle; and the familiar feet of the abbé. Maupassant uses the black shoes and stockings to symbolize death without telling us that the abbé has died.
Use
- Describe all of the physical details of your scene.
- Review the details and see how they fit into your ideal portrayal.
- Does the symbolism convey the underlying message?
- Does the description create and carry the emotion?
- Purify the scene of the details that don’t fit your preferred portrayal.
- Review the remaining details and continue to streamline them till they carry the message, emotion, and symbolism of your event.
The Periplous 