Character Relationship Map: Old Goriot

Characters

• Jean-Joachim Goriot (played by Charles Aznavour) — protagonist
• Vautrin (played by Tchéky Karyo) — supporting
• Eugène de Rastignac (played by Malik Zidi) — supporting
• Mme Vauquer (played by Nadia Barentin) — supporting
• La vicomtesse de Beauséant (played by Maruschka Detmers) — supporting
• Delphine de Nucingen (played by Florence Darel) — supporting
• Anastasie de Restaud (played by Rosemarie La Vaullée) — supporting
• Poiret (played by Pierre Vernier) — supporting
• Victorine Taillefer (played by Anca Androne) — supporting
• Gondureau (played by Vlad Ivanov) — minor
• Mlle Michonneau (played by Dominique Labourier) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Eugène de Rastignac → Mme Vauquer (Professional Boarding House Resident) — Mme Vauquer's establishment becomes Rastignac's entry point into the story.

  Rastignac arrives at Mme Vauquer's boarding house and is shown to his room by Christophe.

• Mme Vauquer → Jean-Joachim Goriot (Professional Boarding House Host) — Mme Vauquer presides over the household where Goriot's decline is observed.

  The story opens in Mme Vauquer's shabby boarding house, where Goriot lives among the other residents.

• Vautrin → Eugène de Rastignac (Power Tempting Adviser) — Vautrin attempts to redirect Rastignac toward ruthless advancement.

  Vautrin offers Rastignac a darker path to success and presents a scheme involving Victorine Taillefer's inheritance.

• Eugène de Rastignac → Delphine de Nucingen (Romantic Interest) — Their attraction links Rastignac's ambition to Delphine's social world.

  Rastignac becomes interested in Delphine after entering fashionable society, and Delphine responds to his attention.

• Anastasie de Restaud → Delphine de Nucingen (Family Sisters) — Their sisterly bond is strained by rivalry and financial desperation.

  Anastasie and Delphine are both identified as Goriot's daughters and later argue bitterly over debts, lovers, marriages, and money.

• Jean-Joachim Goriot → Delphine de Nucingen (Family Father) — Goriot continues sacrificing his fortune for Delphine.

  Delphine is named as Jean-Joachim Goriot's daughter, and she returns with Anastasie to demand financial help from him.

• Jean-Joachim Goriot → Anastasie de Restaud (Family Father) — A devoted father is exploited by his socially ambitious daughter.

  The plot identifies Anastasie as Jean-Joachim Goriot's daughter. She returns to him in desperate need of money after benefiting from his sacrifices.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jean-Joachim Goriot → Poiret (Social Boarding House Acquaintance) — Their connection is based on shared residence.

  Poiret and Goriot are both listed among the residents introduced at Mme Vauquer's boarding house.

• Jean-Joachim Goriot → Vautrin (Social Boarding House Acquaintance) — They share the tense social environment of the boarding house.

  Goriot and Vautrin are introduced as residents of Mme Vauquer's boarding house and are present among the household's gatherings.

• Mlle Michonneau → Vautrin (Conflict Arrest Collaborator) — She participates in the exposure and capture of Vautrin.

  Mlle Michonneau is explicitly involved in Vautrin's arrest, while the boarding-house residents react with fear and betrayal.

• Gondureau → Vautrin (Conflict Arresting Adversary) — Gondureau helps bring Vautrin's criminal identity to light.

  The plot states that Gondureau is involved in Vautrin's arrest after Vautrin is exposed as a notorious fugitive.

• Vautrin → Victorine Taillefer (Conflict Manipulative Scheme) — Victorine becomes the target of Vautrin's dangerous inheritance plan.

  Vautrin identifies Victorine as the richest young woman in Paris and suggests that circumstances could remove the obstacle to her inheritance.

• La vicomtesse de Beauséant → Eugène de Rastignac (Social Mentor) — She guides Rastignac through the rules of fashionable society.

  La vicomtesse explains the rivalries and secret relationships surrounding the two women and advises Rastignac to pursue a wealthy, influential woman.

• Eugène de Rastignac → Anastasie de Restaud (Social Conflict) — Rastignac's knowledge of Goriot creates hostility with Anastasie.

  Anastasie rejects Rastignac after he reveals that he knows Jean-Joachim Goriot is her father.

• Jean-Joachim Goriot → Eugène de Rastignac (Narrative Emotional Influence) — Goriot's suffering transforms Rastignac's view of high society.

  Rastignac witnesses Goriot's family collapse and recognizes the tragic devotion that destroyed him, eventually offering support.

Story Analysis

A young man's pursuit of social advancement exposes the destructive cost of ambition and a father's absolute devotion.

Plot Progression

1. The Boarding House Crucible — Rastignac enters Mme Vauquer's shabby boarding house and meets its residents. Goriot's devotion to his daughters is mocked by the household.
2. Lessons in Fashionable Power — Rastignac learns that Goriot's daughters have entered fashionable society while abandoning their father. Beauséant teaches him how ambition and social rivalry operate.
3. Desire and Dangerous Advice — Rastignac develops an attraction to Delphine, while Anastasie rejects him when he reveals his knowledge of Goriot's identity. Vautrin then offers a ruthless route to success through Victorine's inheri...
4. The Fugitive Unmasked — Violence and suspicion follow Vautrin's inheritance scheme. Gondureau and Mlle Michonneau become involved in his arrest, leaving the residents frightened and betrayed.
5. A Father's Final Sacrifice — Anastasie and Delphine return for money and quarrel over the debts and fortunes taken from Goriot. Rastignac witnesses the destruction caused by their social ambitions and offers support.