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The Last Lesson

Daudet lived and wrote in Paris at a time when many of the
INTR
INTRODUCTION
ODUCTION literary luminaries of the age—including Gustave Flaubert
(Madame
Madame BovBovary
ary), Edmond de Goncourt, and Émile Zola—also
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ALPHONSE DAUDET
resided in the city. He was good friends with many of these
Born to a silk manufacturer in Nîmes, France, Alphonse Daudet writers and a keen follower of Zola in particular—who coined
didn’t have the smoothest of starts. When Daudet was the term “naturalist” for a mode of writing that was related to,
seventeen, his father lost all of his money, leaving Daudet and evolved out of, the realism predominant in the period.
without any easy educational or employment prospects. Daudet exemplified many of the tenets of this school of writing.
Daudet moved to Paris, where he joined his elder brother, to Like other naturalists, Daudet’s writing emphasizes an
pursue writing, and published his first book of poems, Les objective and realistic depiction of society and the people who
Amoureuses, in 1858. During his early years in Paris, he was live within it. His works pay special attention to the influence of
recruited to act as undersecretary to the Duke de Morny, a environmental and social conditions on the development of the
powerful minister under Napoleon III. When the Franco- individual. “The Last Lesson,” which explores the impact of
Prussian war began in 1870, Daudet enlisted in the army. He education on a young school child, is exemplary in this regard,
continued writing throughout this time, publishing books such tracing how a child’s village and school environment has a
as Letters from My Mill (1869) and The Nabob (1877), as well lasting effect on his evolution. This emphasis on social milieu
plays, including The Last Idol (1862). His novel Fromont the and its impact on the individual mirrors that found in naturalist
Younger and Risler the Elder (1874) won an award from the works such as Les Rougon-Macquart, the cycle of twenty novels
French Academy, and as a result Daudet became an established that Zola wrote between 1871-1893, tracing the influence of
fixture in the Paris literary scene. He would not live long, environment and heredity on two branches of a family during
however. The symptoms of a venereal disease that he had the Second French Empire (1852-1870).
picked up as a young man escalated with age, leading to an
affliction of the spinal cord. He died in 1897, at the age of 57. KEY FACTS
• Full Title: The Last Lesson
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
• When Written: 1873
Daudet came of age during the Second French Empire
(1852-1870), headed by Emperor Napoleon III (nephew to • Where Written: Paris
Napoleon I, ruler of the first empire). This was a time of • When Published: 1873, in the collection of stories Monday
expansive economic and cultural growth in France, despite the Tales
authoritarian rule under which the society lived, thanks to • Literary Period: 19th century, Naturalism
Napoleon III’s effective dictatorship. But the prosperity of the • Genre: Short story
Second Empire, as well as Napoleon’s own emperorship, would
• Setting: A small village in Alsace-Lorraine, France
come to an end with the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71.
Prussia, (then consisting of Germany, Poland, and parts of • Climax: French will be banned in school!
Austria), a growing military power at the time, had imperial • Antagonist: The Prussians
ambitions to unify all of the independent German states of • Point of View: First person limited
Europe. This was resisted by France, which declared war on
Prussia in July of 1870. The Prussians, however, were better EXTRA CREDIT
prepared and organized, quickly invading parts of northeastern
A writerly family. Daudet’s wife, Julia Daudet (born Allard),
France, including Alsace-Lorraine, where Daudet’s “Last
whom he married in 1867, was also a writer. Their two sons,
Lesson” is set. The French were decisively defeated in 1871, a
Léon and Lucien, would also go on to become writers.
loss that led to the end of the Second Empire and the reign of
Napoleon III. The war had a deep effect on Daudet, who
enlisted in the French army to fight the Prussians, and who An early start. Precociously gifted in the literary arts from an
went on to engage with and depict aspects of the conflict in early age, Daudet wrote his first novel at 14.
writings such as the “Last Lesson.”

PL
PLO
OT SUMMARY
RELATED LITERARY WORKS
On a beautiful day in a village in nineteenth-century Alsace-

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Lorraine, a region of France, the young schoolboy Franz, is in a
rush to get to class. He is particularly anxious because he has CHARA
CHARACTERS
CTERS
not learned the French grammar lesson he was assigned by his
MAJOR CHARACTERS
stern teacher, M. Hamel. Resisting the temptation to skip
school and linger outdoors, where Prussian soldiers are drilling, Franz (The Narr
Narrator)
ator) – The narrator of the story, Franz is a
Franz passes the town hall. There, he sees a crowd congregated young school boy in the French region of Alsace-Lorraine in the
around the bulletin-board. Something must be wrong: the nineteenth century. Franz is a dawdler when it comes to
Prussian forces occupying the region communicate their schoolwork, preferring to spend time in the woods or by the
oppressive commands to the subjugated French villagers local river over going to class. He doesn’t like learning his
through the bulletin-board. French grammar lessons and, when the story begins, is terrified
that his negligence will be found out by his teacher, the stern M.
But Franz has no time to stop and check. He rushes on his way,
Hamel. Franz comes to a new appreciation of his education,
finally arriving to find the school eerily free from the
however, when Prussian authorities who have occupied his
commotion that normally marks the beginning of the day.
home region announce that school will no longer be taught in
Blushing, Franz enters the classroom under the gaze of the
French, but in German. Upon hearing this news, Franz feels a
students who have already assembled at their desks. To his
great sense of remorse and regrets not taking his French
surprise, M. Hamel teacher speaks to him kindly, simply telling
education more seriously while he still had the chance.
him to take his seat.
M. Hamel – The school master of a small village school in the
Franz notices that his teacher is wearing a beautiful green coat
French region of Alsace-Lorraine. M. Hamel is stern and
and shirt—clothes for a special occasion—and that elder
intimidating to his pupils, among them the narrator of the story,
villagers have assembled at the back of the room. As Franz tries
Franz. He has been teaching at the school for forty years. In his
to make sense of it all, M. Hamel makes a shocking
classroom, he carries a ruler which he raps against his table
announcement: this will be the last lesson that he will give.
threateningly. On the day the story is set, he is dressed in his
From tomorrow onwards, the teaching of French will be
best finery: a green coat, a shirt with frills, and a silk
banned, under orders of the Prussian authorities.
cap—clothes reserved for special occasions. Despite his
Franz, like everyone else in the room, is devastated. He realizes frightening demeanor, M. Hamel also has a gentler side,
that this is the news that had been posted on the bulletin-board revealed on the day that he announces to those gathered in his
outside the town hall. The knowledge that he must stop classroom that Prussian authorities have banned the teaching
learning his own language—which he has hardly begun to of French in the schools of Alsace-Lorraine. On this day of the
master—gives him a new appreciation for his education, and he last lesson, M. Hamel not only reveals his empathy and
regrets all the time he spent procrastinating on his school work. kindness, but also his dignity and patriotism, lecturing the
The moment that Franz has dreaded arrives: he is called on by gathered crowd on the importance of protecting their language
M. Hamel to recite the grammatical rule he was meant to learn. and culture in the face of foreign occupation.
Franz stumbles and stammers. M. Hamel, rather than scolding Old Hauser – One of the elder villagers who gathers with the
Franz, uses the opportunity to lecture the gathered crowd on children in M. Hamel’s classroom to hear the last lesson. He
the evils of neglecting their education. It is this neglect, he says, brings his old primer, an elementary reading textbook, with him
that now allows the Prussian invaders to question the villagers’ to the class, and uses it to help the youngest students read their
French identity. How can the villagers claim to be French, he letters. Like the other villagers and school children, including
says, when they don’t even know their own language? the story’s narrator Franz, Hauser is devastated at news that
M. Hamel goes on to extol the beauties of the French language, the Prussian authorities who have occupied the French region
telling the class that they must guard it carefully, for it is the key of Alsace-Lorraine, where the village is located, have forbidden
to their freedom. He explains the grammar lesson to the class, the teaching of French in schools. He cries as he helps the
and Franz finds himself listening more intently than he ever has young children read and makes everyone else in the classroom
before. For the lesson in writing, M. Hamel has the class write want to cry and laugh at once.
out the words “France, Alsace,” over and over again. Everyone Prussian Soldiers – Forces of the occupying Prussian power,
in the room applies themselves to the exercise with diligence which has invaded the French region of Alsace-Lorraine and
and concentration. claimed it for Prussia (then consisting of Germany, Poland, and
The church-bell strikes twelve, and the trumpets of the parts of Austria). Franz passes the soldiers doing their drills as
Prussian soldiers sound, marking the end of their drilling he hurries to school on the morning of the last lesson. The end
exercises. It is the end of the last lesson. M. Hamel, pale, turns of the lesson is also marked by the trumpet call of the soldiers
to the blackboard and writes in large letters, “Vive La France!” returning from their exercises.
With a gesture of his hand, he dismisses the class.

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MINOR CHARACTERS he had the chance: “What would I not have given,” he tells the
Wachter – A blacksmith in a village in the French region of reader, “to be able to say that dreadful rule for the participle all
Alsace-Lorraine. As he hurries to school, the narrator, Franz, through, very loud and clear, and without one mistake?” It is
only when he finds his way of life threatened by foreign
passes Wachter standing in front of the town hall bulletin-
occupiers that Franz learns that the language he has taken for
board. Wachter tells him not to go so fast, and Franz thinks the
granted is in fact central to his identity, as well as to his
blacksmith is making fun of him.
freedom.
The link between the French language and French cultural
THEMES identity becomes clearer to Franz as the lesson proceeds.
When Franz fails to recite the rule for the participle, M. Hamel
In LitCharts literature guides, each theme gets its own color- gently chides him, telling him and the rest of the gathered
coded icon. These icons make it easy to track where the themes school children and villagers that it has not served them well to
occur most prominently throughout the work. If you don't have put off learning until tomorrow. It is this procrastination that
a color printer, you can still use the icons to track themes in now gives the Prussian occupiers the right to say, “[Y]ou
black and white. pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor
write your own language?” M. Hamel even blames himself,
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE taking responsibility for the times he sent his students to water
Set against the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian his flowers, or gave them a holiday, instead of obliging them to
War of 1870-71, which saw the defeat of France at learn their lessons. Thus, the teacher emphasizes language as
the hands of Prussia (then consisting of Germany, the central aspect of cultural identity. One cannot be French, or
Poland, and parts of Austria), Daudet’s “Last Lesson” explores even claim to be French, without mastering the French
the effects of cultural subjugation in a time of war. Little Franz, language first. M. Hamel dwells on the specific beauty and
a schoolboy in the French region of Alsace-Lorraine, arrives at clarity of the French language. He exhorts the gathered crowd
school one morning only to discover that, on the order of the to guard it carefully, “because when a people are enslaved, as
Prussian forces that have taken control of the region, lessons long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the
will no longer be taught in French, but in German—the key to their prison.” Thus, M. Hamel posits the French language
language of the invaders. The story emphasizes the deep link not only as a marker of cultural identity, but as its very essence.
that exists between language and cultural identity, suggesting Without it, those who are subjugated cannot hold on to
that language is not only a marker of unique cultural heritage, it themselves or their cultures, and thus also their freedom.
also constitutes its very essence. M. Hamel not only lectures his students on the link between
Franz isn’t very keen on his French lessons to begin with. On language and culture, he also demonstrates this link through
the day the story is set, Franz expects to be quizzed by his the final grammar instruction that he gives them. Franz remarks
teacher M. Hamel about grammar, but he hasn’t learned the that the school teacher “had never explained everything with so
rules on participles he was supposed to and is unprepared for much patience,” so that the lesson seems “so easy, so easy!” to
questioning. He would have preferred to spend his day outside, little Franz. M. Hamel thus discharges his role as a teacher of
in the beautiful weather, among the fields and the woods, French with immense diligence. In communicating the
rather than go to class. To Franz, his French grammar lesson principles of French so effectively, he not only equips his
represents the drudgery of school—he finds his school work students with a better grasp of their language, he also equips
boring and pointless, as reflected in his preference for doing them with a better grasp of their French cultural identity.
other, seemingly more exciting things. Together, these details Daudet’s “Last Lesson,” therefore, highlights how people often
establish that Franz initially fails to value his own language. take language for granted, failing to realize the extent to which
Yet upon arriving for class and discovering that this is going to it lies at the very heart of their identity. Language, the story
be his last French lesson, Franz is devastated, just as the other argues, is not only the means through which people express
pupils and the villagers in the classroom are. M. Hamel’s themselves, it is also the means through which their culture is
announcement that the Prussians have mandated only the preserved and perpetuated.
teaching of German in the schools of Alsace-Lorraine, the
region they’ve invaded and home to Franz, makes him realize PATRIOTISM AND RESISTANCE
the importance of his language. Franz says that he hardly In telling the story of the last lesson that M. Hamel,
knows how to write in French, and he is terribly dejected that a school teacher in the French region of Alsace-
he must now stop learning the language altogether. When Lorraine, gives to Franz and his fellow pupils shortly
Franz is called on to recite the rule for the participle, he is after Prussian invasion of the region, Daudet explores the
unable to do so. More than ever, he regrets not studying when multi-faceted nature of patriotism and resistance. Through the

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character of M. Hamel, the reader is presented with a figure of occupied by Prussian adversaries who have the advantage of
resistance who fights his subjugation not by deploying arms, superior military strength, M. Hamel defies his oppressors
but by deploying patriotic pride. In this way, the story suggests using only a French grammar book, a blackboard, and his own
the importance of affirming one’s national identity in the face of voice. In doing so, he teaches his pupils that even without arms,
foreign oppression. they have the power to challenge their subjugation.
Daudet establishes that M. Hamel and the other the residents
of Alsace-Lorraine are a defeated people, their land having EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE
passed into the control of Prussian invaders. M. Hamel begins Franz, the little schoolboy who narrates Daudet’s
the school lesson by announcing to the stunned students and “Last Lesson,” is a rather negligent pupil. He doesn’t
townspeople who have gathered in the room that this is to be keep up with his lessons, he doesn’t like his teacher,
the last lesson to be held in French. An order has arrived from M. Hamel, and he’d prefer to be out roaming the woods of his
Berlin—the seat of the Prussian occupiers—that from the very native region of Alsace-Lorraine, France, rather than in the
next day onward, lessons will be taught in German. That M. classroom. Yet the lesson he attends on the day the story is set
Hamel must obey this order suggests the extent of his own changes his view of school forever. Franz learns the true value
powerlessness. He and the French community of which he is a of his education when he realizes that school teaches him more
part are now subject to the caprices of their foreign masters. than just proper grammar; it teaches him how to be a
Yet while M. Hamel cannot undo the order from Berlin, he committed French citizen.
nonetheless acts as a patriotic Frenchman by affirming his Franz doesn’t like going to school, and this is made clear in his
national identity as a means of resistance against domination. consistent attempts to shirk his obligations. On the day the
This is reflected particularly in the exercises that M. Hamel story is set, he considers skipping class to dawdle in the woods,
assigns his students during the class. For the lesson in writing, particularly as he hasn’t learned the lesson on participles he
he has the pupils copy out the words “France, Alsace,” over and was meant to memorize, and which he is to deliver before the
over again. The nationalistic and patriotic dimension of this class that very day. He is, furthermore, afraid of his school
exercise is made evident in Franz’s remark that M. Hamel’s teacher, M. Hamel, who carries a “terrible” ruler under his arm
copies hanging around the room looked like “little flags floating with which he terrorizes his students. Franz seems to approach
everywhere.” The words associate the region of Alsace with his schoolwork as pointless and unnecessary toil, finding many
France, rather than with the land of the Prussian occupiers. In other things—such as hunting for birds’ nests or sliding on the
this way, the words function as a denial of the Prussian claim to river Saar—to be more worthy of his time.
the land, and act, instead, as an affirmation of Alsatian identity
However, the news that Prussian authorities—who have taken
as French. Overcome with emotion at the end of the lesson, M.
control of Alsace-Lorraine—have banned the teaching of the
Hamel is unable to speak, and instead writes in large letters on
French language in schools, gives him a new perspective on his
the blackboard, “Vive La France!” or “Long Live France!” These
education. Upon learning from M. Hamel that this will be his
words he inscribes again represent an act of resistance; they
last lesson in French, Franz comes to regret his negligence of
affirm his loyalty to the French republic, even in the face of
his school responsibilities. He realizes that he does not yet even
subjugation to the Prussians, and embody his unconquerable
have a good grasp of the language he has taken for granted—he
allegiance to his native culture and land.
hardly knows how to write in French. He begins to see how
Not only does the story explicitly establish M. Hamel’s valuable his schooling is in general. Even the things that had
allegiance to his native land, it also suggests that the young seemed such a nuisance to him before—such as his
narrator has learned his teacher’s lesson well. The very fact books—suddenly appear to him to be “old friends” that he can’t
that Franz recounts this story to the reader, giving emphasis to give up. As such, Franz’s newfound respect for his education
the profound impact M. Hamel’s final class had on him, points to his emerging awareness that his schooling equips him
indicates the extent to which the lesson had a lasting effect on with immensely valuable knowledge, knowledge that extends
his development and thinking. Indeed, the narrator’s much deeper than he had realized.
name—Franz—echoes the name of his motherland. Through
Indeed, during the lesson, Franz discerns that he as well as the
this play on naming, Daudet implicitly suggests that the
rest of the villagers have made a mistake in neglecting their
narrator will grow up to follow his teacher’s example. The
schooling, one which, in the face of foreign occupation, will now
association between little “Franz” and “France” establishes an
cost them. M. Hamel points out that his pupils’ parents have
indelible link between the boy and his nation. He, like his
colluded in their children’s neglect of their education,
teacher, will develop into a patriotic French citizen.
preferring to send them out to work on farms or at the mills, for
The “Last Lesson” that M. Hamel gives to his students, extra money. Franz notices that even the elders of the village,
therefore, is not just a lesson in language and writing—it is a gathered at the back of the room, were “sorry […] that they had
lesson in patriotism and resistance. Although his land is not gone to school more.” The villagers, therefore, have

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prioritized labor over education. This, under the present assembled on the back benches of the room. The presence of
circumstances, comes to seem shortsighted. Neglecting their the adult villagers in the same room as the children dramatizes
own and their children’s schooling in favor of work may have the coming together of young and old as one community. The
helped at the time, but ultimately it has robbed them and their occasion for this leveling of community ties is the dark and
children of the education necessary to hold on to their momentous news that has reached the villagers from Berlin:
identities in the face of foreign conquest. the French language will be banned in schools in Alsace-
Franz’s last lesson is thus one that revolutionizes his own Lorraine by order of the Prussian authorities.
conception of his education. School, Franz learns, is about much Although M. Hamel, who stands at the front of the room,
more than memorizing boring grammar lessons—school also occupies a position of authority in relation to the assembled
equips him with knowledge and values that are indispensable crowd, he posits himself as their equal in more ways than one.
to his identity. While more shortsighted needs for work and When Franz fails to recite the rule for the participle he was
play may have taken precedence in the village, the story supposed to learn, M. Hamel doesn’t scold him. Instead, he
ultimately suggests that it is only the identity instilled through portrays Franz’s negligence as emblematic of the negligence of
education that has the power to save Franz and his community the entire community. Using the collective pronoun, “we,” M.
in times of danger. Hamel tells the congregation: “Every day we have said to
ourselves, ‘Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’ And
COMMUNITY AND SOLIDARITY now you see where we’ve come out […] We’ve all a great deal to
reproach ourselves with.” In using “we,” M. Hamel thus includes
Set during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71,
himself in the reproach, casting himself as no better than the
Daudet’s story depicts French villagers responding
villagers whom he lectures. M. Hamel further castigates
to restrictions on their freedoms that have been
himself, by publicly regretting those times he has encouraged
imposed on them by foreign Prussian invaders. As Franz, his
his students to put off doing their lessons, by sending them to
school teacher M. Hamel, and other pupils and villagers gather
tend to his flowers, or by giving them a holiday because he
in a classroom on the morning that news arrives that the
wanted to go fishing. By extrapolating and generalizing from
French language will be banned in schools in the Prussian-
Franz’s mistake, therefore, M. Hamel draws a lesson that posits
controlled Alsace-Lorraine region, hierarchies and divisions
all the villagers—including himself—as negligent in their
among the village people are cast aside. Instead, the villagers
responsibilities. In this way, M. Hamel’s lecture casts aside
come together as equals and comrades united in their
hierarchies and distinctions, rendering children, adults, and
resistance to a foreign adversary, one that threatens their way
teachers alike as liable to the same follies.
of life and identity. In portraying the way in which villagers of all
ranks, statuses, and ages come together in the classroom, the The sense of solidarity that the lesson establishes among the
“Last Lesson” posits the values of equality and solidarity as gathered villagers is further reflected in the exercises that
central aspects of community. young and old undertake together. As an exercise in writing, M.
Hamel assigns the class to write the words “France, Alsace”
Franz, the narrator of Daudet’s story, is a small boy who is at
over and over again. Franz tells the reader, “You ought to have
the mercy of the adults of the Alsatian village in which he lives.
seen how every one set to work, and how quiet it was! The only
He is particularly frightened of the stern M. Hamel, his school
sound was the scratching of the pens over the paper.” As such,
teacher, who carries a “terrible iron ruler” that he raps violently
the adults in the room apply themselves to the exercise just as
against the table during lessons. Franz is in a discombobulated
the youngsters do. This joint activity reinforces a sense of the
state on the morning that the story opens, as he has not
community working together as one unit, and in one spirit. The
learned the rule for participles he was meant to memorize, and
words that they inscribe—“France, Alsace”—further reflect their
is in “great dread of a scolding” by M. Hamel. Franz’s anxiety
communal commitment to their native country, even in the face
and fear of his stern teacher allude to the rigid social
of Prussian occupiers who have claimed Alsace for themselves.
hierarchies that exist in the village. As a child, Franz is no equal
The solidarity between young and old is embodied poignantly
to his teacher—and presumably to other adults in the
in the image of old Hauser, a man who sits at the back of room
village—and as such he is subject to their authority and
holding an elementary book in his hands, and helps the babies
displeasure.
chant their letters.
Yet when Franz arrives in the classroom, he finds that the rigid
The warm, supportive relations that are established and
distinctions that govern village life have been cast aside on this
affirmed between M. Hamel, his pupils, and the villagers during
day. For one thing, he’s surprised that M. Hamel, rather than
the last lesson, therefore, indicate how the community comes
scolding him for his late arrival, speaks kindly to him as he
together through its practice of the values of solidarity and
directs him to his seat. Franz is further surprised to see that it is
equality. It is through acts and words of cooperation that the
not only small children who have taken their places in the
villagers assert not only their commitment to each other, but
classroom on this morning. The village people have also

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also their commitment to their homeland in the face of a gathered pupils and villagers—who have just received news
foreign threat. that Prussian occupiers have banned the teaching of French in
the schools of Alsace-Lorraine—on the beauty of the French
language, telling them that it is the clearest and most logical in
SYMBOLS the world. As M. Hamel himself argues, the French language is
the key to French identity—so long as the villagers hold onto
Symbols appear in teal text throughout the Summary and their language, then they can also hold onto their identity, and
Analysis sections of this LitChart. thus to their freedom, even in the face of foreign occupation. As
such, the language is not only an embodiment of the villagers’
THE BULLETIN-BOARD French identity, it is also the key to their liberation.
The bulletin-board that hangs outside the town hall
represents the oppression of the Prussian THE BLACKBOARD
occupiers who have invaded the region of Alsace-Lorraine, The blackboard on which M. Hamel writes the
where the village that is home to the narrator, Franz, is located. words “Vive la France!” (“Long live France!”) at the
Franz tells the reader that over the two years of Prussian end of the last lesson represents the power of patriotism and
occupation, all of the village’s bad news had come from the resistance. That the blackboard is located within the classroom
board. The foreign occupiers communicate their repressive itself alludes to the relationship between education and
edicts and commands there. Indeed, on the day the story is set, resistance. The blackboard represents resistance through
a crowd is gathered around the board reading a new notice. education, and reflects the story’s broader emphasis on
Only after arriving in school to M. Hamel’s shocking language and communication as tools of both liberation and
announcement that this will be the last lesson in French does oppression. The words the teacher writes on the board are
Franz realize that this must have been the new regulation words that privilege freedom and autonomy. They are a direct
posted on the board by the Prussian authorities. As such, the denial of the claims of the Prussian occupiers, who have
board symbolizes the despotism of the Prussian occupiers, invaded the French region of Alsace-Lorraine, where the story
who, day by day, curtail the freedoms of the French villagers. is set, and staked it for their own. That the teacher writes these
The bulletin-board is contrasted with the blackboard at the words on the blackboard is significant, because this board
end of the story, an instrument of education that M. Hamel and recalls and contrasts with the bulletin-board Franz sees at the
his pupils have access to, and which the teacher uses to inscribe beginning of the story. While the bulletin-board represents the
and affirm his and the villagers’ deep sense of patriotism and oppression of the Prussian occupiers, who post their restrictive
resistance. dictates there, the blackboard functions as a space of
liberation, one where M. Hamel—and the villagers—can assert
THE CLASSROOM their resistance and patriotism in the face of foreign invasion.
The classroom in which the narrator, Franz, gathers
with other pupils and villagers to hear M. Hamel’s QUO
QUOTES
TES
last lesson represents the power of education. It is there that
the blackboard is located; and the blackboard itself, of course, Note: all page numbers for the quotes below refer to the
is a symbol of resistance via education, as reflected in the National Council of Education Research and Training edition of
subversive message that M. Hamel inscribes on it at the end of Flamingo published in 2015.
the story, “Vive La France!” Thus, it is within the space of the
classroom that the gathered crowd receives a lesson from M. The Last Lesson Quotes
Hamel not only in the French language, but also in patriotism
and resistance. In this way, the classroom in which the lesson For a moment I thought of running away and spending the
takes place symbolizes education’s capacity to shape day out of doors. It was so warm, so bright! The birds were
committed French citizens, citizens who can withstand foreign chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of
occupation of their region of Alsace-Lorraine by holding on to the sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling. It was all much
their French cultural values and identity. more tempting than the rule for participles, but I had strength
to resist, and hurried off to school.

FRENCH
Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker),
The French language is a symbol of French cultural Prussian Soldiers , M. Hamel
identity. Franz’s teacher, M. Hamel, lectures the

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subjugate. Thus, this bulletin-board reflects the state of war

Related Themes:
that the village exists in: “[T]he lost battles, the draft, the
orders of the commanding officer” communicated on the
Related Symbols: board set the story within the frame of the Franco-Prussian
War (1870-1871), a conflict that the French lost to the
Page Number: 2 Prussians. As such, the bad news broadcasted on the
Explanation and Analysis bulletin-board points to the fact that things have not been
going well for the French side, and by extension for the
Rushing to school at the beginning of the story, Franz
villagers, whose region has passed into the control of the
considers skipping class all together to dawdle outdoors,
Prussians.
especially given that he hasn’t learned the rule for
participles assigned to him by his stern teacher, M. Hamel.
Though he doesn’t act on it, Franz’s overwhelming desire to
skip school suggests his failure to value his education. Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle,
Rather than viewing schoolwork as important or edifying, which could be heard out in the street, the opening and
he seems to view it as boring drudgery, as suggested in his closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison […] and the
assertion that playing outdoors was “much more tempting teacher’s great ruler rapping the table. But now it was all so
than the rule for participles.” still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without
being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as
His reference to the Prussian soldiers drilling behind the
quiet as Sunday morning.
sawmill is also significant, for it calls the reader’s attention
to the time in which the story is set: these foreign soldiers in
the French village indicate the Franco-Prussian War of Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker), M.
1870-71, a war France lost, and which led to the occupation Hamel
of the region of Alsace-Lorraine by the Prussian power.
Thus, the Franco-Prussian War looms closely, and Related Themes:
ominously, over this beautiful day.
Related Symbols:

Page Number: 3
When I passed the town hall there was a crowd in front of
the bulletin-board. For the last two years all our bad news Explanation and Analysis
had come from there—the lost battles, the draft, the orders of
Franz, out of breath, finally arrives late to school, only to
the commanding officer—and I thought to myself, without
find the school building deathly quiet. This stillness gives the
stopping, “What can be the matter now?”
sense that something is amiss, adding to his previous
suspicions about the crowd gathered around the bulletin-
Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker), board. Today is not a normal school day, and yet Franz (and
Prussian Soldiers the reader) is still in the dark as to why that may be.
Furthermore, the silence upends Franz’s plans to get to his
Related Themes: desk without being seen or scolded by M. Hamel, further
characterizing M. Hamel as intimidating and strict. Franz’s
Related Symbols: fear of being caught and punished by the teacher reflect the
rigid hierarchy that governs Franz’s relationship to M.
Page Number: 2 Hamel—as the student, Franz is powerless, and is therefore
completely at his teacher’s mercy.
Explanation and Analysis
On his way to school, Franz sees a group of villagers
congregated around the town hall’s bulletin-board. The
[…] the thing that surprised me most was to see, on the
presence of this crowd alerts him to the fact that something
back benches that were always empty, the village people
is amiss. The bulletin-board is the means through which the
sitting quietly like ourselves; old Hauser, with his three-
Prussian occupying authorities communicate their
cornered hat, the former mayor, the former postmaster, and
repressive commands and edicts to the villagers whom they
several others besides.

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Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker), Old extent of the Prussian occupiers’ desire for control. Not
Hauser, M. Hamel only have they invaded the region of Alsace-Lorraine, a
territory of France, they also seek to re-shape the very
Related Themes: cultural identity of the region by forcing its residents to
learn the German language, instead of their own native
Related Symbols: tongue. As such, the Prussian occupiers seek to subjugate
the French villagers not only by controlling their physical
Page Number: 4 existence, but also by effacing their linguistic and cultural
identity.
Explanation and Analysis
In this passage, Franz is forced to enter the silent classroom
before the eyes of the entire congregation, including M.
My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I
Hamel’s. And yet, M. Hamel doesn’t scold Franz for his late
should never learn any more! I must stop there, then! Oh,
arrival, but rather kindly asks him to take his seat—yet
how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking birds’
another indication that something strange is going on. After
eggs, or going sliding on the Saar! My books, that had seemed
doing so, Franz notices not only that regular school pupils
such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my grammar, and
are assembled in the classroom, but villagers as well. More
my history of the saints, were old friends now that I couldn’t
than that, it seems an entire cross-section of the village
give up. And M. Hamel, too; the idea that he was going away,
community has come together, people of different statuses,
that I should never see him again, made me forget all about his
occupations, and backgrounds. The presence of these
ruler and how cranky he was.
adults in the room establishes the sense that the community
is coming together in solidarity in the face of some
unusual—and momentous—event, which Franz is yet to find Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker),
out about. Prussian Soldiers , M. Hamel

Related Themes:
[…] M. Hamel mounted his chair, and in the same grave and
Related Symbols:
gentle tone which he had used to me, said, “My children,
this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from
Page Number: 4
Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow. This is your last Explanation and Analysis
French lesson. I want you to be very attentive.”
Franz is shocked by M. Hamel’s announcement that the
Prussian authorities are about to ban the teaching of
Related Characters: M. Hamel, Franz (The Narrator) French in the schools of Alsace-Lorraine. This devastating
(speaker), Prussian Soldiers news leads him to reassess the value of his education. In
particular, the prospect of his French education coming to
Related Themes: an end awakens him to the great benefits of his schooling.
School teaches him valuable things, things which he had
Related Symbols: taken for granted, as reflected in his propensity to neglect
his lessons in favor of play and other distractions. It is only in
Page Number: 4 this moment, for instance, that he realizes that he hardly
knows how to write in French, and now he must stop
Explanation and Analysis
learning all together. Not only that, but Franz comes to
After Franz takes his seat, M. Hamel makes a stunning discern just how attached he has become to the
announcement: the Prussian authorities have issued an instruments of his learning—the books that have become
order from Berlin, their seat of power, mandating the like “old friends”—and also to M. Hamel, whom he had
teaching of German from the next day onward in the always viewed with fear and trembling. Now, the teacher’s
schools of Alsace-Lorraine. This therefore, will be the pupils’ impending departure makes Franz see M. Hamel in a new,
last French lesson and M. Hamel’s last time teaching them. more benevolent light. As such, Franz realizes in this
M. Hamel’s shocking announcement reveals the limitless moment not only how little he actually knows, but also how

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much he still wants, and desires, to learn.

Related Symbols:

Page Number: 5
“I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough.
See how it is! Every day we have said to ourselves, ‘Bah! Explanation and Analysis
I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’ And now you see M. Hamel, lecturing the pupils and villagers gathered in the
where we’ve come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; classroom on the dire consequences of their negligence of
she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now those fellows out there education, casts the blame on the adults of Alsace-Lorraine,
will have the right to say to you, ‘How is it; you pretend to be including himself. Parents have been more concerned about
Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor write your own using their children to earn money, contends M. Hamel,
language?’” than having them learn. M. Hamel’s words thus suggest that
the people of the region have privileged labor over
Related Characters: M. Hamel (speaker), Prussian Soldiers education, and their children have suffered as a result.
, Franz (The Narrator) Notably, M. Hamel doesn’t excuse himself from the blame,
recognizing that he has often compromised his pupils’
Related Themes: education by privileging his own needs and whims. M.
Hamel’s words thus cast blame on the entire community of
Related Symbols: adults, and in doing so, imply that responsibility for proper
education of the next generation of French citizens depends
Page Number: 5 upon the choices that this whole community makes.

Explanation and Analysis

When Franz is called on in class to recite the rule for […] M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language,
participles he was supposed to have learned, he is unable to. saying that it was the most beautiful language in the
M. Hamel, however, doesn’t scold him. Instead, he uses world—the clearest, the most logical; that we must guard it
Franz’s failure to illustrate the larger failure of all the French among us and never forget it, because when a people are
natives of Alsace-Lorraine. These French citizens, according enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if
to M. Hamel, have not taken their education seriously they had the key to their prison.
enough. As a result, they lack a sound grasp of their own
language. By neglecting their education, and thereby their
own language, they allow the Prussian invaders to justify Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker),
their occupation of the region. If the French citizens of Prussian Soldiers , M. Hamel
Alsace-Lorraine do not have a proper grasp of the French
Related Themes:
language, they compromise their own French identity—and
the Prussians can argue that they have a right to claim the
Related Symbols:
region for their own.
Page Number: 5-7

“Your parents were not anxious enough to have you learn. Explanation and Analysis
They preferred to put you to work on a farm or at the mills, In speaking to the congregated pupils and villagers on the
so as to have a little more money. And I? I’ve been to blame also. importance of devoting themselves to their education, M.
Have I not often sent you to water my flowers instead of Hamel’s passion for the French language becomes
learning your lessons? And when I wanted to go fishing, did I apparent. The superlatives he uses—praising the language
not just give you a holiday?” as the “most beautiful in the world,” “the clearest, the most
logical,” reflect his deep love and admiration for the
Related Characters: M. Hamel (speaker), Franz (The language, and by extension, the deep love and admiration he
Narrator) has for his culture. Indeed, the link between language and
culture is implied in M. Hamel’s comment that “when a
Related Themes: people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their

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language it is as if they had the key to their prison.” This Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker), M.
comment suggests that language is the key to cultural Hamel, Old Hauser
identity. While the Prussian occupiers, for instance, may
wish to erase the villagers’ French identity, the villagers Related Themes:
have the power to hold onto their French culture—and
therefore evade the Prussian occupiers’ attempts to Related Symbols:
subjugate them—by clinging to their native language.
Language is the means through which culture, and Page Number: 8
therefore identity, is not only expressed, but also
Explanation and Analysis
maintained.
As the last lesson comes to a close, M. Hamel has the very
youngest of the pupils—the infants—chant the alphabet.
One of the elder villagers in the class that day, Hauser, uses
After the grammar, we had a lesson in writing. That day M.
his old primer, a reading book, to help the babies along. Old
Hamel had new copies for us, written in a beautiful round
Hauser’s action shows how, under the peril of Prussian
hand—France, Alsace, France, Alsace. They looked like little
foreign occupation, the French villagers come together as
flags floating everywhere in the school-room, hung from the
community, and in solidarity. The old help the young along,
rod at the top of our desks.
supporting them and participating in their education, as
Hauser does here. Furthermore, Hauser’s own emotions
Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker), infect those around him—the rest of class wants to cry
Prussian Soldiers , M. Hamel along with him, and also to laugh. The pupils and villagers in
the classroom, therefore, come together as one community
Related Themes: not only in their shared activities of writing and reading, but
also in their sentiments.
Related Symbols:

Page Number: 7
All at once the church-clock struck twelve. Then the
Explanation and Analysis Angelus. At the same moment the trumpets of the
Prussians, returning from drill, sounded under our windows. M.
In this passage, M. Hamel assigns the class what initially
Hamel stood up, very pale, in his chair. I never saw him look so
appears to be an exercise in writing. However, this task is
tall.
also an exercise in patriotism, for the words “France, Alsace,”
that the students and villagers copy out assert the identity “My friends,” said he, “I—I—” But something choked him. He
of the Alsace-Lorraine region as French. In doing so, these could not go on.
words challenge the claim that the foreign Prussian Then he turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and,
occupiers are making on the land. The patriotic bearing on with all his might, he wrote as large as he could—
underpinnings of this exercise are further highlighted in
“Vive La France!”
Franz’s comment that M. Hamel’s copies hanging around
the room “looked like little flags floating everywhere”—flags,
of course, which assert the primacy of French identity. Related Characters: Franz (The Narrator) (speaker),
Prussian Soldiers , M. Hamel

Related Themes:
After the writing, we had a lesson in history, and then the
babies chanted their ba, be bi, bo, bu. Down there at the
Related Symbols:
back of the room old Hauser had put on his spectacles and,
holding his primer in both hands, spelled the letters with them. Page Number: 8
You could see that he, too, was crying; his voice trembled with
emotion, and it was so funny to hear him that we all wanted to Explanation and Analysis
laugh and cry. It is the end of the last lesson, as signaled by the striking of
the church-clock, as well as the tolling of the church bells to
mark the Angelus. The reappearance of the Prussian

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soldiers at the end of the story—who have now completed refuses to concede the power of the Prussian occupiers
their drills—reminds the reader of the threatening shadow over him. Instead, he asserts his loyalty and commitment to
of the foreign occupiers looming over the villagers. M. his motherland through the words that he inscribes. This
Hamel’s inability to speak in these final moments suggests final image of the blackboard also recalls the bulletin-board
the depth of his emotional turmoil. His forty years of that Franz, the narrator, had passed at the beginning of the
teaching in this classroom are now over, and he is clearly story. While the bulletin-board on which the Prussian
devastated. And yet, M. Hamel is not defeated. His final authorities post their repressive dictates represents the
action of inscribing the words “Vive La France!” (“Long Live oppression of their rule, the blackboard—an instrument of
France!”) on the blackboard represent a final act of education—is used by M. Hamel subversively to assert his
patriotism and resistance. To the very last, M. Hamel freedom, making it a symbol of resistance.

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SUMMARY AND ANAL

ANALYSIS
YSIS
The color-coded icons under each analysis entry make it easy to track where the themes occur most prominently throughout the
work. Each icon corresponds to one of the themes explained in the Themes section of this LitChart.

THE LAST LESSON

The narrator of the story, a little boy, rushes to school one The narrator’s comments—his dread of being late for class, as well
morning. He is especially anxious on this day, as he expects his getting a scolding from his teacher—communicate to the reader
stern teacher, M. Hamel, to question him and the rest of the that he is a young child. Furthermore, the fact that the narrator has
pupils on participles. The narrator knows nothing about not learned the lesson on participles indicates that he is not the
participles, as he has not learned the lesson. most diligent pupil, but rather a procrastinator when it comes to his
schoolwork.

The narrator contemplates skipping school altogether and The narrator’s negligence of his schooling is further reflected in the
spending the day outside. The weather is warm and bright and temptation that he feels to skip school all together. The Prussian
birds are chirping. He sees Prussian soldiers doing their drills in soldiers that he sees allude to the presence of conflict in the region.
an open field. The beautiful day tempts him, but the narrator In fact, these soldiers signal to the reader that the story is set during
resists the urge to skip school and hurries onwards. the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). During this conflict, Prussian
forces invaded the French region of Alsace-Lorraine. In spite of the
beautiful day and the chirping birds, therefore, the presence of the
soldiers indicates that all is not well in this idyllic French landscape.

As he passes the town hall, the narrator sees a crowd gathered The bulletin-board is the instrument through which the Prussian
around the bulletin-board. Over the previous two years, all of occupiers of the village communicate their edicts to the villagers. In
the town’s bad news—about battles lost, the draft, orders of the this way, the bulletin-board is also a symbol of Prussian occupiers’
commanding officer—has been posted there, and now the oppressive power. France is losing the war to the Prussians, and this
narrator wonders what the matter is. is why foreign forces have occupied the narrator’s village and the
region more broadly. That the villagers perceive the news and orders
posted by the Prussians on the board as “bad” points to their
subjugation—they are under the control of a foreign power, one that
imposes demands and restrictions on them that they are unable to
challenge.

As the narrator hurries past the crowd, the town’s blacksmith, Wachter’s comment to the narrator indicates that this community
Wachter, calls out to him, referring to him as “bub,” and tells is tight-knit. The narrator knows the blacksmith by his first name,
him not to go so fast, since he’ll make it to school “in plenty of while Wachter uses the nickname “bub” to refer to the narrator.
time!” The narrator thinks the blacksmith is making fun of him. Though the blacksmith is indeed making fun of the narrator’s hurry,
he is doing it endearingly and with humor.

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Having been in such a rush, the narrator arrives at school out of The eerie silence that the narrator encounters upon arriving at
breath. He is surprised to note that the school is school indicates that something is awry on this school day. Children
uncharacteristically quiet. Usually, at the beginning of the day, are naturally loud and boisterous, as they are on normal school
there is a great noise. One can hear desks opening and closing, days, but this unusual silence suggests that something drastic has
lessons being repeated, and the teacher’s ruler rapping against silenced them. The quiet is therefore a bad sign—not only because it
the table. But on this morning the school is eerily quiet and still. means that the narrator can’t sneak to his desk unseen, but because
The narrator had hoped that he could sneak to his desk unseen it suggests that something is amiss.
in the midst of the commotion.

Through a window, the narrator sees his classmates already The narrator’s feelings upon entering the classroom before the
seated, and his teacher M. Hamel walking up and down with his assembled students and teacher points to the extent of his terror of
ruler under his arm. The narrator, terrified and blushing, is M. Hamel in particular. This indicates the power imbalance in the
forced to open the door and enter the classroom in front of relationship between the little pupil and his intimidating teacher. M.
everyone. Hamel has the power to punish the narrator severely, and it is this
which renders the narrator so afraid.

To his surprise, M. Hamel speaks to the narrator kindly, M. Hamel’s unexpected kindness towards the tardy narrator again
referring to him as “little Franz,” and tells him to take his seat alerts the reader to the fact that nothing is normal on this school
quickly. Franz takes his seat, and only then, when he has day. The teacher seems to have suddenly shed the severity to which
recovered slightly from his fright, does he notice that M. Hamel his students, including Franz, are accustomed. Furthermore, the
has on his beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt, and a silk teacher’s special clothing—elaborate dress for special
cap—clothes that he normally wears only for special occasions, occasions—reinforces the sense that something momentous is
such as inspection and prize days. happening on this day.

The atmosphere of the classroom today is strange. There is a As the narrator takes in his surroundings properly for the first time,
solemnness in the air. Not only that, but Franz is most surprised he sees more signs confirming that this is an unusual school day.
to see village people assembled on the benches at the back of The solemnness in the room extends from and echoes the silence he
the room, including old man Hauser, the former mayor, and the had first encountered upon arriving at school. That various elder
former postmaster of the town. Everyone looks gloomy. Old village notables are also assembled in the room is a further
Hauser sits with an open primer on his knees. indication that this is a special day—but not in a good way,
considering how gloomy everyone seems. That elders have come
together with children in the room is also significant, because it
suggests that the entire village community has assembled in the
classroom. There are people of various statuses and occupations:
not only young students, but a former mayor, a former postmaster,
and old man Hauser, as well as M. Hamel. This broad array of
individuals represents a cross-section of the entire village
community gathering together in the classroom.

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M. Hamel mounts his chair, and, speaking gravely and gently, M. Hamel’s shocking announcement reveals the lengths to which
announces to the gathered crowd that this will be the last the occupying Prussian authorities are willing to go to control and
lesson he will preside over. An order has arrived from subjugate the French citizens of Alsace-Lorraine. Not only have they
Berlin—seat of the region’s Prussian occupiers—that from the gained military control of their land, but they also desire to control
next day onward, only German will be taught in the schools of the villagers’ means of self-expression, by banning the French
Alsace-Lorraine. A new school master will arrive tomorrow. M. language and imposing German instead. This Prussian order,
Hamel further instructs the crowd that he wants them to be therefore, indicates that the Prussian authorities seek to subjugate
very attentive, as this will be their last French lesson. not only the villagers’ physical existence, but also their minds.

These words come as a shock to little Franz, who realizes that Franz’s own shock over M. Hamel’s announcement indicates that
the villagers he had seen by the bulletin-board outside the the new Prussian order represents an unprecedented repression of
town hall had gathered to read the order that had just been freedoms in the village. It is an escalation of foreign oppression, as
posted there. indicated by the fact that so many were gathered around the
bulletin-board earlier in the day, when Franz had passed by the
town hall on his way to school.

M. Hamel’s words also come as a shock to Franz because he M. Hamel’s announcement has a second effect on Franz: it jolts him
suddenly realizes how little he knows of the French language. into reassessing the value of his education. While Franz has clearly
He barely knows how to write in French, and he is devastated been negligent in applying himself to his studies, as indicated by the
that he must stop learning. He is suddenly remorseful over fact that he has not even bothered to learn the rule for participles he
wasting so much time playing outdoors rather than studying. was assigned for this school day, the news that the Prussian
He is even sorry to think that the stern M. Hamel, whom he authorities have banned the teaching of French awakens him not
fears, is leaving forever. only to how little he knows of his own language, but also how much
he wants to learn. Furthermore, Franz begins to have a new
appreciation for his teacher, realizing that M. Hamel, in spite of his
customary severity, has much knowledge to offer him, knowledge
from which Franz will now be cut off.

Franz realizes that M. Hamel has on his best clothes in honor of That M. Hamel is wearing his best clothes in honor of this last lesson
this last lesson that he is giving, and that this is also why the indicates the teacher’s own great respect for his office, as well as the
villagers have gathered in the room—to show their seriousness with which he has undertaken, and is undertaking, his
appreciation for the school that they themselves had neglected duties as teacher. The day of his last lesson is indeed a momentous
as children, and to honor M. Hamel’s forty years of service as occasion requiring special dress, as it marks the end of his forty
teacher, as well as to show respect for their country, now years of service to the school and to the village. The dress reflects M.
occupied by foreigners. Hamel’s dignity, giving him—and his vocation—an air of nobility. The
presence of the elder villagers in the room reveals their appreciation
and gratitude for M. Hamel’s service, as well as for the education of
which he is a purveyor. The teacher’s dignified dress and the
presence of villagers on this day of the last French lesson reveals the
community’s desire to honor their country and mother tongue, both
of which are under attack by the Prussian invaders.

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M. Hamel calls Franz to recite the rule for the participle, which, Franz’s failure to recite the rule for participles takes on a new, grave
of course, he has neglected to learn. More than ever, he is significance on this momentous day. The neglect of his school work
ashamed that he has not learned his lessons. He stands up to suddenly seems not only to be a neglect of some grammar rules, but
recite but stumbles on the first words. also a neglect of his own duties as a French citizen and a French
speaker whose language and identity are under threat from foreign
occupiers. It is for this reason that Franz feels such immense shame
upon being unable to recite the rule.

M. Hamel doesn’t scold Franz for not knowing the rule, but he M. Hamel again acts with kindness by choosing not to scold Franz,
uses the occasion to lecture the class. He tells the crowd that but rather extrapolating from his failure to show how all the natives
each day they have been putting off learning until tomorrow. of Alsace-Lorraine have failed in their educational duties. By
This is the trouble with their home region of Alsace. It is why connecting the occupiers’ justification of their conquest of Alsace-
now the Prussian occupiers have the right to say to them, “you Lorraine with the failure of the Alsatians to know their own
pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor language properly, M. Hamel makes explicit the link between
write your own language?” language and power. The Prussians can justify their claim to Alsace-
Lorraine because they can contend that the Alsatians are not true
Frenchmen, as they cannot even speak nor write their own language
properly. As such, the power that the Prussians can have over the
natives of the region is directly linked to the natives’ grasp of their
language, and therefore of their French identity.

M. Hamel continues by saying that the children’s parents have M. Hamel highlights how the villagers have privileged labor over
not been anxious to have them learn, sending them out to work education. By sending out their children to work instead of
instead. M. Hamel also reproaches himself, taking responsibility encouraging them to learn, the villagers have prioritized the value of
for those times he had encouraged his students to money over the value of learning. M. Hamel, however, doesn’t take a
procrastinate, because he himself wanted to do other things. high-handed or condescending attitude towards the adults and
children whom he lectures. By casting blame on himself as well, he
posits himself as an equal culprit in the negligence of the children’s
education. The tone and words that he adopts are ones that cast
aside hierarchies and distinctions, positing adults, teachers and
children as all culpable for the same mistakes.

M. Hamel then goes on to speak about the beauties of the M. Hamel’s great love for his mother tongue is reflected in the praise
French language. He encourages the class to guard the that he lavishes on it. Furthermore, his comment on the importance
language carefully, because, he tells them, when a people are of guarding the language emphasizes the link between language,
enslaved, so long as they “hold fast to their language it as if they identity, and freedom. Language not only expresses cultural identity,
had the key to their prison.” it constitutes its very essence. Without language, those who are
subjugated cannot hold onto their identity, and therefore also to
their freedom.

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The teacher then proceeds to the French grammar lesson, Franz’s concentration and grasp of the French lesson reflects the
reading from a book to the students. Franz understands fact that, for the first time, he is applying himself fully to his studies.
everything M. Hamel says with extraordinary clarity. He thinks He has finally come to understand the value and significance of his
that he has never listened so carefully to the teacher before, education. His impression that the teacher has never explained
and that the teacher himself has never explained things so things so clearly also points to M. Hamel’s own power and
clearly and with so much patience. competence as a teacher, in fulfilling the duties of his office on this
day of the last lesson.

After the grammar lesson, the class proceeds to a lesson in M. Hamel’s assignment of the words “Alsace, France” to the class
writing. M. Hamel has the pupils copy out the words “France, indicates the teacher’s intention of instilling a sense of patriotism in
Alsace,” over and over again. All the students are perfectly quiet his pupils. The exercise functions not only to improve their writing
as they concentrate on their work. skills, but to challenge the Prussian claim to Alsace-Lorraine by
linking Alsace to France. In this way, the students are guided to
express and assert their patriotic allegiance to France.

As he writes, Franz glances up at M. Hamel every now and Franz’s impressions of M. Hamel in these moments of silence
again. The teacher sits motionless, looking at one thing and the deepen and nuance his understanding of his teacher. While before
other in the room. Franz thinks it is as if he wants to fix in his the last lesson, Franz knew his teacher only as a fearful taskmaster,
mind how everything looks in the room. The teacher has been over the course of the last lesson he has witnessed other sides of the
there for forty years, with very little changing except for the teacher emerge. Not only has the teacher expressed kindness
trees growing taller and the desks and benches being worn towards him and the rest of the class, as well as a deep sense of
smooth by the pupils. Franz thinks that M. Hamel must be patriotism, but here he seems to embody other emotions: sadness,
heartbroken to be leaving it all. The teacher and his sister, who loss, and nostalgia. He must give up the classroom that has been a
is packing upstairs, are leaving the country the very next day. home to him for forty years.

But Franz is impressed by M. Hamel’s determination to oversee M. Hamel’s insistence on seeing through all the lessons to the very
every lesson until the very last. The pupils move onto a history last also reveals another side of the teacher to Franz: his dedication.
lesson, before the babies are given their turn to recite ABCDs. In spite of M. Hamel’s tumultuous emotions, the teacher is
Old Hauser, sitting at the back and reading from an old primer, determined to fulfill every aspect of his duties on this last day. The
helps them by spelling the letters with them. He is crying, and extent to which the village community has come together during
everyone who hears him also finds that they want to laugh and this last lesson is reflected in old Hauser’s act of helping the babies
cry at once. read their letters. This act reflects the solidarity between young and
old, as the old help along, and participate in, the education of the
youngsters. The poignancy of this act moves the entire class.

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The clock strikes twelve. Prussian trumpets sound, marking the The trumpets of the Prussian soldiers that sound along with the
end of the soldiers’ drill. M. Hamel stands up, pale but tall. He striking of the clock remind the reader of the ominous presence of
begins speaking, addressing the class as “My friends,” but is the foreign occupiers just outside the school doors. M. Hamel’s
unable to continue. He turns to the blackboard instead, and inability to speak during the final moments of the lesson reflects the
with a piece of chalk he writes in large letters, “Vive La France!” tumult of his emotions on this occasion. And yet, even in the midst
He leans his head against the wall and gestures to the class, of this tumult, M. Hamel manages one final act of resistance: by
telling them school is dismissed. inscribing the words “Long Live France!” on the blackboard, M.
Hamel makes a final challenge to the oppressive power of the
Prussians, asserting his allegiance to his motherland, France. In this
way, he again uses the instruments of education—in this case the
blackboard—to assert his freedom and that of his country.

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To cite any of the quotes from The Last Lesson covered in the
HOW T
TO
O CITE Quotes section of this LitChart:
To cite this LitChart: MLA
MLA Daudet, Alphonse. The Last Lesson. National Council of Education
Research and Training. 2015.
Abbas, Fatin. "The Last Lesson." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 6 Dec
2018. Web. 21 Apr 2020. CHICA
CHICAGO
GO MANU
MANUAL
AL
CHICA
CHICAGO
GO MANU
MANUAL
AL Daudet, Alphonse. The Last Lesson. New Delhi: National Council
of Education Research and Training. 2015.
Abbas, Fatin. "The Last Lesson." LitCharts LLC, December 6, 2018.
Retrieved April 21, 2020. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-last-
lesson.

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