Essay Questions

What are the misfortunes of Mathilde and how does she manage them?

Mathilde is a woman who has gone through tough moments in her lifetime but she has managed to sail through. Firstly, she is chased away by her parents at a young age to fend for herself. She is sent away from home because she is accused of negligence since she did not keep an eye on her younger brother who succumbs when he falls. After being sent away, she does not have anyone to feed and cater to her education. As a result, she is tempted and falls in love with a rich man who offers to educate her and provide anything she needs. However, the rich man is after sex because he does not truly love her. After she finishes school, the rich man damps her, and she meets Lotto. Lotto is not any kind of man because he is a womanizer. He has no interest in marriage but using and dumping women. Fortunately, Mathilde uses her intimacy tricks to make Lotto a faithful man.

According to Fates and Furies, is it advisable for parents to be domineering when taking care of their children?

As a child, Lotto grows under the strict parental care of his mother. His father passed on when he was still a young boy. Lotto's mother is called Antoinette and she is determined to ensure that she gives Lotto the best but she uses a wrong parental approach. She thinks that being overprotective and strict will help her raise an upright boy who is going to be a responsible member of society. For instance, when Lotto starts hanging out with misbehaving boys, she takes him far away in a boarding school facility to ensure that he is not spoilt. However, Lotto gets the freedom of doing anything that he wants since his mother is away. Lotto turns out to be a spoilt adult who does not care about others. He uses women and dumps them. Therefore, overprotection is not encouraged in parenting because it yields opposite results.

Does Lotto have the moral authority to judge Mathilde for sleeping with a rich old man before she got married to him?

The reader learns that Lotto dies of a heart attack after realizing that his wife, Mathilde was having sexual intercourse with a rich man before they got married. Lotto is not ready to forgive his wife because he considers this the biggest level of betrayal. However, it is ironic that Lotto is receiving this news with shock because he was once a womanizer. Therefore, he has no moral authority to judge his wife. It should have been an offense if Mathilde engaged in adultery while in their marriage. Therefore, Lotto should have not died of a heart attack if he could have taken his time to reconcile with his wife.