Quick Summary of The Last Lesson

Quick Summary of The Last Lesson

Prussia defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. They captured certain districts of France and decided to reign over them. The Last Lesson is a story, by French writer Alphonse Daudet, about the last day of school in the district of Alsace during the Franco-Prussian war. It is about realising the value of freedom we generally take for granted. The school’s teacher, M. Hamel, makes his last class memorable with strong words and gestures, invoking patriotism in all present at the premises.

The narrator of the story is Franz – a student in the class of M. Hamel. One morning Franz was late for school. His teacher, M. Hamel, had told his class that he would be asking questions on participles on that day. Franz felt like bunking school for a moment. But he resisted the urge and went to school. On his way to school, he saw people clustered in front of the bulletin board, and, as usual, he assumed that there was some bad news. It had been happening since Prussia annexed their district of Alsace.

 

The day felt unusual compared to regular days, as there was no commotion in the classroom. Everything was quiet, and instead of being scolded by M. Hamel, Franz was asked to go to his seat quickly. He noticed something odd about his teacher. M. Hamel was not wearing his usual clothes – he wore extravagant clothes only meant for school inspection or prize days. Another odd thing that day about the school was that most of the villagers, including the former mayor, former postmaster, etc., were sitting on the back benches and looked sad. 

As the class began, the teacher, M. Hamel, announced that this was his last French lesson for his students as the Prussians had announced that French would no longer be taught in schools. Franz felt a sudden pang of remorse. He realised what the bad news on the bulletin board was: French was no longer to be taught in schools. Franz felt sorry about bunking his classes and not bothering about his lessons. He realised the villagers had come there to pay their respects to M. Hamel’s forty years of service as a teacher. It was also about showing respect for their country, which was not theirs anymore. 

When it was Franz’s turn to recite, M. Hamel was patient. He did not scold Franz. He went on to discuss their district’s problem – the assumption that they always had plenty of time. That is how the students lagged in their lessons – because they had taken their freedom and time for granted. Then M. Hamel blamed himself and Franz’s parents for making him do chores rather than letting him focus on his studies. M. Hamel went on to talk about the beauty of French – their mother tongue – and how everyone should hold on to it even if it were not taught at schools. He explained that when people are enslaved, the only key to redeeming their freedom is the common language that they share. He had brought new copies for the students and decorated the classroom for them. 

Franz felt that everything his teacher was teaching was lucid and easy to understand. He blamed himself for not listening to the lessons properly. Franz discovered that M. Hamel was supposed to leave the country. He realised how difficult it must have been for his teacher to leave a place he had stayed and served in for forty years. As the clock struck twelve and the Prussians blew their trumpets, the class ended, and M. Hamel said goodbye to his class by writing ‘Vive La France’ on the blackboard since he was too emotional to speak. He leaned his head against the wall and made a gesture with his hand – implying that the school was dismissed. 

Conclusion of The Last Lesson

The story ends on a very sentimental note. On the one hand, the citizens of Alsace were disappointed about losing their freedom under the reign of the Prussians. But also, on the other hand, they had come to realise what they were going to miss – the freedom and the privilege of learning their language, both of which they had taken for granted. summary shows how the teacher’s departure inspires patriotism in the villagers at the end of the story. We can see how the citizens of Alsace are getting ready for a new tomorrow of bitter realities by showing exceptional mental resolve.

 

Q1 Who is the writer of ‘The Last Lesson’?

The writer for ‘The Last Lesson’ is a French novelist and short-story writer Alphonse Daudet.

Q2 What is the central theme of ‘The Last Lesson’?

The Last Lesson gives us a moral that we should not take our freedom or any other thing we have for free in a granted manner because we never know when we might be deprived of those privileges.

Q3 Why does M. Hamel talk about continuing to learn the French language?

M. Hamel emphasises continuing to learn the French language even if it is not taught at schools because knowing a language is like finding a key to freedom for people enslaved by a foreign entity.