File No. 113: Analysis of Major Characters
"File No. 113: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and motivations of key figures in a narrative involving crime, deception, and redemption. Central to the story is Monsieur Lecoq, a skilled detective known for his disguises and sharp intellect, who works to clear Prosper Bertomy—a bank clerk wrongfully implicated in a robbery. Prosper's marriage to Madeleine, a character entangled in complex familial loyalties, highlights themes of love and sacrifice.
The narrative also explores the troubled past of Valentine, the wife of banker André Fauvel, whose hidden secrets surrounding her son add layers of intrigue. Her relationship with Louis de Clameran and the manipulative Raoul de Lagors, who falsely claims to be her son, creates a web of deception that Lecoq ultimately seeks to unravel. Other notable characters include Gypsy, a reformed criminal with a past connection to Prosper, and Chocareille, a detective with personal ties to the narrative's unfolding events. Through these characters, the text examines the nuances of trust, betrayal, and the pursuit of truth in a richly textured story.
File No. 113: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Émile Gaboriau
First published: Le dossier no. 113, 1867 (English translation, 1875)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Paris, France
Plot: Detective and mystery
Time: 1866
Monsieur Lecoq (leh-KOHK), a brilliant detective and master of disguise. He clears Prosper chiefly to shame Gypsy, who was formerly his mistress.
Prosper Bertomy (prohs-PEHR behr-toh-MEE), a trusted bank clerk who has one of the two bank keys and is therefore suspected of a robbery there. After being cleared, he marries Madeleine.
M. André Fauvel (ahn-DRAY foh-VEHL), a Paris banker who possesses the other key to his bank.
Valentine (vah-lahn-TEEN), Fauvel's wife. As a young woman, she had an affair with a young neighbor, Gaston de Clameran, and secretly bore a son in England. The child is now dead. Her husband is unaware of her indiscretion.
Louis de Clameran (lwee deh klah-meh-RAHN), Gaston's younger brother. He coaches Raoul to impersonate Valentine's dead son. He goes mad in prison.
Raoul de Lagors (rah-EWL deh lah-GOHR), an impostor claiming to be Valentine's son and now living with her as her “nephew.” He forces her to provide Fauvel's key. Lecoq unmasks him by means of a scratch on the bank safe.
Madeleine (mahd-LEHN), Fauvel's niece, who is in love with Prosper but is willing to marry Louis de Clameran in order to silence him about Valentine's indiscretion.
Chocareille (shoh-kah-REE-yeh), called Gypsy, an ex-criminal and now the mistress of Prosper.
Fanferlot (fahn-fehr-LOH), a detective secretly married to Mme Alexandre.
Mme Alexandre (ah-lehk-SAHNDR), the manager of the Archangel Hotel, where Gypsy is hidden.
Cavaillon (kah-vay-YOHN), a friend of Prosper who carries Prosper's warning note that puts the police on Gypsy's trail.