# Madame Clapart — A Start in Life character guide

> Madame Clapart in A Start in Life by Honoré de Balzac.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Madame Clapart, Madame, Clapart, That idiot Clapart

**First appearance:** 0001-a-start-in-life

## Snapshot

Oscar's anxious mother, a woman of modest means whose hopes for her son's advancement rest on fragile connections and good behavior.

## Who they are

Madame Clapart belongs to that precarious Parisian class which lives on small means and large hopes, and she has staked much on Oscar's prospects. Her watchful worry follows him onto the coach and into the countryside, where every imprudence threatens the patronage she has worked to secure. Her ambitions for her son, and her fear of his weaknesses, give the story its emotional undertow.

## Relationships

### [Oscar Husson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/oscar_husson)

_family_

Madame Clapart is Oscar's overprotective and anxious mother, deeply concerned with his future and social standing.

### [Pierrotin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/pierrotin)

_social_

Madame Clapart frequently engages Pierrotin to convey messages and watch over Oscar, treating him as a trusted intermediary.

### [Monsieur Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/monsieur_moreau)

_professional_

Madame Clapart and Monsieur Moreau interact as concerned parent and employer, negotiating Oscar's position and behavior.

### [Cardot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/cardot)

_social_

Cardot and Madame Clapart are acquaintances from the same social circle, sharing concerns about Oscar's future.

### [Georges Marest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/georges_marest)

_psychological_

Georges Marest manipulates Madame Clapart's anxieties about Oscar, using her to further his own schemes.

### [Pierrotin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/pierrotin)

_social_

Madame Clapart frequently engages Pierrotin to convey messages and watch over Oscar, treating him as a trusted intermediary.

### [Pierrotin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/pierrotin)

_social_

Madame Clapart frequently engages Pierrotin to convey messages and watch over Oscar, treating him as a trusted intermediary.

### [Oscar Husson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/oscar_husson)

_family_

Madame Clapart is Oscar's overprotective and anxious mother, deeply concerned with his future and social standing.

### [Georges Marest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/georges_marest)

_psychological_

Georges Marest manipulates Madame Clapart's anxieties about Oscar, using her to further his own schemes.

### [Oscar Husson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/oscar_husson)

_family_

Madame Clapart is Oscar's overprotective and anxious mother, deeply concerned with his future and social standing.

### [Monsieur Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/monsieur_moreau)

_professional_

Madame Clapart and Monsieur Moreau interact as concerned parent and employer, negotiating Oscar's position and behavior.

### [Georges Marest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/georges_marest)

_psychological_

Georges Marest manipulates Madame Clapart's anxieties about Oscar, using her to further his own schemes.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters/madame_clapart
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_start_in_life_se/characters