# Madame Husson — Short Fiction character guide

> Madame Husson in Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0341-madame-husson-s-may-king

## Snapshot

A fiercely independent old maid who devises a public festival to crown the town's most virtuous youth, only to watch her moral experiment go spectacularly awry.

## Who they are

Madame Husson is a solitary, eccentric woman who manages her own affairs with masculine practicality, keeping relatives at arm's length and tolerating no interference. Her scheme to institute a 'May King' festival honoring chastity reveals both her rigid moralism and her naive faith in human virtue. The story's early arc follows her determination to impose her values on the town, setting up a collision between her ideals and the messier realities of desire.

## In the story

### [Madame Husson's May King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-husson-s-may-king)

A virtuous old woman who initiates the May King contest to reward chastity.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters/madame_husson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_23_se/characters