Luo the Arsonist

"The match spluttered, was almost snuffed out in its own black smoke, then flared up again as it approached Pére Goriot...A violin struck up a mournful tune, and at the same instant a sudden gust of wind assailed the bonfire of books...Luo the arsonist, the son of the famous dentist, the romantic lover who had crawled to his beloved on all fours, the admirer of Balzac-Luo was drunk. He sat hunched over the fire, mesmerized by the flames consuming all the stories and characters we had grown to love so dearly. He was crying and laughing by turns."

This scene, probably the most shocking scene in the entire book, is a confusing one. The two characters spent much of their time attempting to get their hands on the books, stealing them, and finally absorbing their knowledge. Then, in the end, they set the books on fire. At first the match seems to put out itself, almost as if it doesn't want to do what Luo wants; to destroy such meaningful objects. However, the match catches, and so do the books, which are quickly alight with flames. The flames mesmerize Luo just as the books themselves did. The narrator plays his violin, his one true talent, while the books he loved are being consumed by the fire. All their efforts have been for nothing, as Luo's love for the Little Seamstress means more than the knowledge and love of the suitcase full of novels.