The morning of May 6, 1881, in Paris seemed still shrouded by the thunder of Rue de Richelieu from the night before.
The newsstands along the Seine were more crowded than usual, with people scrambling to buy the newly printed newspapers.
Virtually every major newspaper's front page or arts review section was dominated by the same name—The Thunderstorm.
The play, true to its name, had ignited a genuine storm in Parisian public opinion.
Newspapers from various standpoints offered thorough analysis and evaluation of the work—
And, of course, it was almost entirely praise.
Le Petit Journal, representing the popular view and the Republicans, published an editorial: Thunder on the Stage! The Thunderstorm Rips Apart the Veil of Hypocrisy in Upper-Class Families.
[Last night, what unfolded at the Comédie-Française was not merely a play, but an earthquake!
Lionel Sorel, with a bright electric light, shone a beam into the darkest corners of the most respectable families of our time.
Monsieur Lavalner is the epitome of many hypocrites in our society.
His tyranny, his coldness, and the collapse of his "perfect family order" are a resounding slap in the face to all sanctimonious "respectable people"!
The Comédie-Française's new electrified stage made this destruction so real, as if it were happening right in the living room of each of us.]
La République Française, traditionally the government's mouthpiece, focused on the collapse of old-fashioned families and the genesis of the modern spirit—
[Prime Minister Ferry's advocacy for secular education reform is necessary because under the high pressure of old authority, human nature is inevitably distorted and tragedies are bound to occur.
Marcel, the educated and courageous young worker in The Thunderstorm, represents the future strength of France.
Although he was ultimately sidelined by conspiracy, his voice, his cry that "there is no such word as young master in the world," will surely resonate in the hearts of the younger generation.
This play warns us that education reform is urgent.
Only by breaking the intellectual shackles can we avoid the tragedy of the Lavalner manor.]
La Liberté, an anti-clerical paper, naturally aimed its fire at the Church—
[When Lavalner forces his wife to drink the medicine, symbolizing control, we see not just a domestic tyrant, but all forms of worldly despotism!
The greatness of this play lies in its refusal to seek answers from any illusory salvation—especially the Church's confessional booth.
Fate, that "unfair fate," is the inevitable result of the autocratic violence fostered by theocratic power over centuries!
This is a lament dedicated to secular freedom, telling us that to liberate humanity, we must first break the chains.]
Most surprisingly, even the Church's newspaper found points in The Thunderstorm favorable to its own views.
La Croix published an invited commentary titled: A Warning of Divine Retribution: The Thunderstorm Reveals the Inevitable End of Straying from Faith.
[Last night, a living moral fable was staged at the Comédie-Française.
It demonstrates what a terrifying abyss a family, a society, will plunge into once they abandon the Lord's guidance!
Lavalner, the parvenu who made his fortune through speculation and advantageous marriage, is the representative of the successful man championed by modern secular society.
His family, outwardly adhering to "order," is inwardly filled with incest, adultery, and deception!
This is precisely because his soul lacks true faith and repentance.
The all-destroying lightning in the play is not a random twist of fate, but the Lord's wrath and divine punishment!
The Thunderstorm, with its astonishing artistic power, precisely confirms our position:
France must return to the embrace of the Church and rebuild a family ethic and social order centered on faith!
Otherwise, the destruction of the Lavalner manor is a preview of our entire nation's future.
This drama is a cautionary work that all our lost compatriots should see!]
La Voix du Peuple, representing the workers, was not absent, focusing entirely on "Marcel" and his biological father, the great capitalist.
[Workers, behold! The Thunderstorm reveals to us how the capitalist Lavalner built his luxurious 'cage' through the exploitation of miners' blood and sweat.
And within this cage, he and his family are also rotting and collapsing.
Marcel is the representative of our working class, but his existence and resistance show that irreconcilable class contradictions also exist within this family.
Édouard, Fanny, Antoine—they are all victims of this sinful system.
Their deaths are not a trick of fate, but the inevitable tragedy caused by the private ownership inherent in the bourgeois family!
Monsieur Sorel's play is a tearful accusation against the capitalist system!]
Despite disagreements over the central theme of The Thunderstorm, all newspapers uniformly praised the stage renovations at the Comédie-Française.
Le Figaro deliberately sidestepped lengthy discussions of the play's content, instead focusing on the stage electrification—
[…Even more astonishing is the stage itself! The realistic lightning and thunder did not come from a canvas backdrop, but from the power of science—electric light!
The electrification of the Comédie-Française, much like Monsieur Sorel's script, boldly strides toward the future.
This is a victory for art, and a victory for progressive ideas!]
The storm unleashed by The Thunderstorm extended far beyond the printed words in newspapers, reaching into the many households that had seen the premiere…
---
In a luxurious apartment on Boulevard Saint-Germain, eighteen-year-old Edmond Lefebvre erupted in a fierce argument with his father, a textile factory owner.
Edmond's voice trembled:
"You can't always decide what I should study and who I should associate with!"
He was thinking of Antoine's stifled innocence and Édouard's desperate revolt.
"I am not your worker, and certainly not your property! I have the right to choose my own future!"
Old Lefebvre stared in astonishment at his usually obedient son.
The light in his son's eyes felt foreign and unnerving.
"You… what madness has possessed you? Is this the result of watching that dirty play? It's all made up!"
"Whether it's true or false, you know in your heart!" Edmond roared.
Monsieur Lavalner's cold countenance briefly overlapped with his father's face.
The argument ended with Edmond slamming the door shut, leaving his stunned father to taste the bitterness of his authority being challenged for the very first time.
---
In a conservative banker's home, during dinner, the usually silent and submissive banker's wife suddenly put down her knife and fork.
She looked calmly at her husband:
"Charles, did you read the reviews for The Thunderstorm last night?"
The banker frowned, attempting to dismiss it lightly:
"Oh, that? Sensational rubbish, not worth paying attention to."
His wife continued:
"The character Madeleine, her history when she was young, reminds me of some… old rumors.
About your distant cousin, Miss Claire, who you 'subsidize' and who lives in Passy.
I think it's time to re-discuss her settlement, before you push my 'hysteria' out into the open."
The banker's face instantly flushed.
He tried to argue but was defeated by his wife's fearless gaze.
The play seemed to have given this woman unprecedented courage to question the secrets that had been silently acknowledged for years.
---
Meanwhile, even as the social effects of The Thunderstorm continued to ferment, Lionel did not linger in the joy of his success.
Immediately after the successful premiere, he arranged a meeting with Nikola Tesla.
In a café, Lionel pushed a contract across the table to the young engineer:
"Nikola, sign this, and you will be our Chief Engineer!"
Nikola Tesla found himself in an unprecedented struggle…
(End of Chapter)