The Return of the Prodigal Son

André Gide is a famous French author who was a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Although this is just a short story, Gide is dealing with rather profound subjects. To paraphrase the Wikipedia review of his book, he is drawing material from his own personal struggles and experiences with regard to his strict Protestant upbringing. In that review the well respected professor of French and Italian literature, professor Wallace Fowlie, was quoted as follows: “Gide is persistently asking the question whether the Law is suitable for all men."

Gide gives his own spin to the famous biblical tale of the Prodigal Son with himself as the narrator of the parable. He adds a third son into the family, and this addition provides a means to fully develop Gide’s thoughts on these matters. This story was originally published in French in 1907.