After burying Goriot, Rastignac looks out over Paris from the cemetery and issues a challenge to the city. It is a short, famous ending, and it invites many interpretations. Students may see it as a triumph of ambition, a loss of innocence, or a bitter commitment to a corrupt world. Essays on the ending reveal how well students have followed the novel's larger arc.

Because the ending is brief, strong essays must connect it to earlier events. A student might argue that Rastignac's final stance is the result of his education in Paris, shaped by Vautrin's cynicism, the daughters' indifference, and Goriot's collapse. Without such connections, an essay on the ending risks becoming a vague reflection that could be written without reading the whole book.

Ask students to identify what exactly has changed in Rastignac by the end. Is he more hardened, more determined, or more aware? Does he retain any moral compass after tending to Goriot in his final days? These questions force essays to be specific and give you clear criteria for distinguishing superficial from insightful responses.

Interpretation Without a Single Right Answer

Open-ended endings are rewarding but tricky to grade because many readings are defensible. Make clear that you are scoring the quality of support rather than agreement with a particular interpretation. Essays should address at least one alternative reading and explain why their own is more convincing, which models the kind of reasoning expected in advanced coursework.

• A clear interpretation of what the ending means for Rastignac
• Evidence from the final scene and from earlier moments that prepare it
• Consideration of an alternative interpretation
• Attention to the tone of the narrator in the closing pages
• A link between the ending and the novel's wider view of Paris

Feedback on Conclusions and Student Writing

The topic also offers a chance to talk about how students write their own conclusions. Compare Balzac's strong final image with weak essay endings that simply restate the thesis. Encourage students to end with an insight, as Balzac does, leaving readers with something to think about.

Offer specific suggestions. If a student's conclusion repeats earlier points, recommend adding a sentence that explores the broader significance of the argument. If it introduces a new claim without support, suggest moving it into the body. Concrete advice is easier to apply than a general note to strengthen the ending.

Making Close-Reading Essays Easier to Score

Close reading essays on a single scene benefit from a rubric that rewards attention to language, imagery, and tone. An AI grader can help by checking for the presence of specific textual references and flagging paragraphs lacking analysis. You then evaluate the quality of interpretation, which is where your professional judgment adds the most value.

Share exemplars of strong close readings from previous years, with names removed. Students gain a concrete sense of what high-quality analysis looks like and can model their own work accordingly. Over time, these exemplars raise the overall level of writing in your classes.