It can be quite easy to make assumptions about one’s character upon first glance or first encounter, but often these first assumptions are not a direct representation of a person’s true disposition. In the short story, “The Diary of a Madman” by Guy de Maupassant, an esteemed magistrate is being remembered for the model citizen he was, having lived a life that no one could subject to criticism. However, a notary uncovered his diary in a drawer in his home, in which he entailed his tendencies and cravings for murder that no one had expected of him. Within this text, the author uses the character of the magistrate to convey the theme that one’s true character cannot be decided from external appearance or actions. From the beginning of the text, it is made evident that this man was revered as the most well-respected judge in all of France. The author uses captivating diction to thoroughly convince the reader that this man was great. It reads: “He was dead--the head of a high tribunal, the upright magistrate whose irreproachable life was a proverb in all the courts of France”(1). From this point forward, it is set in stone that no one could possibly tarnish his name in the eyes of the people, because he had lived such a faultless life that it was used as an example of success. It must be made clear, that both in and out of the courtroom, that this man did no wrong. He was a formidable opponent, for “swindlers and murderers had no more redoubtable enemy, for he seemed to read