Passage Examination in "The Wife of Martin Guerre"

            I have chosen to examine the passage from pages 24-25, where Martin’s father beats him for leaving the farm without permission.  Beginning with the line “When evening came, the workers returned to the farm, shepherd, swineherd, carter, vintager, but no Martin,” Janet Lewis builds tension through the sheer normalcy of the actions going on.  The reader has been given information that the members of the Guerre household lack: Martin is not merely late, but on a bear hunt that could easily lead to his injury or death.  It is thus hard for us to not want the Guerre household to spring into action looking for him rather than simply continuing on as usual.  However, Lewis’s emphasis on the household’s adherence to “custom” and what is “usual” shows what is prioritized by the family; they are unwilling to break from how things are usually done, to disturb the peace of routine, until something truly dire happens.  The continuance of normalcy despite the mysterious absence of Martin establishes the need for order above all else in the Guerre household.

            By establishing this value, Lewis provides sense to the reaction to Martin’s arrival, which disrupts the household’s orderly dinner.  The vividness of the description of Martin “burst[ing]” open the door and “staggering under a load of bearmeat done up in the yet bloody hide of the bear” brings in sensory detail, emphasizing the contrast between this memorable event and the dull, detail-less evening that had preceded it.  It is clear that this was an effect that Martin intended to have; he “bursts” in in order to make an impression.  This desire to be recognized for his achievement is further emphasized by his view of the meat as “booty,” or the spoils of a triumphant conqueror.   Martin’s intent is clear: he wants people to notice and remember his bravery in fighting a bear.  However, under his father’s gaze, Martin’s confidence vanishes.  Laying the meat at his father’s feet is a gesture that reveals his desire for his father’s approval and continued deference to his father’s will; he offers up his “booty” for his father’s use, effectively revealing his need for his father’s approbation.  He also recounts his story “more briefly than he had intended.” Lewis here shifts from free indirect discourse from Bertrande’s perspective in order to give us insight into Martin’s shift from pride to fear, as this descriptor captures how Martin’s previous excitement in being able to share a story of his own glory dissolves into nervousness under his father’s “expectant” gaze.  The word “expectant” indicates that Martin’s father is not betraying emotion; rather than outright anger, Martin’s father is simply waiting for some explanation, an explanation Martin knows his father will find lacking.  The fact that Martin quails in expectation of his father’s disappointment further shows how he desires his father’s approval.

            This deference to his father, in large part prompted by the deference to order that is establishes in the Guerre household, provides context for the first brief bit of dialogue in the passage.  (Note that Martin’s story is not recounted; Lewis here seems to be indicating that Martin views his achievements as insignificant if they do not meet his father’s expectations.)  The exchange is brief and to the point; rather than explaining what has been done wrong, Martin’s father simply asks if Martin has anything else to say, then orders him to kneel.  The assumption of authority here is clear; as the patriarch, he does not need to explain himself.  Martin in turn recognizes and defers to his father’s authority simply by acknowledging him as “my father” and obeying when ordered to kneel.  This brief exchange defines the relationship between the two; there is an assumption of authority on the father’s side that brooks no dissent and that the son must obey without question.  It is in fact clear that Martin does not question this authority through his silent acceptance of his punishment.  After being hit, he “said nothing” in dissent or rebuke.  Instead, he simply “spit blood into the fire.”  The silence extends across the whole hall; “Madame Guerre caught her breath but made no outcry.”  This silence shows that everyone accepts the patriarchal authority to punish without explanation.  There is even a shocking prosaicness to Martin’s spitting blood into the fire.  The final line of dialogue by Martin’s father shows the finality of his re-establishment of authority and order.  He simply returns the night back onto its normal track despite Martin’s attempts to shift the focus of the night to his own achievements by stating, “Prayers, my children.”  He is both determining the course of the night and claiming the people in the room as “his.”  That simple sentence finalizes his dominance and authority, re-establishing his authority over his heir and the whole household.  This moment shows us why Martin would be so eager to leave the house if he broke the rules again; his father’s adherence to tradition and need for ownership will not allow Martin to make his own moves within the household.