The Return of Martin Guerre

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book â€Å"The Return of Martin Guerre† by Natalie Zamon Davis. Specifically, it will discuss the life of the peasant during the Middle Ages. This book is a fascinating account of a true case that happened during the 16th century in France. The book is also an excellent example of how the peasants lived in the Middle Ages, from what they ate, to how they traveled and what their family lives were like. This book shows that life in the Middle Ages was difficult and demanding, but it seems a little bit peaceful and serene, too. The main occupations were farming and raising sheep or goats, and there were tradesman in the villages who worked for a living, such as a shoemaker, a blacksmith, and such. Martin Guerre and his family were tile makers, but they also farmed and raised sheep to become relatively prosperous in their small village (Davis 14). The peasants were uneducated, (the Guerre's town did not even have a schoolmaster), and most could not read, and could only write a small amount (Davis 15). They also married their children off very young, and often made matches for them. Martin Guerre married when he was only fourteen, and his wife was even younger (Davis 16). Life revolved around the village, the church, and the family, and it was a very busy but seemingly contented lifestyle. Their main concerns were the family and simple survival. Everything they did was to feed and clothe the family, from raising grains and grapes to raising sheep so they could spin the wool into cloth and clothe the family members. When they became more successful, it was to make money and rise up in stature in the village community, but peasants who did not have trades worked the land for their own survival. They were also extremely close-knit families, often living nearby each other, so family was important for them, as well. They worked together as a family, and widows lived with one of the grown sons, creating an extended family unit. Family relationships were important in this society, and they were the source of land and dowries for the children, which were very important at the time. In the Basque country, families often lived together, as the author notes, â€Å"When a household is set up with two generations of married folk, it is not the Basque combination of the old heir and the young heir, but a widowed parent, usually the mother, with one of her married children† (Davis 11). Even when Martin's uncle married, he moved nearby to another house, and lived close to his relatives. Martin returned with his bride to his father's house after they married, and lived with his family under one roof (Davis 18). Since their main concern was survival and perpetuation of the family, this indicates how important family life was to the peasants. Women had a lesser position than men did in the society. Davis writes, â€Å"At the parish mass, she would have to get used to the fact that her women did not push ahead of the men to make their offerings, did not go about the church to collect for the vestry, and din not serve as sacristans† (Davis 15). Women were also blamed for a man's impotence, as Davis notes. She writes, â€Å"In the sixteenth century, it was usually blamed on the power of a woman outside the marriage† (Davis 21). The fact that Martin abandoned his wife and newborn son after eight years of marriage shows what low status women had in society. She had no recourse, she lived in a foreign household, and she could not even remarry. Girls were not educated; instead, they learned â€Å"women's work† like spinning and cooking, and they were always at the mercy of their husbands. Davis writes, â€Å"First a world where organizational structure and public identity were associated exclusively with males† (Davis 29). The women worked in the fields, helped raise the livestock, served as midwives, cooked and baked. They were essential to everyday life in the peasant world, but they held no rights or privileges. The only women that really rose up in society were the widows, who could earn the respect of others and wield â€Å"informal power† (Davis 31). Armand Du Tilh was able to get away with his deception for several reasons. First, he resembled Guerre enough that people mistook him for the missing man (Davis 39). Next, he learned all he could about the missing man so that he could fool Martin's family into believing he was actually Guerre. Davis writes, â€Å"He informed himself as cunningly as he could about Martin Guerre, his situation, his family, and the things he used to say and do† (Davis 39). He also grew a beard to hide any differences in his face, and took great pains to learn the villagers' names and how he interacted with them when he had lived in the village before. In short, he learned every detail about Martin Guerre's life, and convinced people he was Martin because of all the details he seemed to â€Å"recall† about his prior life. Davis believes that he was accepted because people wanted him to come back for all those years, and that he came â€Å"announced† as Martin Guerre, and so people wanted to believe it was true (Davis 43). Most of all, Bertrande's acceptance of the new Martin helped soothe the minds of others. It is easy to see why Bertrande would accept the imposter. Davis writes, â€Å"What Bertrande had with the new Martin was her dream come true, a man she could live in peace and friendship (to cite sixteenth-century values) and in passion† (Davis 44). They also seemed to have become very attached to each other in their new life together. In conclusion, this book is a fascinating story of deception and betrayal, but it is a fascinating glimpse into the everyday life of the sixteenth-century peasant, as well. The book shows how families lived, survived, and even thrived, how women were treated in society, how important the Church was to so many aspects of life, and how difficult life was for many peasants. It is a good book to read to learn the more intimate details of life in the Middle Ages. The Return of Martin Guerre The film The Return of Martin Guerre is based on a true story about a young man, Martin Guerre, during the mid-16th century. It takes place in a small peasant town, Artigat, located in southwestern France. Martin is married off at a young age but is unhappy with his life. He decides to abandon his family and join the army. After several years gone, he finally returns to the village. The village is ecstatic of his return, especially his wife Bertrande. However after a disagreement with his uncle over land, the village begins to question whether his is truly Martin Guerre. Their skepticism proves to be accurate when finally the real Martin Guerre returns. The fake Martin, known as â€Å"Pansette† is then executed for his crime. This film illustrates the concerns and lives of the people in 16th century France, through the interplay of social, religious and political institutions. In the film, we see marriage being treated as a social matter, rather than a religious matter. During the 16th century, marriage began to be treated as secular, instead of a sacrament. Because of this parents’ control over whom their children married began to increase (Western Civilizations, 357). At a young age, Martin’s family married him off to Bertrande de Rols. Bertrande belonged to a well-off peasant family. Bertrande was chosen by Martin’s family based on what her family could offer to Martin. Her dowry included a bed, linen sheets, wool and a vineyard, among other items of value. Because marriage involved the inheritance of property, most believed it was too important of a matter to be left in the hands of the children (357). Once Martin’s father passed, Martin would inherit his family’s land. During the 16th century was the father’s role to instruct and discipline his household, while the woman was to tend to and show obedience to her husband, and also to bear children (Western Civilizations, 357). After the marriage, Bertrande moved in with Martin and his family. Martin worked underneath his father and learned from him. However soon into the marriage, it was discovered that Martin could not consummate his marriage and therefore the family did not have children. In the film, we see how infertility was dealt with socially and religiously during this time. The village poked fun at Martin’s infertility during a festival. During the 16th century, festivals served a social function. Usually they were used for celebration and demonstration of solidarity. However, like in this case, festivals were used as competition between classes and were incredibly violent (Wahl, â€Å"Festivals† notes). During a Candlemas festival, a â€Å"symbolic castration† took place. Martin was dressed up as a bear. The villagers pretended to hunt him and cut off what symbolized his genitals. Bertrande claimed that he had been put under a spell and a Catholic exorcism is performed. Both Martin and Bertrande are tied to a post naked, while the Priest performs rituals. After this, Bertrande becomes pregnant with their son, Sanxi. Though his infertility was reversed and his son was born, Martin was unhappy with his life. He did not like farming and kept to himself. After an argument with his father over stolen grain, Martin leaves during the night and does not return for several years. During this time, Martin’s father passes. In the 16th century, when a father dies the estate is given to the eldest son. In this case, it was Martin. However, because Martin is not around, Martin’s uncle takes control of the Guerre’s estate. In order to keep the estate within both families, Bertrande’s mother marries Martin’s uncle. Throughout Martin’s absence, Bertrande remains married to him. Because there was no proof that Martin was dead, Bertrande was not considered a widow and therefore could not remarry. It was also not common for the Catholic Church to annul a marriage, unless it could be proven that either party had not freely consented to the marriage (Western Civilizations, 357). During the 16th century, a person’s identity was based on his or her actions rather than appearance. For this reason, the fake Martin Guerre, Pansette, was able to convince the village that he was the real Martin. No formal records or pictures were kept of people at this time. The people of the village relied on the memory of Martin. With Pansette’s slight resemblance to Martin and his vast knowledge of Martin’s life, he was able to fool everyone. Pansette tells stories of the places he visited. Specifically he spoke of the men he saw from Brazil. He describes the men as naked and in chains with feathers on their heads. Pansette tells them that they eat their prisoners’ hearts, and share their land and women. He also told them that women make the decisions and go to war for the men. Bertrande seems shocked by this and asks if they are human or if they have souls. This is significant because it demonstrates the power of men at this time. In the 16th century, men made the decisions, while woman were expected to obey their husbands. Therefore it was strange for them to hear of woman having power over the men. After a dispute over the land between the fake Martin and his uncle, his uncle begins to question whether he is the real Martin. Rumors go around about this and the village is split on this issue. With this issue, we see how it is dealt with through religion and politics. The Toulouse Parliament of France is put in charge of this matter and questions Bertrande. She stands by Pansette, claiming he is the true Martin Guerre, although she knows that he is not. From a religious point of view, by doing this she is living in mortal sin and damning her soul and politically, she can be hanged for this crime. This case is brought before a court. Those who testified claimed that Pansette was not an imposter, until a man walks in claiming to be the real Martin Guerre. Martin’s family, including Bertrande, admits that this man is, in fact, the real Martin. Pansette finally confesses that he is not Martin and learned everything he knew about him through Martin himself. Although Pansette is found guilty, the court frees Bertrande from prosecution as a collaborator. This is because the court holds the real Martin Guerre to be partially responsible for not acting as a true husband. This issue is considered so serious because it is an issue of property. By pretending to be another man, Pansette is taking another man’s wife and stealing his wealth. During the 16th century, crimes against property, such as theft and arson, were punishable by execution (Wahl, â€Å"Counter Reformation† Lecture). The story of Martin Guerre and his return demonstrate the concerns and lives of people in 16th century France, through social, religious and political institutions. Socially, we see the act of marriage as a secular matter, ather than a religious one, where wht dowry a woman can offer determines if she is fit to be a wife. Also, we see the issue of identity and individuality based upon knowledge and actions, rather than appearance. It can be argued that during this time people know each other better than today. To decide if Pansette was the real Martin, they based their decision around how he acted and what he remembered about life before he left (although Mart in’s family was fooled by the fake Martin), while today identity is based a lot more on just appearance. We see how religion plays a role in their actions. They believed to fix Martin’s problem of infertility, they must perform an exorcism to get the demon out of him. Also, we see how by believing the fake Martin, Bertrande is living in sin under God. Finally, politically we see just how serious Pansette’s crime was. By interfering with the real Martin’s property (his family and land), he is committing the ultimate crime and is executed for this.