The Prices Set by Society: Reading The Wife of Martin Guerre Vijayalaxmi Ravipati 11th Grade

Janet Lewis’ novella The Wife of Martin Guerre describes one woman’s quest for the truth, in the face of breaking her community’s traditional patriarchal and religious practices and beliefs. Set in a rigid 16th century society, which demands submissiveness and silence in exchange for stability, authority and security, Bertrande faces a dilemma: sacrifice her family and community’s happiness for her own cleared conscience, or sacrifice her conscience for her family. The heavy price society demands for stability, authority and security can be seen through stifling tradition, the choice between truth or lies, and the issue of identity.

In The Wife of Martin Guerre, Martin rebels against the tradition in which he has been brought up in. This is a consequence of the inflexible justice he receives from paternal authority. The novella is set in the French village of Artigues, known for upholding “the feudal structure”. Every aspect of life was controlled by this structure and had been for more than 300 years, such as “the rubbing of garlic on the lips of Sanxi.” This repetition of tradition can be stifling and constraining. Martin rebels against the paternal authority, which society provides. The inflexible justice he receives from...