The Return of Martin Guerre

by

Natalie Zemon Davis

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Sanxi the Elder Character Analysis

Sanxi Daguerre (later known as “Guerre”) was Martin’s father. Originally of Basque origin, he moved the family to the village of Artigat when Martin was very young. Davis depicts him as determined to adapt to his new surroundings, which he did with great success: for instance, he changed the family name from Daguerre to the more familiar Guerre. However, he was also controlling, stern, and demanded unquestioning loyalty from his son. For example, he refused to allow Martin to leave the family business and farm, although Martin felt stifled by village life. He also harshly enforced norms of Basque culture that prohibit stealing, so much so that Martin fled the village and his family after stealing a small quantity of grain. He eventually forgave his son for that transgression and for his abandonment, but died before Martin’s return.

Sanxi the Elder Quotes in The Return of Martin Guerre

The The Return of Martin Guerre quotes below are all either spoken by Sanxi the Elder or refer to Sanxi the Elder. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Identity and Property Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Into this village, then, came the Daguerres, settling to the east of the Lèze, acquiring land (perhaps buying someone else’s propres), and establishing a tileworks […]. To be accepted by the village they had to take on some Languedoc ways. Daguerre became Guerre; if Pierre had used the Basque form of his name, Betrisantz or even Petri, he now changed it.

Related Characters: Martin Guerre, Sanxi the Elder, Pierre
Page Number: 14
Explanation and Analysis:
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Sanxi the Elder Quotes in The Return of Martin Guerre

The The Return of Martin Guerre quotes below are all either spoken by Sanxi the Elder or refer to Sanxi the Elder. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Identity and Property Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Into this village, then, came the Daguerres, settling to the east of the Lèze, acquiring land (perhaps buying someone else’s propres), and establishing a tileworks […]. To be accepted by the village they had to take on some Languedoc ways. Daguerre became Guerre; if Pierre had used the Basque form of his name, Betrisantz or even Petri, he now changed it.

Related Characters: Martin Guerre, Sanxi the Elder, Pierre
Page Number: 14
Explanation and Analysis: