Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc · Chapter
The Finding of the Dwarf explained
Joan pardons a deserter condemned to death, a giant of a man who had left the army to be with his dying wife.
What happens
Joan pardons a deserter condemned to death, a giant of a man who had left the army to be with his dying wife. She cuts his bonds, bandages his wounds, and learns his story. Moved by his devotion, she gives him a new purpose: to serve France. The man, called the Dwarf, pledges his life to her, seeing Joan as France incarnate. He becomes her loyal man-at-arms, and the chapter reflects on his unwavering faith and the symbolic embodiment of the nation in Joan.
Themes in this chapter
Patriotism and National Identity
The Dwarf sees Joan as France incarnate, embodying the nation in a tangible form, reflecting the theme of national identity and devotion.
Courage and Resilience
Joan's calm demeanor during the perilous march and her bold act of pardoning a condemned man demonstrate her courage and moral resilience.
Injustice and Corruption of Power
The Dwarf's harsh sentence for a compassionate act highlights the rigidity and potential injustice of military law, which Joan overrides with her authority.
Characters to notice
- Joan of Arc
Shows mercy and insight by pardoning the deserter, bandaging his wounds herself, and giving him a new mission to serve France.
- Louis de Conte
Narrates the chapter, describing his own fear during the march past the English bastilles and his admiration for Joan's composure.
- The Paladin
Mentioned as being ahead of Louis in the column, appearing droopy but not confirmed; later compared in size to the Dwarf.
- Bertrand de Poulengy
Grabs Louis when he falls from his saddle after a jackass bray startles him.
- The Dwarf
A giant deserter pardoned by Joan; he becomes her devoted man-at-arms, seeing her as the embodiment of France.
Key passages
“To the Dwarf, Joan was France, the spirit of France made flesh—he never got away from that idea that he had started with; and God knows it was the true one.”
The Dwarf always saw Joan as the living embodiment of France, a belief that never wavered and was indeed accurate.
Louis reflects on the Dwarf's perception of Joan as the nation personified.
“I was not of a rank to make suggestions, or I would have suggested that if we went faster we should get by sooner. It seemed to me that it was an ill-judged time to be taking a walk.”
Louis, feeling too low in status to speak, wished they would hurry past the dangerous bastilles rather than walk slowly.
Louis describes his fear during the march past the English fortifications.
“She cut the bonds. They had lacerated his wrists, and they were bleeding. 'Ah, pitiful!' she said; 'blood—I do not like it'; and she shrank from the sight. But only for a moment.”
Joan freed the prisoner, noticed his bleeding wrists, expressed her distaste for blood, but quickly overcame her aversion to bandage him.
Joan's compassionate and practical response to the Dwarf's injuries.
“You are France for me. You are my France, and I will have no other.”
The Dwarf declares that Joan alone represents France to him, and he will serve no other.
The Dwarf's pledge of loyalty, equating Joan with the nation.