Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc · Chapter
Joan Hears News from Home explained
After the coronation of Charles VII, Joan is reunited with her father Jacques d'Arc and her uncle Laxart, who have come to Rheims.
What happens
After the coronation of Charles VII, Joan is reunited with her father Jacques d'Arc and her uncle Laxart, who have come to Rheims. The King honors them, but Joan expresses her desire to return home to her peaceful village life, believing her divine mission is complete. Her father and uncle struggle to understand her wish to leave the glory of war, and they share news from home, including her mother's constant worry. Joan reaffirms her loyalty to the King but longs for peace.
Themes in this chapter
Faith and Divine Mission
Joan believes her task from God is complete after crowning the King, and she longs to return to her simple life, showing her obedience to divine will.
Innocence and Purity
Joan's desire for peace, her love for her family and village, and her aversion to war highlight her innocent and pure nature.
Patriotism and National Identity
The coronation and Joan's role as the Deliverer of France underscore the national unity and pride, while her father and uncle are elevated from peasants to honored guests.
Characters to notice
- Joan of Arc
Reunited with her father and uncle; expresses longing to return home and end her military life, believing her mission is complete.
- Louis de Conte
Narrates the chapter, reflecting on Joan's divine status and the distance between her and her humble companions.
- The Paladin
Present during the reunion; comments on Laxart's tale.
- Noël Rainguesson
Present during the reunion; agrees with the Paladin about Laxart's tale.
- Jacques d'Arc
Joan's father, arrives in Rheims as a peasant; honored by the King; shares news of Joan's mother worrying at home.
- Laxart
Joan's uncle, arrives with Jacques d'Arc; tells a humorous tale about riding a bull to a funeral; questions Joan's desire to leave the army.
- Charles VII
The King, honors Joan's father and uncle publicly, giving them his hand to kiss and ordering the Bailly to host them.
Key passages
“She was the Commander-in-Chief, we were nobodies; her name was the mightiest in France, we were invisible atoms; she was the comrade of princes and heroes, we of the humble and obscure; she held rank above all Personages and all Puissances whatsoever in the whole earth, by right of baring her commission direct from God.”
Joan was the supreme commander, while we were insignificant; her name was the most powerful in France, and we were nothing. She associated with princes and heroes, while we were among the lowly. Her authority came directly from God, placing her above all earthly powers.
Louis de Conte reflects on the vast gulf between Joan's divine status and their own humble positions.
“The task is finished, and I am free. Has ever a poor soldier fallen in my sight, whether friend or foe, and I not felt the pain in my own body, and the grief of his home-mates in my own heart? No, not one; and, oh, it is such bliss to know that my release is won, and that I shall not any more see these cruel things or suffer these tortures of the mind again!”
My mission is complete, and I am released from duty. Every soldier who fell, friend or enemy, caused me pain and grief. I am overjoyed that I will no longer have to witness such suffering.
Joan explains to her father and uncle why she wishes to return home, expressing her relief at being free from the horrors of war.
