Saragossa · Chapter
II explained
The narrator and Don Roque, accompanied by two others, are guided through the ruined streets of Saragossa by a loquacious beggar named Sursum Corda.
What happens
The narrator and Don Roque, accompanied by two others, are guided through the ruined streets of Saragossa by a loquacious beggar named Sursum Corda. Despite their hunger and impatience, Sursum Corda regales them with vivid tales of the recent siege, recounting the heroic deeds of various patriots, the destruction of buildings, and the fierce fighting against the French. Eventually, he leads them to the house of Don José de Montoria.
Themes in this chapter
Heroic Resistance and Patriotism
The chapter is filled with tales of individual and collective heroism against the French, emphasizing the patriotic fervor of the Saragossans.
War and Dehumanization
The vivid descriptions of death, destruction, and the dehumanizing effects of war are prominent, as seen in the treatment of the dead and the chaos of the fighting.
Characters to notice
- Don Roque
Accompanies the narrator, impatient with Sursum Corda's lengthy stories, eager to reach Don José's house.
- Don José de Montoria
The person the group is seeking; his house is the destination.
- Antonio Laste
Mentioned by Sursum Corda as a hero who saved money from the treasury and recovered stolen candles.
- Don Antonio Quadros
Recounted as a fearless commander who died after being shot in the head while defending the wall.
- Countess de Bureta
Mentioned for her heroic act of building a barricade and firing a gun at the French.
Key passages
“you see this house? Well, here lives Antonio Laste, first sergeant of the Fourth Company of Regulars, and you must know he saved from the treasury sixteen thousand, four hundred pesos, and took from the French the candles that they stole from the church.”
Sursum Corda points out the house of Antonio Laste, a sergeant who heroically rescued money and church candles from the French.
Illustrates the beggar's tendency to share heroic anecdotes.
“Don Antonio Quadros said that that did not bother him any, and seeing that the enemy’s batteries had opened a large hole in the wall, went to stuff it full of bags of wool. Then a bullet struck him in the head. They brought him here; he said that was nothing either, and died.”
Don Antonio Quadros, despite being wounded, continued to defend the wall by stuffing it with wool, and died after being shot in the head, dismissing his injury as nothing.
Highlights the extraordinary bravery and stoicism of the defenders.