Saragossa · Chapter
III explained
Don José de Montoria is not at home, so Don Roque and the narrator (Don Araceli) travel to his country house (torre) outside Saragossa.
What happens
Don José de Montoria is not at home, so Don Roque and the narrator (Don Araceli) travel to his country house (torre) outside Saragossa. They find him cutting down olive trees as part of the defensive preparations for a second siege. Montoria welcomes them with brusque, generous hospitality, feeding them abundantly. He then shows them the fortifications being built in the western part of the city, including the battery at Portillo and the walls connecting convents. The chapter highlights Montoria's patriotic sacrifice and the makeshift nature of Saragossa's defenses.
Themes in this chapter
Heroic Resistance and Patriotism
Montoria's willingness to sacrifice his olive trees and his declaration that he would give his last crust for the defense exemplify the patriotic spirit.
Survival and Human Endurance
The visitors' hunger and Montoria's insistence on feeding them highlight the basic needs and endurance during wartime.
Characters to notice
- Don José de Montoria
Found at his torre cutting down olive trees for defense; shows brusque hospitality, feeds the visitors, and later shows them the fortifications.
- Don Roque
Accompanies the narrator to Montoria's torre; praises the narrator's deeds (with exaggerations) and asks for food.
- Don Araceli
The narrator; travels with Don Roque, is praised by him, and is welcomed by Montoria.
Key passages
“In the first siege I cut down my trees on my property on the other side of the Huerva; but this second siege that is being prepared for us is going to be much more terrible, to judge by the great number of troops that the French are sending.”
Montoria notes that he already sacrificed trees in the first siege, but the upcoming second siege will be worse given the French troop numbers.
Shows Montoria's awareness of the escalating threat.
“Is it possible that you are hungry? Porra! Go to the devil with a hundred thousand porras! Why haven't you said so before?”
Montoria is shocked that his guests were hungry and didn't speak up, and he scolds them for not asking directly.
Illustrates Montoria's blunt, generous character.