Saragossa · Chapter
XVII explained
The chapter depicts the intense French assault on Saragossa's defenses, focusing on the battle at the breach and the collapse of buildings under artillery fire.
What happens
The chapter depicts the intense French assault on Saragossa's defenses, focusing on the battle at the breach and the collapse of buildings under artillery fire. The narrator and his companions, including Augustine, Pirli, and Uncle Garcés, are forced to flee as their position is destroyed. Amidst the chaos, they encounter Manuela Sancho and another woman heroically firing from a window, refusing to retreat despite the imminent danger. The narrative highlights the extraordinary courage and stubborn resistance of the Aragonese people against overwhelming odds.
Themes in this chapter
Heroic Resistance and Patriotism
The defenders, including civilians like Manuela Sancho, display extraordinary bravery and determination against the French assault, embodying the spirit of resistance.
War and Dehumanization
The battle is depicted as brutal and dehumanizing, with soldiers described as 'unhappy creatures scarcely to be called men' and the dead left in heaps, highlighting the dehumanizing effects of war.
Survival and Human Endurance
The characters endure the collapse of buildings and continuous bombardment, showing remarkable endurance and will to survive amidst the chaos.
Characters to notice
- Augustine Montoria
Augustine is missing during the collapse, but later found alive, expressing indifference to his fate.
- Juan Pirli
Pirli cries 'To the street!' and throws himself out of a window to escape the crumbling house.
- Tío Garcés
Uncle Garcés exclaims in alarm as the house begins to fall, showing his fear and concern.
- Manuela Sancho
Manuela Sancho is seen firing from a window with another woman, refusing to retreat despite the danger, and later helps her crippled mother.
- Don Araceli
The narrator, Don Araceli, calls for Augustine and witnesses the battle, eventually helping to carry Manuela's mother to safety.
Key passages
“Cuerno, recuerno! exclaimed Uncle Garcés, what if the house falls down upon us!”
Uncle Garcés shouted in alarm, fearing the house would collapse on them.
Shows the immediate danger and panic as the building is hit by artillery.
“To the street! To the street! cried Pirli, throwing himself out of a window.”
Pirli yelled for everyone to get to the street and jumped out of a window to escape.
Highlights the desperate escape from the crumbling structure.
“Augustine! Augustine! where art thou? I called to my friend. But Augustine did not appear.”
The narrator called out for Augustine, but he did not respond, causing concern.
Shows the narrator's worry for his friend amidst the chaos.
“Manuela Sancho, I exclaimed, placing my hand upon the head of the heroic girl, resistance is no longer of any use.”
The narrator told Manuela Sancho that further resistance was futile, but she ignored him and continued firing.
Illustrates the stubborn heroism of Manuela Sancho.
“The natural, the human thing would have been to abandon such positions, and not try to hold them against such a combination of force and military skill. But there was nothing of the human or the natural here.”
It would have been natural to retreat, but the defenders showed superhuman resolve, refusing to give up.
Emphasizes the extraordinary courage and defiance of the Aragonese defenders.
