Short Fiction · Chapter
Saint Anthony explained
Saint Anthony, a robust and cunning Norman peasant, adopts a captured Prussian soldier as his 'pig' during the Franco-Prussian War, using him as a source of amusement and local fame.
What happens
Saint Anthony, a robust and cunning Norman peasant, adopts a captured Prussian soldier as his 'pig' during the Franco-Prussian War, using him as a source of amusement and local fame. After a drinking contest, a violent struggle ensues, and Anthony accidentally kills the soldier. In a panic, he hides the body under a pile of manure, fearing execution and the destruction of his farm.
Themes in this chapter
Cruelty and Suffering
Saint Anthony's dehumanizing treatment of the Prussian soldier as a 'pig' and the eventual violent death highlight the cruelty inherent in war and human nature.
Obsession and Delusion
Anthony's obsession with his 'vengeance' and the comedic facade of the relationship blinds him to the danger, leading to a tragic outcome.
Social Class and Money
The peasant's shrewdness in business and the transactional nature of his interactions with the soldier reflect class dynamics and economic concerns during wartime.
Characters to notice
- Saint Anthony
The protagonist, a strong and jovial Norman peasant who adopts a Prussian soldier as a pet and later kills him in a drunken fight.
- Maître Chicot
The mayor who delivers the Prussian soldier to Saint Anthony's farm, warning him not to cause trouble.
- Césaire Houlbrèque
A neighbor to whom Saint Anthony jokingly offers to sell his 'pig' for thirty francs.
Key passages
“He was called Saint Anthony, because his name was Anthony, and also, perhaps, because he was a good fellow, jovial, a lover of practical jokes, a tremendous eater and a heavy drinker and a great man for the servant girls, although he was sixty years old.”
The nickname 'Saint Anthony' stems from his name and his reputation as a jovial, gluttonous, and womanizing peasant despite his age.
Introduces the protagonist's character and the origin of his nickname.
“From that time Father Anthony never went out without his Prussian. He had got what he wanted. This was his vengeance, the vengeance of an old humbug.”
Anthony paraded the Prussian soldier around as a trophy, viewing it as his personal revenge against the invaders.
Highlights Anthony's sense of triumph and the dehumanizing nature of his 'vengeance.'
“He bent over it, turned it on its back, and gazed at it for some time. The man’s eyes were closed, and blood trickled from a wound at the side of his forehead.”
After the fight, Anthony stared at the dead soldier's body, realizing the gravity of what he had done.
Marks the turning point from bravado to fear and guilt.