How Simplicissimus Became a Page: And Likewise, How the Hermit’s Wife Was Lost explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Social Class and Nobility

  Simplicissimus rises from a wild boy to a page, called 'young lord' by peasants, highlighting social mobility and class distinctions.

• War and Destruction

  The blockade of Hanau and the hermit's wife being captured and lost in war illustrate the destructive impact of the Thirty Years' War.

• Fortune and Fate

  The hermit's wife is lost twice through fortune of war, and Simplicissimus's fate changes through the Governor's favor.

Characters to notice

• Simplicissimus

  Becomes the Governor's page, praised for his faithfulness and resemblance to the hermit's wife.

• The Governor

  Governor of Hanau, moved to tears by the hermit's story, vows to care for Simplicissimus.

• The Hermit

  Revealed to be the Governor's brother-in-law; his wife was lost during the war.

• Governor Ramsay

  Mentioned as the hermit's best friend and the Governor's brother-in-law.

Key passages

• “Now did the pastor keep me at his lodging till ten of the clock before he would go with me to the Governor, to tell him of my resolve: for so could he be his guest at dinner: for the Governor kept open house”

  The pastor delayed taking me to the Governor until ten o'clock so he could join him for dinner, as the Governor hosted open meals.

  The pastor's self-serving timing reveals his opportunistic nature.

• “Yet my pastor made good with his tongue what the awkwardness of my person failed in.”

  The pastor compensated for my clumsy appearance with his eloquent speech.

  The pastor's rhetoric elevates Simplicissimus's standing despite his lack of courtly manners.

• “Then were the Governor’s eyes full of tears, who yet had no soft woman’s heart but was a brave and heroical soldier”

  The Governor, though a courageous soldier, wept upon hearing the hermit's story.

  The Governor's emotional response contrasts with his warrior persona, showing deep personal loss.