Wife of Martin Guerre You will know the truth and the truth will set you free
... It would be simplistic to impose all blame on any one character for the downfall of the Guerre household in accordance to our modern beliefs. ... The concept of truth has been around for centuries, it is a universal concept heard in the bible, in novels and in our every day lives. From the youngest of ages, we have been told that telling the truth is very important, not to lie and to always be honest, however the extent and the value of telling the truth over the past decades has manipulated and altered in contrast to the values of telling the truth in the sixteenth century. ... The character Bertrande in the novel The Wife of Martin Guerre lives a subjective life telling the absolute truth. Bertrande found it in her to tell the truth about the true identity of Arnaud du Tilh and her honesty could be blamed for the downfall of the Guerre household. Bertrande, seems an unwitting conspirator in the disgrace of the Guerre family. In both instances – first, when Martin deserts his home; and later, upon the arrival of the “new Martin” – Bertrande harbours a secret that no other person is privy to. For this reason, some might judge Bertrande to be sinful in her silence, guilty by omission of the truth. However, even if Bertrande had accused Arnaud of impersonating Martin from the very beginning, it is unlikely that her word would have been taken against Arnaud’s, whom all of the mesnie believe to be the real Martin. ... ” Also, the priest and Martin’s youngest sister actually perpetuate Bertrande’s deceit when she confides in them the truth, which presents itself “finally, coldly, inescapably”. The truth falls on death ears; they reassure Bertrande that the “excellent man” who has returned is the real Martin, that “a man of evil ways may by an act of will so alter all his actions and his habits that he becomes a man of good”. The readiness of the Guerre mesnie to believe in the return in the prosperity of the household forces Bertrande further into the role of the wife of Martin Guerre, because as mistress of the household, Bertrande is responsible for “defending the safety of her children, of her household, from Uncle Pierre down to the smallest shepherd.