Janet Lewis's short story Martin Guerre's Wife describes a woman's search for truth, in the face of the breakdown of traditional patriarchal and religious practices and beliefs of his community. Set in a rigid 16th century society, which demands submission and silence in exchange for stability, authority and security, Bertrande faces a dilemma: sacrifice the happiness of her family and community for her own clear conscience, or sacrifice her own conscience for his family. The high price that society demands for stability, authority, and security can be seen through suffocating tradition, the choice between truth or lies, and the question of identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Martin Guerre's Wife, Martin rebels against the tradition in which he was raised. This is a consequence of the unyielding justice he receives from paternal authority. The novella is set in the French village of Artigues, known for upholding “the feudal structure.” Every aspect of life was controlled by this structure and had been for more than 300 years, like “rubbing garlic on Sanxi's lips.” This repetition of tradition can be suffocating and limiting. Martin rebels against the paternal authority that society gives him. The unyielding justice he receives from his father, “the accumulated authority of antiquity,” results in his departure. When Monsieur Guerre discovers the true reason for his son's departure, he is shocked and disappointed, mirroring society's reaction to disobedience. Lewis uses the character of Martin to explore how individuals in society can act under constraints and inflexibility, and how such rebellion shapes them. Bertrande's choice between truth or lie highlights how one's own needs must be defeated by the needs of the community. Bertrande, at the cost of her own ruin, goes against this unwritten social rule. When Bertrande is reunited with her husband for the first time, she experiences “a suspicion,” which she hopes passes. Instead, the suspicion grows stronger and stronger, to the point of putting his physical health at risk. When she reveals this to the other members of the “mesnie,” she is told not to think about such things. After Martin is arrested, the village begs her to drop the charges, to which Bertrande responds, "how can I deny the truth?" Martin's younger sister says this is "the truth just for you." This housekeeper wishes Bertrande was "deceived again... we were all happy then." The priest also tries to convince Bertrande that if there was any evil, God would reveal it in due time. This is characteristic of the priest, a significant member of this society, cultured and experienced, whose word is law. This represents the pressure that society puts on those who disobey and the underlying pressure for everything to be done for the good of the community, a collective society without individuals. Since there is no individual in such a collective society, there is no individual identity. . All individual identity is submerged in a communal identity. As the title suggests, Bertrande, as a woman, has no identity, she is simply “Martin Guerre's wife”. Women in the 16th century were considered subordinate to men and second-class citizens. Their only roles were those of wife and mother and, in a village like Artigues, agricultural laborer. Everything they did was for the good of the family and, in general, of the community. During Arnaud's reign and during the trial, Bertrande faces the dilemma of identity: is she Martin's deceived wife or Arnaud's adulterous wife? Both identities have heinous consequences and ruin.