1.1.1-Acegrantaire

The Wood of La Sandraie
Okay, let’s see if I can say anything about this chapter that hasn’t already been said.

This is my first read of Ninety-Three (actually this is going to be my first time actually finishing Hugo oops) and I’ve got about no historical context whatsoever! Which will make this very interesting indeed, I’m sure. I’ve thrown everything under a cut to spare people’s dashes.

MY FIRST THOUGHT (which is actually my most recent but pertains to the very first thing about this chapter): This part of the book is called “At Sea” and I find that interesting. Perhaps more naval/maritime action will occur in the next few chapters, but we’ve begun the story in a forest. Which is kind of confusing, except I think you could easily make a case for the characters all being kind of metaphorically “at sea”? Because Flechard is completely out of her depth dealing with the war she’s in the middle of. The soldiers are also worried, waiting for an ambush they can’t see. I think in their case, it’s more like trained sailors in uncertain weather, while Flechard is more someone who never learned to sail thrown into the middle of the ocean.

I have no idea if that’s at all applicable to the conversation but whatever okay, moving on.

Beyond that I have three lil sticky notes on things I wanted to make sure I got down in this post, after which there might be more stuff.

Purple sticky the first: The contrast of the beautiful forest with the war going on around and inside it. Everyone has brought this up I think, but I find it interesting that Hugo doesn’t say that war has destroyed this forest, but rather coexists within it. The forest is almost unchanged by the fighting around it and within it, it is men and women who are changed. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but maybe there’s something here about the endurance of the natural world compared to the changeable nature of men.

Also I’m thinking of “The Most Dangerous Game” because of this quote: ”In former peaceable times La Sandraie was a favorite place for the Houiche-ba, the hunting of birds by night; now they hunted men there.” But that’s all I really have to say.

Purple sticky the second: The whole thing from Houzarde about giving water to dying men. The idea that in death everyone is equal, that everyone is someone. There’s also something to the way that Houzarde says that if she dies Michelle should take her place that makes me think that while everyone dies alike on the battlefield, everyone in a war is alike off of it to? In that they all can be replaced. Houzarde can be replaced by another viviandiere if she dies. A soldier can be replaced with a different man. Linking back to Michelle’s life—there is always someone to lay down authority. The cure, the lord, the king—does it matter if it’s fair? Might makes right in this world. Which makes me wonder about where the novel is going to go.

Purple sticky the third: The regiment adopts Michelle’s children! Awwww. I think it’s really interesting that Radoub is the one who presses her so hard to answer questions so that he can find out where she fits in his world, but he’s also the one who decides that the regiment will adopt the kids? There’s a certain amount of complexity there, and I’m wondering if we’ll find out more about him as the novel goes on.

One thing that really stands out to me about that adoption though, is that it’s not just Radoub adopting the kids. It’s the regiment. Which means the chances of Georgette and Rene Jean and Gros-Alain losing their father again is…. not gone, but significantly lower, now that they have more than one.

On that note, it seems like this might be a bit about the way that, in chaotic circumstances, such as a civil war, people who might not otherwise interact become parts of each other’s lives? I AM PROBABLY SPECULATING TOO MUCH.

Beyond those notes, all I have to say is that I am very impressed at how well I could track the members of the scene even though Hugo didn’t use names. He did really well at that.

Commentary
Pilferingapples YES thank you for following up on the ocean metaphor! I know (from today’s chapter) that INDEED THERE IS ACTUAL AT SEA-NESS HAPPENING, but there’s no way that isn’t a metaphor too. Hugo’s kinda got a thing about people being lost in water, after all.

And there’s probably something there about the way the ocean is a desperate environment for humans, one where you either die on your own or survive by working with others; one person, even on a good boat, is marooned at sea; a crew working together can get through. And that’s what’s happening here in a sense, the storm-stranded family being taken on board, and wow, it contrasts a lot with the next chapter BUT THAT’S FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, just, yes, thanks for bringing up that metaphor!

Acegrantaire (reply to Pilferingapples) I saw no one had noted that and thought I should bring it up! And the whole idea of the ocean being a desperate/hostile environment, yes thank you, that is what I was trying to find the words for! I rewrote that section like four times trying to put what I was thinking into words.