M O T H E
R
S O N
W A R
S O L D I E R S
Two men are out hunting in the French
countryside near Virelogne: the narrator
and Serval. Beginning with a narrator
reliving memories of the countryside, it
shifts to Serval telling the story of the
Sauvage family.
When war was declared the son Sauvage, who was
then thirty-three years old, enlisted, leaving his mother
alone in the house. Mother Sauvage remained entirely
alone in that house, so far from the village, on the edge
of the wood. She was not afraid, however, being of the
same strain as the men folk--a hardy old woman, tall
and thin, who seldom laughed and with whom one
never made fun.
One day, Prussian soldiers arrived. It was billeted upon
the inhabitants, according to the property and resources of
each. Four were allotted to Mother Sauvage, who was
known to be rich. The men do chores around the house as
if it were their own. Mother Sauvage continually asks the
young men about the French 23rd Regiment of the Line,
where her son is on the front, but the young Prussians
know nothing.
One morning, when Mother Sauvage was
alone in the house, a postman gave her a
letter from one of her son's comrades-in-
arms, which informed her of her son's death.
The letter was dated three weeks ago.
She did not cry at all. She remained motionless, so overcome
and stupefied that she did not even suffer yet. Then little by little,
the tears came to her eyes, and the sorrow filled her heart. Her
thoughts came, one by one, dreadful and torturing. She would
never kiss him again, her child, her big boy, never again! The
gendarmes had killed the father, and the Prussians had killed the
son. He had been cut in two by a cannonball. She seemed to see
the thing, the horrible thing: the head falling, the eyes open, while
he chewed the corner of his big mustache as he always did in
moments of anger.
But she heard a noise of voices. It was the Prussians
returning from the village. She hid her letter very
quickly in her pocket, and she received them quietly,
with her ordinary face, having had time to wipe her
eyes. The Prussians bring home a live rabbit for a
meal, which Mother Sauvage has difficulty killing. As
she finishes the preparation of the meal, she asks the
young men for their names and home addresses.
Mother Sauvage does not partake in the
meal, and as they finish dinner, she insists on
providing the young soldiers with hay to
make their stay in the loft more comfortable.
After the soldiers fall asleep, Mother Sauvage removes
the ladder from the loft and starts a fire in the fireplace,
which does not rage out of control until she stokes the fire
with more hay. Mother Sauvage stands outside with her
son's rifle to make sure the Prussians cannot escape. She
hears their "clamor of human screams" and stands guard.
Then, when she is sure the Prussians are dead, she
throws the rifle into the fire, and one loud shot goes off.
The other villagers and soldiers rush to her home, and
a German officer interrogates Mother Sauvage. She
informs him that the soldiers were in the fire and that
she started the fire. She hands the officer the list of
names and addresses she had gathered and is
immediately pushed against her home and shot
"almost in two", with the letter informing her of her
son's death in her bloody hand.
1. Who are the characters in the
story?
The characters in the story are Mother
Sauvage, Prussian soldiers, Victor, and a
German officer.
2. Where did the story take
place?
The story took place in Virelogne,
France, but at different times.
3. How did the story start?
(Exposition)
The story started with a narrator reliving his
memories of the countryside, and it shifted
to Serval telling the story of the Sauvage
family.
4. What is the inciting incident in
the story?
The inciting incident in the story was when
Victor Sauvage enlisted, leaving his mother
alone in the house.
5. What is the crisis in the story?
The crisis in the story was when Mother
Sauvage received a letter saying that her son
Victor was killed in the war.
6. What is the climax of the
story?
The climax of the story was when Mother
Sauvage killed the four Prussian soldiers.
7. How did the story end?
(Resolution)
The story ended when Mother Sauvage was
shot "almost in two," with the letter
informing her of her son's death in her
bloody hand.
8. What is/are the story’s theme?
The themes in the story are revenge, loss,
innocence, grief etc.
9. What point of view is/are used
in the story?
The first part of the story is told from the first-
person point of view by an unnamed narrator. A
shift occurred when the second part of the story
was told from the third-person point of view.
10. If you were Mother
Sauvage, would you have
done the same thing as she
did?
11. Do you think Mother
Sauvage is satisfied with
what she did?
12. Do you think Mother
Sauvage's killing of the
Prussian soldiers was right?
Relevance to the topic 20%
Creativity 10%
Originality 10%
