The Hatchet (novel)

The Hatchet (orig. Romanian: Baltagul) is a 1930 crime novel written by Mihail Sadoveanu. The main character of the novel is the wife of a shepherd living in the Moldavian village of Măgura Tarcăului, Vitoria Lipan, which has a premonition that her husband, Nechifor, on a trip to buy a new flock in the town of Dorna, has died. Her premonitions are dismissed by the village's priest and by the prefect of the county, but for Vitoria the archaic symbols and superstitions of the peasant world are more trustworthy than the books of the priests or the science of the government's officials. She calls home her son, Gheorghiţă, who was also on business in Jijia village where he waited for news from his father to pay some debts, and together they embark on a mythical journey at the end of which they find Nechifor's dead body and take their revenge on the thieves who killed him. The determined and clever Vitoria Lipan is a unique female character in the Romanian traditionalist novel despite the known female stereotype.[1][2]

The Hatchet
AuthorMihail Sadoveanu
Original titleBaltagul
CountryRomania
LanguageRomanian
GenreCrime novel
Publication date
1930
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Preceded byMioriţa 

The Hatchet is considered Sadoveanu's greatest work and a creative adaptation of many themes from a famous Romanian piece of folklore, the ballad Mioriţa.

The main inspiration source was based on the popular ballad „Miorița”[3][4][5] that took the symbol, the epic structure, the conflict between the three villagers and the perseverance that begins in the search of the killed villager. The author also inspired from other popular ballads by Vasile Alecsandri from the middle of the 19th century: „Șalga” - that took the example of a courageous woman villager that begins the adventure to search the groups of thieves and revenges in a dreadful way for robbing them - and „Dolca” - that takes the link between the human and the nature.[6]

The Hatcher is considered a monograph of a traditional romanian village because it shows the aspects of the villager typology with romanian traditions and the superstitions: baptism, wedding, and funeral. The title is based on the justice weapon that in a way made both criminals confess but also refers to the weapon that the dead shepherd been murdered with. The novel been parted in 16 chapters.

The novel was made into an eponymous movie, directed by Mircea Mureșan after its scenario.[7] The official premiere of the movie been launched in October 1969.[8]

Resume

Starting in Dorna around the Saint Demetrius holiday (26 October) in order to buy some sheeps from some villager from Rarău, Nechifor Lipan doesn't return home from Tarcău and doesn't give any sign of life. the last twenty years, a farmost period from twenty days. He didn't do switched the winter position for the flock of sheep from the Cristești sat (close to Iași) found in Jijia River) from where they need to pay their debts, the fodder and the wages and from where it need then to return home with his son, Gheorghiță. The delay period goes for a month, and Vitoria dreams one night that Nechifor travels horse riding, to sunset, a stretch of water and believing he is dead.[1][9]

After hints been given by the priest Dănilă and with the elder Maranda, Vitoria decides to pray to Saint Mary and to hold black-fasting for twenty Fridays in a row hoping that Nechifor will eventually return. After Gheorghiță returns home around the winter holidays, Vitoria goes to the Bistrița Monastery to pray to the wonder-doers icon of Saint Ana and request a spiritual advice, then leaves to Piatra Neamț to announce that his husband is missing. The county's Prefect județului confirms that is possible that Nechifor Lipan been robbed and killed, confirming Vitoria's fear. The woman decides to go in search of his husband at the end of the black-fasting together with Gheorghiță, bringing a hatchet to defend themselves from evil-doers.[10]

After it seels the rest of a Jewish merchant, David, Vitoria begins in the middle of the day of 10 March, together with Gheorghiță, on the way that Nechifor Lipan walked upon to Dorna. They go across the Bistrița River, going through Bicaz, Călugăreni (where David leaves there), Farcașa, Borca, Broșteni and Crucea asking everywhere if the shepherd gone through there. Vitoria eventually arrives in Vatra Dornei where the sale records of Nechifor states that he bought 300 sheep, then decides that 100 sheep goes to the other two unknown mountain householders. The flocks of sheep been sent to the Neagra Șarului to the winter switch from Ștefănești (From the Prut's river), and then the three comrades supposed to go on their ways.

Vitoria and Gheorghiță goes on the Neagra Valley to find the flocks of sheep, going through Șaru Dornei, Păltiniș, Dârmoxa, Broșteni, Borca and Sabasa travelling in Stânișoara (on the Drumul Talienilor) to Suha (nowadays located in Mălini). Going to Suha, Vitoria finds out from the publican Iorgu Vasiliu and from her wife, Maria, that walked through there from autumn only two shepherds and not three. the two shepherds, Calistrat Bogza and Ilie Cuțui, live in the Doi Meri Valley and seemed that got wealthier quite fast, and the wives became vain and begun to do their waste. Summoned to the city hall, Bogza and Cutui confirms that bought all the sheep from Lipan and gone with their way to Crucea Talileilor, Nechifor returning to his house. After Vitoria gets advice, Maria launches a rumor in Suha that the sheep that been sold to the two shepherds is questionable, because after his death there wasn't witnesses and without signing any documents.[11]

Thinking fast, Vitoria draws a conclusion where Nechifor Lipan been killed and that happened between Suha and Sabasa and returns in Pasul Stanisoara. She finds him in the courtyard of a villager, the handy dog of his husband. The animal signals a ravine where Nechifor Lipan's body could be found, together with his horse. The skull was broken with the hit of a hatchet, proving the death of the shepherd was violent, the authorities investigates Bogza and Cutui, which continues to say that they parted ways after they paid.[12][13]

Vitoria organized a big feast to Sabasa with the occasion to burrow Lipan's bones, inviting the undersheriff and the two householders from Suha. The woman accuses Calistrat Bogza that hit his husband from his back to take his sheep, when Cutui was staying to guard to not be surprised by an adventurer. Furious, the householder exists the house and attacks Gheorghiță. The boy defends himself and hits Bogza in his forehead with the edge of the hatchet and the dog, Lupu bites his neck. Ilie Cutui surrenders and confirms the woman's accusations while Bogza, gravely hurt of the dog's bite, confesses its guilt and asks to be forgiven.[14][15][16]

Characters
  • Nechifor Lipan - rich shepherd from Tarcău. Sick from edema at four year, switching his name from Gheorghiță in Nechifor as part of a witch ritual.[17] Belongs from a family of shepherds[18] and is owner of a flock of sheep.
  • Vitoria Lipan - Nechifor Lipan's wife. Birthing seven kids, that five died from measles or from diphtheria, remaining only two.[19] She is smart and religious.
  • Gheorghiță Lipan - the son of Nechifor and Vitoria, that has his dad's previous name.
  • Minodora Lipan - daughter of Nechifor and Vitoria. She is lovestruck by Ghiță C. Topor (son of teacher Andrei that was doing military service at Piatra Neamț) that they broke up later on. She been sent to Văratec Monastery while searching for Nechifor Lipan.
  • Lupu' - the dog of the Lipan's family, the name means Th' Wolf which he appears to be a race of a shepherd dog also proved by him severely biting Bogza. He also has a good sense of smell that brought the family to Nechifor.
  • Priest Danil (Dănilă) Milieș - priest from Tarcău village. He been married to priestess Aglaia and has six kids. He is answering the letters of the villagers and official documents and writes them in jalbas and letters.
  • Crone Maranda - witch of the Tarcău village. Lives at the edge of the village near a cemetery. She tells Vitoria that a woman with green eyes did love spells on him.
  • Iordan - The publican of Tarcău.
  • Mitrea - the farm-hand of the Lipan family. The author describes him to be a human without age, short with cleared eyes [20] and Vitoria considers him to be inept and lazy.
  • Elder Alexa - an old man that occupies with sheep for Nechifor Lipan. He is with the sheep with pasturing in Jijiva river and Prut river.
  • Archimadrite Visarion - abbot of the Bistrița Monastery.
  • David - Jewish merchant, friends with Nechifor Lipan. Holds a little store, pub and inn at Călugăreni he buys cheese and lamb skin for Vitoria and then temporally joins Vitoria.
  • Donea - innkeeper from Bicaz.
  • Anastase Balmez - subsherrif from Neamț county.
  • Spiru Gheorghiu and Iancu Neculau - organizers of illegal gambling games, from Galați. Been caught in Farcașa.
  • Elder Pricop - blacksmith from Farcașa, married to elder Dochia. He invites Vitoria and Gheorghiță for dinner as is a type of tradition to serve adventurers.
  • Dumitru Macovei și Toma - innkeepers from Șaru Dornei and Sabasa that stops Vitoria to find out where Nechifor could had been travelling.
  • Iorgu Vasiliu - innkeeper from Suha.
  • Maria - Iorgu Vasiliu's wife, that seems to start rumors.
  • Calistrat Bogza - tall mountain villager with the lips of a rabbit from Doi Meri villager, killed Nechifor Lipan.
  • Ilie Cuțui - short mountain villager and a bit black that is from Doi Meri, accomplice of Nechifor Lipan.
  • Ileana - Calistrat Bogza's wife.
  • Gafița - Ilie Cuțui's wife.

Notes
  1. "Baltagul - Mihail Sadoveanu - Capitolul 1 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  2. "Baltagul - Capitolul 12 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  3. Ov. S. Crohmălniceanu, Romanian literature between two world wars, vol. I, publishing house Minerva, Bucharest, 1972, p. 205.
  4. Eugen Lovinescu, History of the contemporary romanian literature (1900-1937), publishing house Library Socec & Co., Bucharest, 1937, pp. 196-197.
  5. George Călinescu, „M. Sadoveanu”, în Istoria literaturii române de la origini până în prezent, publishing house of the royal foundation for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1941, pp. 559-560.
  6. Ion Dodu Bălan, „Reciting Baltagul”, postfață la vol. Mihail Sadoveanu, Baltagul, publishing house Minerva, Bucharest, 1971.
  7. Călin Stănculescu, The book and movie, publishing house Biblioteca Bucureștilor, Bucharest, 2011, pp. 121-122.
  8. Călin Căliman, The history of the romanian movie (1897-2000), Publishing House of the Romanian Cultural Foundation, Bucharest, 2000, p. 199.
  9. "Baltagul - capitolul 2 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  10. "Baltagul - capitolul 3 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  11. "Baltagul - capitolul 11 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  12. "Baltagul - capitolul 12 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  13. "Baltagul - capitolul 13 - Page 2 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  14. "Baltagul - capitolul 14 - Page 2 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  15. "Baltagul - capitolul 15 - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  16. "Baltagul - capitolul 16 -rez.- - Wattpad". www.wattpad.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  17. Mihail Sadoveanu, The Hatchet, Publishing House Ion Creangă, Bucharest, 1987, p. 25.
  18. Mihail Sadoveanu, Baltagul, Editura Ion Creangă, București, 1987, p. 70.
  19. Mihail Sadoveanu, Baltagul, Editura Ion Creangă, București, 1987, p. 24.
  20. Mihail Sadoveanu, Baltagul, Editura Ion Creangă, București, 1987, p. 29.
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