Contemporary theories and ethnographies on the theme of identity represent it as fluid and multiple. Much 20th-century anthropological scholarship conceptualizes identity as a construction, performance, and/or dichotomy. But how was identity treated in the 16th century, a time when photo and fingerprint proof did not exist? How did people identify and recognize an individual? Furthermore, how was identity constructed in the 16th century? These are questions that arose while studying a case of imposture that scandalized a 16th century European village. This essay will be a reaction to the first part of the film “The Return of Martin Guerre” which tells the story of a French peasant named Martin Guerre who returns to his village after having disappeared for 8 to 9 years. Due to certain details, the villagers suspected that the fired man was the real Martin Guerre, leading to a trial. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay The film begins with the Guerre family settling in Artigat, where a marriage is arranged between Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols. Being immature teenagers, the couple cannot immediately consummate their marriage, but later, when they still have difficulty having children, Martin is seen as a helpless and failed husband. Even after having their first child (cured by various processes, cured of alleged witchcraft), Martin is not comfortable in his role as father. Through some scenes, it is also revealed that he is not a good farmer and is weak in manual labor despite being a villager. Perhaps these notions of identity can be analyzed through Nathalie Zemon Davis' text “Borders and sense of self in 16th century France”. Davis asserts that a 16th-century individual is anchored in the structural field of the family and that families play an important role in the formation of personal identity. Here, Martin is seen and identified as a weak, failed and powerless husband in relation to his marital situation. The way he treats his child reflects his personality as a miserable father. Additionally, Davis highlights the importance of vocations and how they shaped the notion of identity in the 16th century. Here, Martin was supposed to be a good farmer and farmer, having grown up in a village. However, he has failed to find his professional identity (at least until the first part of the film), which further reflects this idea that Martin Guerre is not the man he expects of his parents, his brothers and sisters, his wife and those around him. After fleeing this discomfort, the “supposed” Martin returns. It has changed radically. He may even be the opposite of what Martin was: he grew a beard and became taller, he is now loved by the village for his adventurous stories and his travels, he learned to read and write, he shows affection to his son and immense love for his wife Bertrande, he is now reaping. In short, he has become a beloved husband, a strong man who now protects his family and works hard for them. This character is no longer the “old” Martin Guerre. But is he the real one? As Erving Goffman says in Performances, appearance and mannerisms are the facade of one's identity, so the new Martin's appearance can become suspect at first glance. Furthermore, “we must be ready to see that the impression of reality aroused by a spectacle is a delicate, fragile thing, which can be broken by very minor incidents”. Therefore, the man claiming to be Martin begins to.