Types of Justice in Mihail Sadoveanu's Hanu Ancutei

• Author: Andy Pusca - Cristinel Munteanu
• Position: Associate Professor, PhD, Rector of Danubius University of Galati, Romania - Associate Professor, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Romania
• Pages: 5-15

ISSN: 1844-8062 JURIDICA

5

Studies and Articles

Types of Justice in Mihail Sadoveanu’s

Hanu Ancuţei

Andy PUŞCĂ

1

, Cristinel MUNTEANU

2

Abstract: The problem of just ice seems to be the common theme in Hanu Ancuţei [Ancuţa’s Inn] –

Mihail Sadoveanu’s book of tales. The world portrayed by Sadoveanu functions according to archaic

norms. Justice is made either by the ruler (or by his men), or on one’s own (provided there is enough

strength), in accordance with some ancient laws. The helpless (when the ruler is not on their side)

hope for di vine justice. A coherent s ystem of l aws and fair judges, devoted to unbiased justice

(similar t o the German one, mentioned in one of the tales), remain a desideratum in this literary

masterpiece.

Keywords: the quest for justice; law and literature; Mihail Sadoveanu; archaic norms

1. Preliminaries

The quest for justice, seen at the same time as an attempt to restore the initial order

or to restore a necessary balance to t he life of the traditional society, represents a

constant concern in Sadoveanu’s work. The very idea of “revenge” must be taken,

in this case, according to the primal, etymological, sense of the Rom. term

răzbunare ‘revenge’; thus starting from the action of making a good situation

again, a state of things (that is, of repairing it, of straightening it up

3

).

1

Associate Professor, PhD, Rector of Danubius University of Ga lati, Romania, Address: 3 Galati

Blvd., Galati 800654, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, E-mail: andypusca@univ-danubius.ro.

2

Associate Professor, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd., Galati

800654, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, E-mail: cristinel.munteanu@univ-danubius.ro.

3

In this sense, see Fane’s words, a character in Eugen Barbu’s novel Groapa: “If justice would be a

wire, I would straighten it.” (in Nea Fane Chapter). Indeed, it is worth noting that one of the

antonyms of the term dreptate/righteousness is the word strâmbătate ‘injustice’, which means that the

moral beautiful and the aesthetic one appear to be together, conjugated, from the beginning. Besides,

a “minor” aesthetics accompanies us all in everyday life. For this reason, we feel the need for things

to be s ymmetrical, to have a regular shape, to be harmoniously arranged and properly proportioned.

Not accidentally, in Romanian (as also in Spanish, cf. hermoso), the word frumos ‘beautiful’ inherits