Jacques, the Outcast

In the folk legends of a territory permeated by the Catholic faith, the Devil often plays a role. Divine punishment for blasphemy is equally frequent. Laliberté sculpted a number of such subjects based on stories and, less often, oral tradition. Jacques, the Outcast represents a drunken farmer returning from the fields. Addressed by a passerby as he is uttering an oath, he responds by thrusting his pitchfork at the body of the Christ on a wayside cross. It falls over on him, and his heart is pierced by his own pitchfork.