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Z' 7 ? Ale I Ivoo q7g

GALICIAN DAILY LIFE AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS AS SEEN

IN PARDO BAZAN'S RURAL SHORT STORIES

THESIS

Presented to the Graduate Council of the

North Texas State University in Partial

Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

Sally Cornette Laughlin, B.A. Denton, Texas

December, 1973 TABLE OF .CONTENTS

Chapter Page

I. PARDO BAZAN'S SHORT STORIES...... 1

II. LANDSCAPE IN THE SHORT STORIES...... 14

III. GALICIAN DAILY LIFE AND CUSTOMS ...... 26

IV. THE PEOPLE...... 47

V. CONCLUSION...... 93

BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 96

3- CHAPTER I

PARDO BAZAN'S SHORT STORIES

Emilia Pardo Bazan, one of the best-known women in the

Spanish literary world, was born in La Coruna in the province of Galicia on September 16, 1851. Pardo Bazan was known as a gifted novelist and short-story writer of the Post-romantic period, and her contribution to both genres is significant. However, it is her novels rather than her short stories which have attracted critical attention. Pardo Bazdn is also famous for introducing naturalism in Spain with her critical essays in La cuesti6n palpitante and the now classic Los pazos de

Ulloa and La madre Naturaleza. It is because of her role as a literary pioneer and as a great writer of fiction that many literary contemporaries, including Emile Zola,held her in high regard. Leopoldo Alas, to mention one, said that Pardo

Baza'n was one of the two women writers in Spain who are of any worth (6, p. 208).

As many writers do, Emilia tried her hand at various literary forms such as criticism, poetry, novels,and short stories.

Her first critical work, published in 1876, was entitled Estudio critico de las obras del Padre Feijoo. Federico Carlos S56inz de Robles in the introduction to a book of her complete works points out that Pardo Bazain's critical works were far inferior to her novels and stories. He says: "El valor como critico,

1 2

como investigadora, como polemista, de esta mujer . . . es inferior al que tiene como forjadora de ficciones" (15, p. 38).

Likewise her poetry was of minor importance. Sdinz de Robles observes, "De todos los grandes autores de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX que escribieron versos, es la Pardo Bazan la menos Pardo poeta" C15, p. 47). After having written several poems not gave up the genre because she considered her poetic talent worthy of recognition (7, p. 189). Upon listing the different genres that Pardo Bazdn cultivated, Sdinz de Robles concludes, as most critics do, that her talent lies in the writing of

novels and short stories. He remarks:

Y t6ngase en cuenta que la Pardo Bazdn escribi6 novelas, cuentos, pol6mica literaria, biografia, viajes, estudios apolog6ticos, critica literaria, historia de la literatura, ensayos acerca de temas sociales. . . . El valor maximo--y, por ende, la maxima valoraci6n--de Emilia Pardo Bazdn esta en su ingente labor como forjadora de ficciones--novelas y cuentos--(15, pp. 37-38).

When Pardo began writing, the regional novel, depicting

certain geographical areas, their people and customs, was the of popular literary genre. This genre influenced her works fiction so that many of them dealt with people's daily lives

and customs. Indeed, Pardo Bazdn's early works, such as her

first novel Pascual L6pez, autobiografa _de uin estudiante, ex- hibit this realism, which she never abandoned, and a basic

idealism reminiscent of the romantics.

Pardo Bazdn later became interested in. naturalism, a new

literary vogue which she pioneered in Spain. Naturalism, a 3

further development of Post-romanticism, had its. beginning in

France with Emile Zola and his novel La Terre.: Zola's natu-. ralism exalted the horrible and ugly aspects of human existence

rather than the beautiful and noble traits that writers and

artists had explored and recommended in the past. According

to Sainz de Robles, Zola might have adopted this style in order

to achieve notoriety. Pardo Bazdn's naturalism, however, dif-

fers from Zola's. In the words of the same critic, "Emilia

Pardo Bazdn capt6 del naturalism brutal de Zola lo verdadera-

mente aprovechable, esto es, la exaltaci6n de . . . la persona-

lidad humana" (15, p. 42).

Pardo Baza'n could not accept the determinism of Zola's

naturalism because, as J.L. Perrier notes, she felt that

determinism could not explain all the occurrences in one's

life. Neither did she believe that man is "at the mercy of

his environment," since she maintained that in everyone exists

"an active principle of freedom" (13, p. 136). She did adopt,

however, other elements present in naturalism, particularly

the descriptive minuteness, presentation of low social classes,

use of the language of the people, the influence of the environ-

ment of human behavior (4, p. 1102). Diez-Echarri notes that

Pardo Bazan defended the theories of this movement in La

cuesti6n palpitante and later applied them in her novels Un

viaje de novios, 'La Tribuna,' 'Los pazos de Uloa, and LaA madre

Naturaleza (4, p. 1103). 4

In1La cuesti6n palpitante Pardo Bazdin gave a critical

view of French naturalism and of Spanish literature in general.

Although she did not agree with all of his naturalistic beliefs

and techniques, Pardo defended Zola's use of the vulgar and

repulsive by saying that masterpieces of literature, such as Don

Qijo'te were in some parts lurid (12, p. 43).

Examples of this aspect of naturalism are numerous in

Pardo Baza'n's novels. In Un viaje de novios the subject of

adulterous love and the scene of a man beating his wife are

presented. In La tribuna a female factory worker, a likely

subject for a naturalist writer, is seduced and left with an

illegitimate child, as befitted a typical naturalistic heroine.

Another example of naturalism in practice is' Los' pazos de Ulloa,

which is concerned with a group of degenerates who retrogress

to bestial behavior as a result of their environment. Not

only is the theme of the book naturalistic, but also there

are naturalistic scenes dealing with drunkenness, prolonged pazos de labor and childbirth (12, p. 51). A sequel to' '

Ulloa, La madre Naturaleza, illustrates how the laws of nature

take precedence over social laws, a belief of the naturalists (12, p. 55).

The basic characteristics of naturalism, as deiscussed

above, are evident in the majority of Pardo Bazdn's rural

short stories. For example, the' descriptive minuteness which

is characteristic of this literary movement is exemplified in "El aire cativo." In this story she describes a dreaded 5

lizard-like. creature. She writes:

Tenia figura de sapo, s6lo que era mayor , mss ancho, mds corpulento. Sobre su lomo, simftri: cas anchas anaranjadas le darian aspecto: de algo metlico, de un capricho de joyeria, si su boca de fuelle no se abriese amenazadora y su vientre blanquecino no subiese y bajase, en anchas aspiraciones, animado de una vida odiosa (10, p. 184).

In this and in other short stories the novelist not only gives vivid descriptions of animals, but also paints pictures of landscape and intricately describes the people.

Another characteristic of naturalism to be found in Pardo

Baza'n's stories is the predominance of characters from the

lower classes. The majority of the characters in her rural

short stories are peasants. For example the main character

of "La corpana" is an alcoholic old woman described with naturalistic relish as follows:

. . . aquel ser degradado. No solamente degradado en lo moral, sino en lo fisico tambi6n. Daban horror su cara bulbosa, amoratada; sus grefias estro- pajosas, de un negro mate y polvoriento; su seno protuberante e informe; los andrajos tiesos de puro sucios que mal cubrian unas carnes color de ocre, y sobre todo la alcoh6lica tufarada que esparcia la sentina de la boca (10, p. 22).

This alcoholic woman is only one of the types which she portrays

in her stories. Other people of the lower social classessuch

as beggars, thieves, servants, and peasants,populate many stories.

With few exceptions, the portrayal of the lower social classes

is one of the strongest characteristics of naturalism to be

found in Pardo Bazin' s rural :short stories. 6

The use of colloquial language, another characteristic of naturalism, is present in some of her short stories. How- ever, since the Galician dialect would be incomprehensible to her Spanish readers, Pardo Baza'n employed good. Castilian Spanish.

But in stories such as "Atavismos," in which peasants speak, she uses the words "fillos" for "hijos," "comere" for "comer," and "branco" instead of "blanco" to lend a flavor of the native language. G6mez-Baquero compliments Pardo Bazan's use of the language by saying:

En cambio,.Emilia Pardo Bazan se acerca mucho al ideal que persigue la literatura moderna de aproximar todo lo posible la lengua literaria a la vulgar; de hacer una del habla de las letras y del habla de la vida; de fundir la lengua artis- tica y la lengua viva, terminando con la separa- ci6n tradicional entre el romdn paladino y la lengua sabia y alquitarada de los letrados. La divisa de esta fusion de lengua es naturalidad. Castiza y moderna, elegante y sencilla, el habla de la Pardo es.la mejor sintesis linguistica de su tiempo (5, p. 157).

Another characteristic of naturalism, the influence of the environment on the conduct of the people, is best shown in the story "La ganadera." In this story the inhabitants of a town on a rugged coastline earn their subsistence luring ships to the sharp reefs near the shore. The vessels approach

the shore and founder upon the hidden reefs, and natives plunder

the wreckage. The hostility of their. environment has brutalized these villagers. In other stories the barrenness of the land

is responsible for the cruelty of its inhabitants. 7

The pessimism inherent in naturalistic works dominates many of Pardo Bazan' s short stories. This is evident in the fate of some of her characters. In "Las medias rojas", for instance, a young girl who dreamed of sailing to the New World in search of a better life is beaten so severely by her father for buying some red stockings that she loses one eye. Her dreams are dashed since perfect physical condition is required of immigrants, and she is trapped into serving her father for the rest of her life.

Walter Pattison notes this pessimism and states that, al-

though Pardo Bazain's characters represent all ranks of society, most of them are usually suffering from disease or injustice.

He says, "If the individual is not bad, the world he lives in

is" (12, p 96). The harsh tone of her stories is also noted by Baquero Goyanes. He says,"El tono general de estas narraciones es duro, spero. El ruralismo se presta a la truculen- cia, que evita la Pardo Bazan con buen sentido realista, con

algtin toque lfrico y con su extraordinaria habilidad narrativa.

Son narraciones breves, aguafuertes barbaros y vigorosos" (l,p. 370).

As well as being characteristic of naturalism, the detailed

descriptions used by Pardo Bazdn owe much to costumbrismo, a

very popular genre in the nineteenth century. When Emilia was

born in 1851, Romanticism was beginning to fade out. An im-

portant type of Romantic writing was the cuadro costumbrista,

which described life and society in a certain area. Speaking 8

of Pardo Bazln as a costumbrista Correa Calder6n states:

La condesa de Pardo Bazan, Clarin or Blasco Ibaiez, indudables continuadores del costumbrismo, desarrollan y complican el escenario. Aunque las nuevas tendencias naturalistas se refieren mds bien a las pasiones humanas, al hombre mismo y a sus reacciones, que pintan con crudeza, tambi6n el paisaje y la circun- stancia en que los personajes se mueven y conmueven aparece como fondo inevitable, si bien recargado con tintas fuertes (3, p. XXXIX).

As a result of these techniques borrowed from costum-

brismo, Pardo Baza'n's novels and short stories reflect the

eternal values of her native region, as well as those per-

taining to her own time. In the words of her critics:

Galicia, su paisaje y su pueblo, surge de sus cuentos y novelas como una realidad tangible cuidadosamente observada; y aunque la Galicia que nos describe.es la de su tiempo, de fines del siglo XIX y principos del XX, a trav6s de los detalles de la vida de aquel momento se perciben las caracteristicas eternas e in- mutables de su regi6n (6, p. 27).

Many examples of costumbrismo, with its description of

people and their lives can be found in Pardo Bazdn's short

stories. For instance, in "La gallega" she describes the ty-

pical Galician peasant woman as a stout woman with blue eyes

and dark hair, wide hips, a large bust, and thick lips (11, p. 306).

Later in the story the writer tells of the peasant's daily routine

which includes lighting the fire, making the stew, and going to

the well for water (11, p. 310). Peasant customs are recounted

in her stories, In "Racimos" she discusses the customs of the

wine harvest, while the wedding custom of the charivari is noted in "Vampiro." 9

As a short story writer Pardo Bazan was well-known and respected. C6sar Barja says admiringly:

Adema's de novelista fu6 dofia Emilia cuentista, y como cuentista vale tanto o mds que como novelista. Ninguna de sus buenas cualidades de escritora se echa de menos en estas narraciones cortas, regionales unas, generales otras. La inspiraci6n literaria es la misma, ora na- turalistaora idealista; ya profana, ya mds o menos religiosa. Tienen, en cambio, sobre las novelas largas la ventaja de ser m.s concisas, menos literarias y menos pedag6gicas. Los mis- mos caracteres adquieren tanta o mayor viveza, y la nota graciosa y pintoresca es igual legi- tima (2, p. 321).

At the time that she was writing short stories, this genre was new and not favored in literary circles. Robert Osborne credits Pardo Bazan with lending respectability to the short story. He says, "Dojia Emilia, pues, representa un papel im- portantisimo en la aceptaci6n del t6rmino 'cuento' a causa del gran nimero y del alto valor artistico de sus producciones en este g6nero. Ella es, no cabe duda, la mejor cuentista femenina en Espafia y, ciertamente, figura entre los mejores de ambos sexos" (9, p. 93).

In writing her short stories Pardo Bazdn used a wide scope of methods and subjects. In them she cultivated realism, naturalism, symbolism, and expressionism. The characters in her stories come from all social classes. They are kings and prin- ces, magicians and scholars, poets and artists, saints and knights, beggars and adventurers, archangels and children, and just poor men and women. The time settings for her stories are varied, from prehistoric times to her own nineteenth century. 10

She analyzes all human passions (14, p. 1063). Virtually every subject and every situation might find its place in one of Pardo Bazan's short stories.

Pardo Bazdn felt that the skills required for writing short stories differed from those needed for the novel. In the au-

thor's words, "El primor de la factura de un cuento estd en

la rapidez con que se narra, en lo exacto y sucinto de la descripci6n, en lo bien graduado del interns, que desde las primeras lineas ha de despertarse" (9, p. 98). Emilio Gonzdlez

L6pez noted that, because of this brevity that she advocated,

her short story is not burdened by long paragraphs, abundance

of words, and accumulation of details that impair the beauty

of her novels (6, p. 162). Therefore, to some critics, Pardo

Bazan is considered a better short-story writer than novelist.

Emilio Gonzalez L6pez sees Pardo Bazdn as the best realist

of Galicia. He feels that a realist writer is like a notary

who gives authentic testimony of all that takes place before

his eyes. Thus he says, "La Pardo Bazan es, por eso, el no-

tario mayor de Galicia, y como tal tenia plena autoridad para

transcribir en documentos vivos lo que ella veia en su tierra;

como realista tuvo forzosamente que circunscribirse a pintar

lo que habla visto en Galicia, el tinico pais que conocia a fondo (6, pp. 53-54).

Pardo Baza.n considered realism to be superior to either

naturalism or idealism. In a statement paraphrased by M6rim6e

she explains that 11

If the real is everything ,that has a true and actual existence, realism in art presents a broader, completer and more perfect theory- than naturalism. It :includes and embraces the natural and the spiritual, body and soul; it harmonizes and unifies the opposed concepts of naturalism and rational idealism. Every- thing can find place in realism, save the exaggerations and errors of two extreme schools, which being, extreme, are of necessity exclu- sivist C8, pp. 549-550).

It is the realist in Pardo Bazan who shows love for her native province without being blinded to its defects (1, p. 369). And, as a consequence, her rural short stories abound in unpleasant but probably true incidents. Baquero Goyanes furthermore indicates that, in exposing the reality of rural life, Pardo Baza'n established a trend. Hle says, "A partir de entonces el cuento rural se ha convertido en narraci6n cruda, de tintas fuertes, y con un contenido en el que no faltan crimenes pasionales, amores incestuosos, disputas sangrientas por la tierra, y otros

t6picos que han momificado el que, en sus dias, fu6 espl6ndido genero literario" (1, pp. 269-370).

With this blend of costumbrismo and naturalism which

Pardo Bazdn calls realism she succeeded in creating a body of

short stories that recreates the landscape, life, customs, and

people of her native Galicia; a series of tableaux enlivened

by her keeness as an observer and her mastery of .the language.

Lyrical in her contemplation of the countryside, ironic but

compassionate in giving life to her characters, almost scien-

tific in her depiction of customs and mores, She carefully

weaves an intricate tapestry which reproduces the very soul of

Galicia. CHAPTER BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Baquero Goyanes, Mariano, El cuento espafiol _en eljgjo XIX, Madrid, Talleres Gr6ficos, 1949.

2. Barja, C6sar, Libros y oautores modernos, Battleboro, Vermont Printing Company, 1933.

3. Correa, Calder6n, E., "El costumbrismo, germen de la novela realista," Costumbristas espanoles, Vol. I, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1940.

4. Diez-Echarri, Emiliano and Jos6 Maria Roca Franquesa, Historia de la literature espanola e hispanoamericana, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ehiciones, 1968.

5. GOmez-Baquero, Eduardo, De Gallardo a Unamuno, Madrid, Editorial Mundo Latino, 1926.

6. Gonzdlez L6pez, Emilio, Emilia Pardo Bazin, Novelista de Galicia, New York, Hispanic Institute, 1944.

7. Martin, Elvira, Tres Mujeres Gallegas del Siglo XIX, Barcelona, Editorial Aedos, 1962.

8. Merim6e, Ernest, A History of Spanish Literature, New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1930.

9. Osborne, Robert E., Emilia Pardo Bazdn, Su vida y_ sus obras, Mexico City, Ediciones de Andrea, 1964.

10. Pardo Bazan, Emilia, Cuentos de la tierra, Buenos Aires Emec6 Editores,S.A., 1940.

11. Pardo Baza'n, Emilia, Un destripador de antafno, Madrid, V. Prieto y Compafnia, Editors, 1900.

12. Pattison, Walter, Emilia Pardo Bazdn, New York, Twayne Publishing, Inc., 1971.

13. Perrier, J.L., History of Spanish Literature, New York, J.L. PerrierEditor, 1925.

14. Sa'inz de Robles, Federico Carlos, "Pr6logo," Obras completas, 3rd ed., Vol. I, by Emilia Pardo Bazn, Ma~id, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957.

12 13

15. Sainz de Robles, Federico Carlos, "Su obra," Obras com- p1etas, 3rd ed., Vol. I, by Emilia Pardo Bazan, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957. CHAPTER II

LANDSCAPE IN THE SHORT STORIES

Although Pardo Bazdn's rural short stories are very clearly identified with Galicia, the author does not depend on description of the landscape as the most important means of presenting a picture of her native land. However, in some of her short stories Pardo Bazdn describes the landscape in great detail.

The salient features of the Galician landscape appear in "La gallega." In a nostalgic passage where the writer views the native land as seen through the eyes of one who leaves

Galicia, Pardo Baza'n describes Galicia as a land of fertile valleys with many streams, groves of trees, and granite mountains. "Conforme va queddndose atrds la provincia gallega, cesan de ser verdes los vallecillos, herbosos los prados y frecuentes los arroyos; b6rranse los manchones de castanfos, olmos y nogales, desaparecen las blancas manzanillas y. . . interminables y pardas llanuras, escuetas montaftas salpicadas de fragmentos de granito, 6 revestidas de negruzcas ldminas de pizarra" (2, p. 307).

A more detailed description, this time of a spot by a river at sunset, is given in another short story. A man riding home at sunset sees the effect that the sun has on the countryside. He also smells the familiar odors of flowers in bloom

14 15 and of manure which had been left by cattle earlier in the day.

Abajo, a sus pies, la cuenca del rio extendia el verdor de los juncales y el gris plateado del agua. Y enfrente, roja como el orin de las armas antiguas, la eminencia rocosa del Montifno . . surgia recogiendo el oro de los tltimos rayos de la tarde . . . La luna asomaba ya en el firmamento, enverdecido cual las turquesas enfermas y pdlidas; el olor del samo en flor y el de la bofiiga fresca, dejada por tanto ganado como durante el dia habia cruzado el camino, flotaron el aire (1, pp. 119- 120).

Quite different from a scene at sunset is the setting

given in "Un destripador de antaflo." One senses the clear

freshness of the day and the light pleasant odors of the

rain-washed woods on a peaceful morning following a night of

violent storms.

El sol empezaba 6 subir por el cielo, que des- pu6s de la tormenta se mostraba despejado y sin nubes, de una limpidez radiante. La lluvia que cubria las hierbas se empapaba ya, y seca'base el llanto derramado sobre los zarzales por la noche. El aire dia'fano y transparente, no exce- sivamente frio, empezaba 6 impregnarse de olores ligeros que exhalaban los mojados pinos. . . Todo anunciaba uno de esos dias espl6ndidos de invierno, que en Galicia suelen seguir 6 las noches tempestuosas, y que tienen incomparable placidez (2, pp. 38-39). . ..

A change from this peaceful, pleasant scenery is the set-

ting in "La Santa de Karnar." In this story the narrator is

making a journey through the Galician countryside. The land-

scape he views is rough, the land deserted, with steep bare

mountains to cross, woods to traverse, snow to walk through,

and a river to ford before reaching his destination. 16

Muy dspero y escabroso recuerdo que me pareci6; s6 que recorrimos tristes y desiertas gdndaras, que subimos por montes escuetos y casi verticales, que nos emboscamos en una selva de robles, que pisamos nieve fangosa, que hasta vadeamos un rio, y que, por tItimo, encontramos un valle, relativamente ameno, donde docena y media de casuchas se apinfaban al pie de humilde iglesia (2, p. 268).

The season changes from winter in the passage above to summer in "Milagro natural." Here the reader sees that after a period of dry weather a summer shower comes to brighten up the countryside, causing the pasture to become green again and the roses to bloom. "Era un dia primoroso de julio. Habia lovido en los anteriores; el prado se vestia de seda color de manzana,y las tltimas rosas del primer ciclo floral trans- cendian a gloria" (1, p. 44).

Pardo Bazdn's lyricism in her description of the Galician countryside is evident from the previously quoted passages and leaves the reader totally unprepared for the more naturalistic aspects present in her stories. Even when nature is depicted as harsh or austere, it is seen from the point of view of the leisurely traveler or the nostalgic native who has no score to settle with the land. But then the writer herself never had to battle with the land to glean from it a meager subsis- tance.

Dwellings

Upon describing the countryside and to provide a setting for many of her short stories, Pardo Bazdn offers interesting descriptions of Galician dwellings. Some of these descriptions 17

indicate the life of plenty of a well fed peasantry, probably stemming from the childhood memories of the author. Others reveal the squalor and misery of the Galicians as seen through the eyes of an objective naturalistic writer. A farm described in "Dios castiga" is a perfect example of the first type of description. "Comprendia largos prados, con su riego de agua de pie, fertiles labradios, montes lenfales bien poblados de tojo, arbolada de soto de castafnos, que dividia la casa de la carretera, huerto con frutales, y una vivienda mediana, unida a la pajera, herbeiro y establos" (1, p. 188).

In the same vein the mill of Tornelos is described in

"Un destripador de antafno." In this passage, however, it is significant that the house of the millers is poor, although previous mention is made that their hut fits well with the beauty of the surroundings. Here Pardo Bazdn uses the tone of a leisurely traveler rather than that of a cold naturalist since she dwells on the quaintness of the mill rather than on the misery of its inhabitants.

Caido en la vertiente de una montafnuela, ddbale alimento una represa que formaba lindo estanque natural, festoneada de can-as ypoas, puesto, como espejillo de mano sobre falda verde, encima del terciopelo de un prado donde crecilan dureos ranti- culos y en otonio abrian sus corolas morados y elegantes lirios. Al otro lado de la represa habfan trillado sendero del pie hombre y el cas- co de los asnos. . . . iY qu6 bien componia, coronando el rstico molino y la pobre casuca de los molineros, el gran castafno de horizon- tales ramas y frondosa copa, cubierto en verano de pa'lida y desmelenada flor, en octubre de picantes y reventones erizo s' Cuan gallardo y 18

se perfilaba. sobre la azulada cresta majestuoso del del monte, medio velado: entre la cortina gris salia . . . por todas partes, puertas, humo que las ventanas, resquicios del tejado y grietas de desmanteladas paredes' (2, pp. 6 7). with The complacent descriptions cited above are balanced and of the others that speak of the decadence of old manors the hovels inhabited by the peasantry. In these descriptions of chickens reader is spared no unsavory detail, from a scene of the scratching on a pile of manure to the size and shape excrement of rabbits. must An estate with a palatial dwelling is described as it symmetrical have been years before with its beautiful staircases, gardens, tapestries and flowers.

El islote estd inculto. Hubo un instante en que se le auguraron altos destinos. En su recinto habla de alzarse un palacio, con escalinatas y terrazas que dominasen todo el panorama de la ria, con parques donde tendiesen las coniferas sus ramas sim6tricamente hojosas. Amplios ta- conde- pices de gayo raygra's cubrirlan el suelo, corados con canastillas de lobelias azul turquesa, sol como de aquirantos purpfireos, encendidos al lagos diminutos de brasa viva. Ante el palacio, claras mrsicas harian sonar la diana, anunciando una jornada de alegria y triunfo (1, p. 81). over- But time has changed this estate; the gardens are and the mansion has grown; it is inhabited only by rabbits, of this lost its roof. In Pardo Bazan's minute description

decayed estate, naturalism is manifested. Al.correr del tiempo se efum6 el espeismo seinorial, islote tal cual se recordaba .toda la vida: y qued6 el y con su arbolado irregular, sus manchones de retamas brezos, sus miriadas de conejos imonteses que lo surca- emboscandose ban, pululando por senderillos agrestes,' 19

en matorrales espesos y soltando sus deyecciones, menudas y redondas como pildoras farmaceuticas, que alfombraban el espacio descubierto. Evacuado el islote de sus moradores cuando se proyectaba el palacio, todavia se elevaban en la orilla algunas chavolas abandonadas, que iban quedindose sin techo, cuyas vigas se pudrian lentamente, y donde las golon- drinas, cada ano, anidaban.entre pitios inquietos y gozosamente nupciales (1, p. 81).

In another description of an abandoned mansion there is also a note of naturalism. The caretakers had destroyed the furniture and used the ornate canopied beds to store fruit.

"Todo estaba abandonado en el caser6n; aquella gente labriega teni a los muebles destrozados, y las camas torneadas, de columnas salom6nicas, dedicadas a frutero" (1, p. 38). The garden, as it is described, had become a jungle of overgrown plants. As nature took over, undergrowth gradually stifled the life of the fountain.

El jardin era ya bosquete confuso y enmarafiado. Cada planta habia crecido a su talante y la forma severa y geom6trica del disefno ni adivinarse podia. Arboles enormes se destacaban sobre la masa de verdor oscuro, y a trechos las sendas y glorietas an blanqueaban. . . . Se escuchaba el cristalino gotear de una fuente, oculta entre arbustos, que sin duda en otro tiempo man6 hermoso chorro de agua, pero ahora, obstruido el canfo, exhalaba un sollozo in- terrumpido, lento (1, pp.39-40).

A naturalistic note is found in the description of the chapel in this same story. "La capilla estaba mds abandonada y destruida aun que el resto del edificio. Por los

claros del techo, podrido de humedad, entraba la luz del dia.

Paja y boftiga alfombraban el pavimento"(1, p. 39 ), From her

descriptions of decaying and abandoned mansions it seems that 20

day. That perhaps she uses these to symbolize Galicia in her which was once glorious has now become only ruins. All that

is left is the memories of the past. Even more pessimistic than these descriptions of abandoned

mansions are those of peasant dwellings. Pardo Bazdn gives a

very detailed picture of a peasant dwelling in the story "La a gallega." The house is but a shack with a dirt floor and proxi- leaky thatched roof. People and animals live in close mity. She writes:

Entrad en la casa: el piso es de tierra desigual y htmeda; el techo 6 tejavana, por donde, muy a su sabor, se introducen agua y ventisca; .en los angulos hay . . . aranfas; la alfombra comp6nela algtin troncho de col, alternando con vainas de habas, hojas secas de maiz y excremento de ani- males dom6sticos. Sobre la losa del hogar pende de la ferrea cremallera el negro pote; en el rin- c6n reluce la tapa de la artesa, brunfida de tanto pan como en ella amasaron. . . . El tdlamo conyugal lo hacen cuatro tablas sin acepillar, formando una como caja pegada a la pared y abierta por donde es preciso que lo est6, para dar ingreso a sus ocupan- tes. Dos pasos mas alla asoman la cabeza terneras y bueyes . . . migntras las gallinas escarban el suelo en derredor y el cerdo grufte, hozando contra el lecho (2, p. 309).

In these miserable surroundings the typical Galician peasant

grows up and lives out his life. With a touch of irony Pardo Baz6.n describes another peasant dwelling. Attention is drawn

to the fireplace and the cooking utensils. La casa solariega de los Aldeiros . . ..encon- trabase en tal estado de vetustez, que por las rendijas del techo entraban los pdjaros y vef- amos amanecer perfectamente; vidrios, ni uno para sefial; el frio era tan crudo, que s6lo podiamos vivir arrimadas a la piedra del lar, 21

acurrucadas en los bancos de ennegrecido roble, y extendiendo las amoratadas manos hacia la llama viva. . . . Las 'paredes estaban como barnizadas por el humo, y sobre su fondo se destacaban bien las cacerolas y calderos, y el vidriado del gro- sero barro en que comiamos. La artesa, brunida a fuerza de haberse amasado encima el pan de bro- na, llevaba siemnpre carga de espigas de maiz mezcladas con habas, cuencos de leche, cedazos y harneros. Ma's allay la herrada del agua, y, colgada de la pared, la escopeta. . . . Bajo la profunda campana de la chimenea se apifiaban los bancos, y alli . . . nos agrupdbamos amos y servidores (2, pp. 261-262).

A tile-maker's shack is described as a "misera vivienda desmantelada, donde el frio y la lluvia penetraban sin estorbo por la techadumbre a teja vana, y por las grietas y agujeros de las paredes" (2, p. 192). In the style so typical of a naturalist the author explains that the entrance to the house was obstructed by "montones de esti6rcol y broza, sobre los cuales escarbaban dos flacas gallinas" (2, p. 192). .

An essential piece of furniture in the peasant's dwelling, the bed, made of corn shucks is said to be "especie de caj6n con una abertura al exterior, y dentro un relleno de hojas de mafz y una raida manta" (2, p. 17). In the same story Pardo

Bazdn condemns the lack of privacy in a peasant dwelling.

"Estaba echada Minia sobre un haz de paja, a poca distancia de sus tios, en esa promiscuidad de las cabanas gallegas, donde irracionales y racionales, padres e hijos, yacen confundidos y mezclados" (2, p. 18). 22

Village Scenes

When the setting for Pardo Bazan's short stories moves from the country to the village, attention is drawn to the daily street scenes. In "Santi Boniti" the woman sits in her house every day and watches the people as they go about their lives. She sees women on their way to church, a priest, children playing, a laborer on horseback, a woman selling sardines, a clerk carrying papers, a servant, and a blind man.

Por los vidrios de la ventana se vefan siempre iguales escenas. Con andar sesgo iban las de- votas, arrebujadas en sus mantos color de ala de mosca; asegurado en las manos, que cubrian viejos mitones, el sobado libro de rezo. Un cura subfa las escaleras a paso rdpido, recogido el manteo, echada atrds la teja. Los chiquillos jugaban a la pelota contra la pared. Un caballejo, montado por un labriego que llevaba en las alforjas carga de hortaliza, venclia despacio la.cuesta. Cruzaba una mozallona, con una cuesta plana, pregonando sardinas. . . . Al- gun escribiente de la notarfa apretaba entre codo y costado un fajo de papeles. Se ofa llorar desesperadamente a un nifio de pecho. Una dom6s- tica de la casa fronteriza se asomaba y sacudia un tapete. Un ciego entonaba, plaftendo, can- ciones verdes y jocosas (1, pp. 146-147).

A part of the village is the cemetery. In the story

"Reconciliados" there is a description of a cemetery. Again the naturalist writer could not resist the opportunity of drawing attention to the unsavory topic of the putrefaction of corpses.

Plantas lozanas y fresquisimas refan impregnadas ain del rocfo nocturno, al sol que iba a beb6r- selo golosamente. Eran.flores de jardin, plantadas alli sin inteligencia, pero con el respeto que a "sus difuntos" demuestra siempre la gente labriega. 23

Azucenas, rosas, alelies, margaritas, medraban en el terruno relleno de elementos favorables a su desarrollo, de abono de cuerpos humanos, y transformaban en perfumes y en colores las des- composiciones del sepuicro (l, p. 104). The carpenter's shop, a familiar place in a small-town, is described in "Obra de misericordia." "Habla en ella ollas de virutas, hacinamiento. .de astillas y tablones, el banco reluciente por el uso, con e.sos curiosos esgrafiados que son la vanidad de los carpinteros" (1, p. 35).

In "El invento" there is a description .of a small-town dry goods store. The merchandise includes furniture and dishes along with other necessities of rural housekeeping. "Era el mismo hacinamiento de camas doradas, sillas curvadas de madera, paquetes de ferranchinerfa oxidados, cubos de cinc, loza gro- sera y pretenciosa, cacerolas ordinarias, y cromos . . . (1, p. 158).

Seaside Scenes

Pardo Bazan wrote several stories set by the sea. In "Tiempo de animas," the coast of a certain part of Galicia is described as being very rough. "La costa de L*** es temible para los navegantes. No hay abra, no hay ensenada en que puedan guare- cerse. Asperos acantilados, fieros escollos, traidores sirtes, bajios que apenas cubre el agua, es cuanto alli encuentran los Later buques si tuercen poco o mucho el derrotero"(3, p. 1275). in the story there is a description of the water. "En la esta- ci6n veraniega, mientras el mar luce sonrisa de azur, mientras

el arenal es de oro, las olas fosforecen de noche y las algas

flotan suavamente bajo el cristal del agua nitida"(3, p. 1276). 24

Still later Pardo Bazgn personifies the sea as a monster with enormous jaws. Fren6tico, delirante, el Oceano querAa tragarse la orilla; el trueno asordaba, el rayo cegaba y el empuje del vendaval parecia estremecer las rocas hasta sus profundas bases, alzando montanas lfqui- das que empezaban por ser una linea gris en el horizonte; luego, un monstruo de enormes fauces y cabellera blanquisima, galopando hacia tierra como para devorarla(3, p. 1276). The external appearance of Galicia, then, as presented by Emilia Pardo Bazain is one of extremes. On the one hand the lush valleys and fragrant apple orchards, on the other, the austere mountains and the forbidding sea. It is a land where a peasant can look out from his miserable hut, foul from the stench of pigs, and see a mansion surrounded by carefully tended classical gardens. But, in the final analysis, the pervading atmosphere that the author created was one of neglect, of decay, of a land that remained on the outskirts of the modern era and was forgotten by the world. CHAPTER BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Pardo Bazdn, Emilia, Cuentos de la tierra, Buenos Aires, Emec6 Editores, S.A., 1940.

2. Pardo Bazan, Emilia, Un destripador de antano, Madrid, V. Prieto y Companifa, Editores, 1900.

3. Pardo Bazan, Emilia, Obras completas, 3rd ed., Vol. I, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957.

25 CHAPTER III

GALICIAN DAILY LIFE AND CUSTOMS

As stated before, costumbrismo, one of the mainsprings of the Spanish regional novel, had considerable effect upon the short stories of Emilia Pardo Bazdn. Nowhere is its influence more clearly noted than in the descriptions of the daily life and customs of the Galician peasants. Pardo Bazdn describes in typically minute detail the chores performed by the gallego, his food,and his superstitions. She also concentrates on some of the most picturesque customs of her province, namely, funerals, weddings, fairs, etc., probably because,as another writer explained, "El examen de los usos de Galicia s6lo puede hacerse aprovechamiento en romerias, ferias, procesiones, bautizos, funerales y fiadeiros" (6, p. 493).

Chores

An important task for the peasants who own livestock is the transporting of their animals to a cattle fair. In "Cuesta abajo," Pardo Bazdn tells the story of a young boy and girl who meet on their way to the cattle fair,and accurately depicts the activities of the cattle fair. Both are bringing livestock to sell, the boy a pair of red oxen, and the girl five pigs. The author writes, "A la feria caminaban los dos: 61, llevando de la cuerda a la pareja de bueyes rojos; ella, guiando con una

26 27

varita de Vimio, larga y flexible, a cinco rosados lechones"C9, p. 1288). Later in the same story Pardo BazAn describes the sale of the livestock:

Margarita pasaba las del Purgatorio cuidando de que no se perdiesen, entre el gentio, los cinco diminutos fetiches, adorables con sus sedas blancas nacientes sobre la tersa piel color rosa. Acab6 por coger a dos bajo el brazo, sin atender a sus grufiidos rabio- sos, c6micos, y ya s6lo por tres tuvo que velar,.que era bastante. Esteban, columbrando entre un grupo de labriegos y un remolino de ganado las patillas de perro del tratante ingl6s, se apresur6 a acercarse con su magnifica pareja de cebones para empatdrsela a los otros vendedores (9, p. 1289).

Finally the couple meet after selling their livestock, and

they exchange reports of the results of the transactions:

- -Vendiste?--dijo la moza. --Vendi. - -Pagaronte a gusto? --Pagaronme lo que pedi, alabado Dios. -- iQu& mano de cuartos, mimadre! Y los bueis? 4Van para el barco? --Para se los comer all' en Inglaterra. . . . iBien mantenidos estardn los ingleses con esa care rica! iQu6 gordura, qu6 lomos (9, p. 1289)! An excerpt from H.V. Morton's travel book A Stranger in Spain verifies the accuracy of Pardo Bazdn's description of the

cattle fair:

I came to a village where a cattle fair was in progress. Peasants had tramped for miles with their horses, cows and pigs; and now they stood, a confused lowing, grunting and squealing mass of creatures, under the beautiful spear-headed leaves of great chestnut trees, while their owners leaned on their sticks and critically discussed the animals. . . . Peasant women, their feet thrust into big wooden sabots, were holding the head-rope of a cow or. calf, and looking quite competent to drive the hardest of bargains (5, p. 304). 28

The. housekeeping chores of the peasants are described in "Un destripador de antanfo."Pardo Bazan tells of the chores that a young girl, Minia, must do. These chores include

loading a cart, making bread, feeding the animals, and carrying bundles of wood, sacks of nuts, and baskets of grass:

Minia era quien ayudaba ' cargar el carro del tojo; la que, con sus manos diminutas, amasaba el pan; la que echaba de comer al becerro, al cerdo,y, a las gallinas; la que llevaba a pastar la vaca, y encor- vada y fatigosa, traia del monte el haz de lefna, 6 del soto el saco de castalias, 6 el cesto de hierba del prado (8, pp. 11-12).

Carrying bundles of wood is a typical chore for peasant

girls. In "Las medias rojas," a young girl lights the fire

for cooking and prepares a meal. She first appears in the

story loaded down with a bundle of wood that she has brought from the mountain. The author describes her as "cargada con

el haz de lefla que acaba de merodear en el monte" (7, p. 11).

Then she prepares the fire, lights it, tears up some cabbage,

and throws the pieces into the black pot along with some po-

tatoes and beans. "Despu6s, con lentitud de las faenas aldeanas,

prepare el fuego, lo prendi6, desgarr6 las berzas, las ech6 en

el pote negro, en compafilla de unas patatas mal troceadas y unas

judas asaz secas,de la cosecha anterior, sin remojar" (7, p. 11). The most important event of the year is the wine harvest.

The author describes the work that takes place between the time

that the grapes are on the vine and when the wine is in the

cellar. The workers with baskets on their shoulders must gather

the grapes from the almost vertical slopes. They perspire from 29

the heat and the toil;. their. shoulders are bruised from the weight of the baskets, but :the workers cannot even stop to wipe the sweat from their faces:

Ello no quita para que el trabajo sea caristoso. Subir a hombros los' culeiros o cestones por las cuestas casi verticales de la ladera, hasta sol- tarlos en la bodega del antiguo Pazo, que domina todo el paisaje, vamos, ique se suda' Las vendimiadoras echan la gota gorda de su pellejo, con el calor y el tra'fago; pero los carretones se derriten al ascender con las cargas, magulla- dos los hombros por el peso, anhelosa la respira- ci6n por la fatiga, y sin poder ni pasarse el revs de la mano por la frente, para recoger las Thgrimas que de ella se desprenden y caen sobre el fornido y velludo pecho (7, p. 176).

While they work to harvest the grapes, the harvesters are provided with wine by their employer. They even have wine for breakfast:

Obligaci6n del duefio de las vifias era ddrselo a su talante, y aun, por la mafiana, a-nadir la parva de aguardiente al desayuno de pantrigo. Y todo el dia, dijerase que otro rio de sangre de Cristo corria por las gargantas abajo para transmitir su vigor a las venas y salir hecho secreci6n viva por los poros abiertos (7, p. 177).

At the end of the day the harvesters gather together to dance and sing the praises of wine:

Como la luna colgase ya en el cielo . . . vendi- miadores y vendimiadoras se juntaron en la era. Salieron a plaza panderos, tria'ngulos y conchas . .D.0ydos parejas esbozaron un baile. I. . . Ver- saba la copla sobre las excelencias del vino, y afirmaba que el que no bebe es un pavo sso o una santa mocarda (7, p. 178).

The construction of a building is another task which is followed by a celebration. The xeste is a feast which is 30

promised to the workers upon their completion of the walls of a new building. Pardo Bazn calls it "el banquete

extraordinario ofrecido desde la primavera para el dia en

que terminasen las paredes del nuevo edificio" (9, p. 1279).

Food

For the feast of the xeste the food is magnificent. The

laborers are served wine and dessert, the latter a rather

uncommon occurrence; " jEl vino en ollas, para sacarlo con

el cacillo de la herrada; y hasta postres, arroz con leche,

manzanas asadas con azucar" (9, p. 1280)! One participant

of the feast is a glutton. An account of what he ate at

the xeste reveals the menu on this occasion:

Despues de las tres tazas de caldo con tajada y otros ap6ndices, cayeron tres platos de batalao a la vizcafna, de lamerse los dedos, segu'n estaba blando, sin raspas, nadando en aceite, con el gustillo pic6n de los pimientos. Luego, despojos de cerdo con habas de manteca, y en pos la paella . . . lleno de tropezones de tocino, que alternaban con otros de ternera frita (9, p. 1280). The food of the peasants is not as rich and varied as

that mentioned above. One of the most popular peasant dishes

is the pote gallego. S.L. Bensusan, in his book, Home Life

in Spain, describes the ingredients of this type of peasant

stew. He says that it consists of potatoes, a type of cabbage

called berza, and lard, all boiled in water. It is eaten with

bread and garlic (1, p. 118). Peter S. Feibleman, in The

kingof Spain and Portugal, notes that the pote gallego 31 is made of pork, turnip greens, potatoesand dried white beans which are simmered all day long (4, pp. 133-134). Although the precise nature of the ingredients may vary, the pote gallego is a type of stew very popular among the peasants,and probably varies with the individual according to the materials on hand.

The pote gallego is usually on the fire and ready to be served to anyone who knocks at the door. A beggar in "Siglo

XIII," speaking of a household where this type of hospitality is common,says, "Nos da un saco lleno de paja o de hierba, y la cena, el caldo caliente. . . . Que se junten veinte pobres, que se junten mas, no falta el saco de paja ni el caldo de berzas" (7, p. 128). The broth mentioned is assumed to be the pote gallego.

Stews and other dishes made by combining several ingredients are most popular in Galicia. In inns they serve meat stews and wine. Dalinda in the story "Dalinda" serves her customers this type of fare. "Activa y gentilmente present6 los manjares, que eran sabrosos y toscos, adecuados al apetito recio de los cazadores: pote con rabo, olla con jam6n y chorizo, y tragos . . . de clarote color de vinagre, que la tierra da copiosamente" (9, p. 1290). In "Contra treta," a couple meets "ante un plato de guisote de care con grasa y piment6n y una botella de vino del

Borde, del afiejo" (7, p. 141).

The food destined for the upper classes differs from the stews of the peasants. In the short story "Las setas," Pardo

Bazdn describes a splendid meal consisting of sole, chicken, 32

and pork ribs. "'Precisamente aquella noche les teniaa ella a los sefioritos una cena de rechupete: lenguados -en salsa, pollos con chicharos, y costillas de cerdo en adobo" (8, p. 282).

In contrast to the fine food served at the resort, the food of the beggars as described in "Siglo XIII" consists mainly of potatoes, chestnuts, and old bacon. "Finafrol apafla ramas secas, arma fuego y asa las patatas, o las cas- tanias, o la espiga tierna, o el tocino rancio, o lo que . . . los dinos caballeros del Sefior misericordioso nos quisieron dar" (7, p. 129).

Courtship and Marriage

The customs surrounding marriage and courtship are interesting aspects of Galician life. In Pardo Bazdn's rural short stories the following customs are described: walking by the house of the beloved, arrangement of marriage by parents, feast honoring the married couple, and charivari to the newlyweds.

In "So tierra," a man walks by the house of the girl he loves in order to manifest his love. Although the girl is unaware of his love for her, the narrator continues to wander by the house hoping to see her. He says, "Claro es que, al enamorarme, di en rondar su casa, como es estilo y costumbre

en provincia" (7, p. 72).

The custom of arranged marriages is illustrated in "La mayorazga de Bouzas." When the daughter becomes twenty-two 33

as. before. the father notices that she does .not seem as healthy selects His solution is to find her. a husband. Therefore, he casar a certain young man and arranges a meeting. "--Hay que 6 de a la rapaza-discurri sabiamente el viejo; y acordandose cierto hidalgo, antaflo muy amigo suyo . . . le dirigi6 una friend misiva, proponi6ndole un enlace" (8, p. 114). After the mat- arrives, the father arranges his daughter's wedding in a un ter of two hours. "A las dos horas de haberse apeado de flaco jamelgo el sefiorito de Balboa, la boda qued6 tratada" (8, p. 114).

After the marriage has been arranged, the wedding is celebration is planned. The most important part of a wedding the feast which customarily follows the wedding ceremony. wedding Enrique Casas Gdspar notes that the food at Galician feasts includes vermicelli soup, sole, some meat, plenty of In wine, rice with milk, bread, and pastries (2, p. 263). feast that in- "La gallega," Pardo Bazdn tells of a wedding cludes almost exactly the same foods as described above. She sopa de says, "Es verdad que el festin de bodas fue lucido: fideos muy azafranada, bacalao y care ' discreci6n, vino 'a trigo y jarros, fuentes de arroz con leche y canela, pan de aftejos dulces de hojaldre" (8, p. 310) . The wedding food, which is customarily brought by those

invited, is furnished by the bride's parents in "Dios castiga".

Included in this feast are wine, ham, fish, chicken, and coffee 34

as described below:

Es costumbre, en estos casos, que los convidados regalen vino, pan, mnanjares; pero Agustin, rumboso, no consinti6 que nadie ilevase nada. . . Y de beber, INo se diga! Vinieron dos pellejos y un tonel, am6n de una barrica de aguardiente de cafia. . . . Habia montafnas de cocido, jamones enteros hervidos en vino con hierbas aromaticas, pescados fritos a calderos, y pollos y rosquillas, y negro caf6 (7, p. 189).

After the feast is finished the couple is escorted to their house as follows: "A pufiados, casi en brazos, los fueron llevando los mozos a la nueva casa que debian habi- tar" (7, p. 189).

Finally, in "Vampito," Pardo Bazan describes a charivari, a loud serenade for a newlywed couple. In this story there

is a scene of a wedding charivari in which all the people gather around the house of the newlyweds with frying pans, kitchen utensils, tin cans, and horns to try to disturb the

couple. They had planned to continue this serenade for a week, but after receiving no reaction from the newlyweds, they went home:

Lo que no se evit6 fu6 la cencerrada monstruo. Ante la casa nueva, decorada y amueblada sin reparar en gastos, donde se habian recogido ya los esposos, juntdronse, armados de sartenes, cazos, tripodes, latas, cuernos y pitos, mas de quinientos barbaros. Alborotaron cuanto quisieron sin que nadie les pusiese.coto; en el edificio . . . no se filtr6 luz por las renAvijas; cansados y desilusionados, los cencerreadores se retiraron a dormir ellos tambi6n. Aun cuando estaban conchavados para cencerrar una semana entera, es lo cierto que la noche de tornaboda ya dejaron en paz a los c6nyuges y en soledad la plaza C9, p. 1309). 35

Religious Celebrations

The celebration of :saints' days is popular in Galicia.

Not only does Spain as a whole have its saint, but many towns

also have their own special saints. The celebration for Saint

Comba is reported in "El tltimo baile." To celebrate her day

the people of the region perform a dance in the atrium of the sanctuary:

Desde tiempo inmemorial, el dia de la fiesta de Santa Comba--dulce paloma cristiana, martirizada bajo Diocleciano . . . se bailaba en el atrio del santuario, despu6s de recogida la procesi6n, aquel repinico cldsico, especie de Mufneira bordada con perifollos antiguos, puestos en olvido por la mocedad descuidada e indiferente de.hoy. Gentes de los al- rededores acudian atraidas por la curiosidad, y el seforfo veraneante en las quintas y en los Pazos pr6ximos al santuario del Montino; concurria tambi6n, para convenir que 'tenia cachet' aquel diantre de danza c6ltica, al son agreste de una gaita, bajo los pinos verdiazules, rinica vegetaci6n que sombreaba al atrio (7, pp. 67-68).

Another practice in honor of a saint,in this case, Saint John,

is mentioned in "Lumbrarada." Two young people meet because

both are in the woods gathering wood for the fire which they

burn on Saint John's Eve. "No cabia duda; armados ambos de

un hacha corta, en dia tan sen-alado como aqu6l, s6lo podian

proponerse picar lefia al objeto de encender la lumbrarada

de San Juan" C7, p. 25) . . . . The custom of building a fire

on Saint John's Eve dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans

who built bonfires to help the god of light overcome the god

of darkness. In Asturias as well as in Galicia this custom is observed. The wood is gathered by the young people for the 36 midnight bonfires lit in the public square (3, p. 169).

Alejandro Casona in his play, Ladama _del :alba, which takes place in Asturias, describes customs similar to these in his account of the eve of Saint John.

The celebration in honor of the Virgin is described in

"Viernes Santo". Here the villagers shoot rockets, play bag- pipes, dance, and drink wine. The women who are participating in the festivities are gaily dressed. "Llegado el dia de la fiesta de la Virgen en el santuario de Bonn. . . . Se reuni6 un gentfo . . . hubo sus cohetes, sus gaitas, sus bailas, sus calderadas de pulpo y su tonel de mosto. . . . Tambi6n andaban algunas seforitas muy emperifolladas dando vueltas y luciendo los trapitos flamantes" (8, pp. 211-212).

Illness and Death

In Pardo Bazan's short stories the traditions or customs surrounding illness and death are also portrayed. The Galicians highly value their health. Since most of the peasants are too poor to own land, their health is their most important possession.

When illness strikes, the peasants sometimes rely on non-profes-

sionals for help, because they are not able to afford the services

of doctors and pharmacists; moreover, many peasants do not trust them.

In "Un destripador de antafio," a peasant woman talks about

the value of good health. She says, "La salud vale m s que

todos los- bienes de este mundo; y el pobre que no tiene otro

caudal sino la salud, zqu no hard por conseguirla" (8, pp. 21-22)? 37

Often peasants are unable to pay a doctor with money.

Instead, they pay him with grain, which is virtually their only income. Medicine, however, can only be bought with money; consequently the peasant feels that pharmacists exist only to rob the poor. Referring to the doctor and pharmacist in

"Curado" Pardo Bazan writes: "Estaban 'arrendados con 61, segtn la costumbre aldeana, por un ferrado de trigo anual; no cos- taban nada sus visitas . . . , pero, 1cata!, ellos se hermanan con el boticario, recetan y recetan, cobran la mitad, si cuadra . . . , Itodo tobar, todo quitarle su pobreza al pobre" (9, p. 1282)! When the child in this story fails to respond to the medication prescribed by the doctor, his mother resorts to a charlatan under whose care the boy dies.

The purchase of a casket reveals the attitude of the Gali- cian peasant when faced with the death of a loved one. Pardo

Bazan notes in "Obra de misericordia" that, although they may haggle over the price of everything else, peasants never dispute the price of a casket. "Los atatides producian ma's que

otro trabajo cualquiera, porque aun los muy pobres no suelen

regatear tratandose de estos articulos" (7, p. 34). . . .

This is done out of respect for their dead,whom they

bury inelaborate caskets such as the one as follows: "En

efecto, el ca.j6n donde iban a guardar para siempre al nifno de

Maria Vicenta lucia sim6tricas listas azules sobre fondo blanco,

e interiormente, un forro chill6n dinpercalina rosa"(9, p. 1284). 38

Another concern of the survivors who can afford it is the funeral feast. In "La salvaci6n de Don Carmelo," Pardo

Baz6.n describes the funeral feast as seen through the eyes of the priest:

Ya se sabia: despu6s de la funci6n religiosa, gran cuchipanda, el festin filnebre en la casa solariega, cuyas bodegas eran famosas por su cubaje magnifico, y su vino, el mejor de la comarca, Corri6 este, no digamos que a raudales, pero si a colmados jarros, y Don Carmelo, feliz, como hacia tiempo no se habfa sentido, fue estibando en su est6mago la poderosa carga del mucho cerdo,.los pollos con azafran, el bacalao guarnecido de patatada, y la care con patatada tambi6n, sazonada de pimiento picante rabio- so (7, p. 112). Superstitions

Just as their ancestors, the Celts, the modern-day

Galicians are very superstitious. Pardo Bazdn in her rural short stories discusses the peasants' belief in witches and in people with special powers.

In "Atavismos," the villagers are convinced that a certain woman, Guliana, is a witch. The priest, speaking with the narrator, explains that the odd things that happen in the village are ascribed to witchcraft. He says, "Mire usted . . en esta parroquia pasaron cosas raras, y el diablo que les quite de la cabeza que anduvo en ello su cacho de brujeria" (7, p. 90). A village woman, as an illustration, explains that her son went away and is probably dead, and her daughter died. She attributes these misfortunes to the witch, Guliana. She exclaims,

"Fueron los ojos de la Guliana, sefiores benditos, fueron los ojos, 39

y no fu& otra cosa, que con un palo se los habia .yo de sacare" (7, p. 92). The. same woman declares that witches are all powerful. She says, "Pero no hay quien pueda con las brujas, Rue mandan ma's que todos"- (7, p. 93).

In "Un destripador de antanio," don Custodio,an apothecary, is believed to make a miraculous ointment capable of curing physical ailments such as rheumatism. One of his customers praises don Custodio's talent by saying that the apothecary can cure all ailments. As proof he mentions the case of the priest of Morlan who was crippled and suddenly began to walk after taking don Custodio's ointment:

LY c6mo quiere que no gane cuartos ese hombre que cura todos los males que el Sefior invent? Miedo da al entrar allii; pero cuando uno sale con la salud en la mano . . . Ascuche: qui6n piensa que le quit la reuma al cura de Morlan? Cinco afios llevaba en la cama, baldado, imposibilitado . . . , y de repente un dia se levanta bueno, andando como ust6 y como yo. Pues Lqu6 fu6? La untura que le dieron en los cua- driles,y que le cost media onza en casa de don Custodio (8, p. 23).

It is rumored that the famous ointment is made from the fat of maidens that don Custodio has captured in his shop and killed:

De moza soltera, rojifia, que ya est6 en saz6n de se poder casar. Con un cuchillo les saca las mantecas, y va y las derrite, y prepara los medicamentos. Dos criadas mozas tuvo, y ninguna se sabe qu fue de ellas, sino que como si la tierra se las tragase, que desaparecieron y nadie las volvi6 ' ver. Dice que ninguna persona ha entrado en la trasbotica: que alli tiene una trapela, y que muchacha que entra y pone el pie en la trapela . . . iplas!,. cae en un pozo muy hondo, muy hondisimo, que no se puede medir la profundidad que tiene . . . y alli el boticario le arranca el unto (8, pp. 27-28). 40

The story ends with the discovery that the apothecary makes no such ointment.. Unfortunately, a woman, who believed the stories concerning the ointment, killed her niece to sell to don Custodio and found out the truth.

Another person that the peasants believe has special powers is the curandero or witch doctor. In "Curado," a mother, concerned about: her son's health, finally sends the regular doctor away after his prescriptions have failed to cure her son. In desperation she sends for the quack who does not give prescriptions but rather carries his own medicine with him:

Era el supremo recurso, la postrera ilusi6n de todo labriego en aquella parroquia de Noan--el curandero, el medico libre, sin titulo, que ejercia secretamente, acertando mis, ibuena comparanza', que los otros pillos--. El medi- quin no recetaba. Llevaba consigo, en el pro- fundo bolso, tres o cuatro frasquetes y papelitos doblados, unas gotas y unos polvos, y en el acto administraba lo preciso (9, pp. 1282-1283). .. .

The quack gives the boy some medicine to quiet him, raising

the parent's hope for a cure. Speaking of the family the author

says, "Esperaban el milagro que iba a realizarse, y sus almitas

candidas y nuevas se entreabrian para acoger el rocio de lo mara-

villoso. jAquel sefior regordecho, de gabdn de pafio azul y

gorra de cuadros verdes, podia curar a Eugenio' !LC6mo? ZDe

qu6 manera? Por una virtud . . . Eso por una virtud . . . El

caso es que iba a curarle" C9, p. 1283). The medicine that the

quack gives Eugenio allows him to sleep, but it turns out that

his sleep is eternal. Even after the boy's death,his brother 41 still believes in the supernatural powers of the quack. He believes that the witch doctor can bring his brother back to life.

"La Santa de Karnar " is another story concerned with faith healing. Here, a young girl, whose family can afford

the best doctors, seems to be slowly dying. One doctor sug- gests that she go to the country. Her mother agrees to take her away in hopes that her daughter will recover. While in

the country, a peasant woman tells them of the Saint of Karnar,

a woman who can cure anyone. As a last resort, they travel to

see the saint. Although she is a living person, she lives and

acts as a saint. Speaking of this woman the narrator says,

"En quince afios no ha entrado en ella mas que la divina Hostia

de Nuestro Senfor, todas las semanas. Y poner ella las manos

en una persona, y aunque se este muriendo levantarse y echar

9 correr . . . , eso lo vemos cada dia, asi Dios me salve" (8,

p. 266). The young girl who narrates the story sees the saint

and immediately regains strength. She says:

. . . de repente siento en mi un vigor, una fuerza, un impulso, un resorte que me alzaba del suelo; y llena de viveza y de jtbilo me incorporo, cruzo las manos, alzo los ojos al cielo, y voy derecha I la Santa, sobre cuya frente, de reseco marfil, clavo con avidez la boca . . . La de la Santa se entreabre, murmurando unas silabas articuladas, que, segiin averi- gu6 despu6s, debian significar: Dios te salve, Maria. Pero, ibah!, yo jurare siempre que aquello era Dios te sane, hija mia. Y me entra un arrebato de feli- cidad, y siento.que all' dentro se arregla no se qu6 descomposici6n de mi organismo, que la vida vuelve a mi con impetu, como torrente al cual quitan el dique, y empiezo ' bailar y d brincar, gritando: iMama, mama! iGracias 4 Dios! iYa estoy buena, buena (8, 'p.-273) 42

This story is written as *a .testimonial by the person whom the saint cured. At :the end of the story, however, her doctor declares the saint. a fake. The narrator concludes that whether or not she is fake, the saint did cure her.

The dead great-aunt in "Bajo la losa" was also supposed to be a saint with curing powers. In this story, the great- niece and her father visit the house where the saintly woman lived. Tradition has it that her body, buried there, was still intact and that a pleasant fragrance came from the coffin.

Furthermore, "aniaden que curaba las enfermedades con la im- posici6n de manos. Lo que puedo asegurarte es que muri6 joven: veintiocho . . . Anfaden que no s6lo curaba los cuerpos, sino las almas. Cuando una moza de la aldea daba que sentir, se la trafan a la tia Clotilde y la quitaba la impureza del

coraz6n poniendo la palma encima" (7, p. 37) . . . . When

the father and daughter reach the chapel where the aunt is

buried, the girl notices a pleasant fragrance. She explains,

"Mi fantasia, excitada, me hacia percibir un aroma exquisito, trav6s que sin duda era el de las rosas del jardin pasando al de la puerta" (7, p. 40). Upon opening the tomb they dis-

cover a decomposed corpse instead of the well-preserved body

they had expected. "Sali6 la losa de su engaste. Un hueco sombrio apareci6. Era una sepultura en cuyo fondo se vefan

algunos huesos carcomidos, trozos de tela de color indefinible suele y pr6ximos a deshacerse en ceniza; en suma, lo que

hallarse en todo sepulcro. No ya cuerpo incorrupto: ni 43

siquiera cuerpo momificado" (7, p. 40)! After the discovery of the decomposed body, the niece ceases to believe in her great-aunt' s sanctity.

"El aire cativo" deals with a superstition concerning a certain creature of poisoned breath. A young man is digging in his garden when he comes upon this dreaded creature. Then,

Sinti6 Felipe el ciego instinto del miedo, y estuvo a punto de apelaralafuga. Comprendi a qu6 clase de espanto era el que se le aparecia asi. Habla oido hablar de 61 mil veces, siempre con acento de terror. Le llamaban 'la salmantiga', y el vaho de su aliento emponzofiado acarreaba la muerte"(7, p. 184).

Later he becomes ill and, naturally, the cause of his illness is attributed to his contact with this creature. Pardo Bazan states, "Desde aquel dia . . . 1ello seria lo que fuese!, lo cierto es que el labrador adoleci6 de un mal que todos en la aldea atribuyeron al consabido 'aire cativo'" (7, p. 185).

Notonly do people fear the animal's breath, but some even fear

that the disease it allegedly produces is contagious. The boy,

lying in bed, wants comfort from the girl he loves, but she

refuses to come near him for this reason. She says, "Sabe

Dios si el aire cativo se pega" (7, p. 186).

The story "Ofrecido" deals with the offering of one life

in exchange for another. Natolia la Cohetera stops Nolasco to tell him why and how he was born. Nolasco's mother had been married eight years and still did not have a child. She was

so upset that Natolia made a live offering to Saint Comba,

and Nolasco was born shortly afterward: 44

. . . Usda no puede acordarse, que a-n no pensaba en nacer; pero aqul nose le hablaba de otro cuento, sino del disgusto que habia en Valdeoras, motivado a que la senora, en gloria este, despu6s de ocho aftos de maridada, er'a est6rea . . . Un dia la vi yo, con estos ojos, que lloraba muy triste; ya no esperaba familia . . . y cata, ;ofreci lo que viniese, al montifio, llevando criatura viva, por supuesto . . . y a los nueve meses. . . . santa gloriosa (7, p. 118)!

In return for the life he was given, Nolasco must now make another live offering to the Saint. As Natolia explains to him, "Quien esta ofrecido es usia, y crease de mi y vaya cuanto mas antes, que han pasado muchos anos y la Santa espera y la paciencia se lo podra rematar" (7, p. 119). Nolasco dismisses

Natolia even though she indicates that danger is forthcoming.

She tells him, "Mire que he visto volar un cuervo de un pino para otro, y 6ste no es tiempo de cuervos que s6lo se ven all, en octubre. Mire que, ahora, cuando venia andando delante de mi, por la carretera, el cuerpo de usia no hacia sombra ninguna" (7, p.119). Still Nolasco laughs at what he considers to be superstitious nonsense. His reaction is explained as follows: "Nolasco, esta vez, se ri6, enojandose. tQu6 agorerias qu6 supersticiones! Solo por eso no iria a Santa Comba en su vida. Asi quedaria demostrado que son ridiculos cuentos de viejas semejantes historias de ofrecimientos y de peligros" (7, p. 119). At the end of the story, Nolasco dies when his horse trips. Pardo Bazan speculates that his soul is perhaps the offering owed the Saint. The author explains "Nolasco yacia en la vereda, con los brazos abiertos y los ojos vidriados; 45 tal vez su espiritu trepaba por el montino a cumplir el sagrado ofrecimiento" '7, 'p. 121). Pardo Bazan paints an accurate and full picture of the typical daily life of the Galician peasants by her descriptions of their chores, food, customs of courtship and marriage, religious celebrations and superstitions. A combination of these elements shows the Galician to be a poor, hard-working person who is fearful of the unknown and is eager to escape the harsh reality of his life by taking part in various types of celebrations. CHAPTER BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Bensusan, S.L., Home Lif e nSpin, London, Methuen and Company Ltd., 1910.

2. Casas Gaspar, Enrique, '9Csb res espanola, Madrid, Editorial Escelicer, S.L., 1947.

3. Casona, Alejandro,' La 'dama del alba, edited by Juan Rodriguez.-Castellano, New~Tyrk, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.

4. Feibleman, Peter S., The Cooking. of Spain and Portugal, New York, Time-Life Book, 1969.

5. Morton, H.V., A Strager inSpain, London, Methuen and Company Lt.1-95-8.

6. Palencia.y Alvarez Tubau, Ceferino, Espana visto p los espanles, Mexico, D.F., Almendros y Vila, Editores, S.A., 1947.

7. Pardo Bazan, Emilia, Cuentos de la tierra, Buenos Aires, Emec6 Editores, S.A., 1940.

8. Pardo Bazain, Emilia, Un destripador de antafno, Madrid, V. Prieto y Companifa, Editores, 1900.

9. Pardo Bazin, Emilia, Obras completas, 3rd. ed., Vol. II, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957.

46 CHAPTER IV

THE PEOPLE

The characters of Pardo Baz6.n's rural short stories are

Galician people. In presenting her characters Pardo Baza'n uses realistic and naturalistic techniques. As a realist, she paints her characters true to life without ignoring their defects; as a naturalist, she depicts the harshness and violence of people whose animalistic behavior is fostered by the environment.

Pardo Bazain describes the Galician village dweller as hard and callous, particularly when his self interest is not at stake. However, she admits that these people possess a natural sense of justice. She says of them: "Los aldeanos no son blandos de coraz6n; al rev6s; suelen tenerlo tan duro y calloso como las palmas de las manos; pero cuando no esta en juego su interns propio, poseen cierto instinto de justicia que les induce ' tomar el partido de d6bil oprimido por el fuerte" (6, p. 10).

Perhaps because she belonged to the upper class, Pardo

Bazan felt that the members of the aristocracy were more compassionate towards the poorer classes than those who had achieved a higher position by constant struggle. Voicing the author's thoughts, a poor woman in "Un destripador de antafio"

47 48 says, "Los sei'ores de mayor seAoro son siempre los mas compadecidos del pobre. Los peores, los senoritos hechos a pufietazos . . . esos tienen el coraz6n duro como las piedras y le tratan a uno peor que a la suela del zapato" (6, p. 21). In "Siglo XIII," however, a blind beggar believes that wealthy people do not care for the poor. He says, ". . . los sefnores del senorfo, Lqu6 se les importa? A ellos no les hace falta

pero al pobre que anda a las puertas, convienele saber d6nde esta seguro el tejado y el saco relleno de paja para no

se moler tanto las costillas" (5, p. 127).

The Galician is known for his shrewdness. This character

trait is exemplified by Ambrosio in "El pinar del tio Ambrosio."

Upon inspecting his pine grove one day, Ambrosio discovers that several trees have been cut down. He thinks he knows who did

it and decides to scare the scoundrel out of his grove by in-

venting a frightening story. Later on, "Regres6 a la aldea,

y guard6se bien de quejarse del robo de los pinos. Al con-

trario . . . asegur6 que ignoraba el estado del pinar, que no

se atrevia a llegarse por alli nunca . . . desde que un dia,

al caer la tarde, habia visto . . . una cosa del otro mundo,

probablemente un alma del purgatorio" (6, p. 148). Several

people became scared after they heard of the monster, but one

night, when he went to inspect his grove, the monster, just as he had described it, was there working away on his trees.

As it turns out, the culprit, far from being frightened, was

sufficiently brazen as to impersonate the monster created by 49

Ambrosio. Therefore, one shrewd Galician was :outwitted by a shrewder one.

A man who is shrewd in: the matter of marriage is the main character in "Bohemia en prosa." This man, who lives off others and without working, falls in love with a working dis- girl. All of their friends advise him to marry, but he agrees. He fears that, although she is working now, she would probably stop doing so after marrying and would then discover his source of income. Finally, and after a struggle, he marries the girl. Shortly after the ceremony is over he says to her, "1--Bueno, mujer. Ya estamos casados. Por muchos afos sea. IjAhora: tn a tu casa y yo a la mia! Larga, que se hace tarde" (5, pp.. 101-102)1. By marrying her, he has satisfied his friends' wishes; and, by arranging for

separate homes, he hopes to solve his income problem.

Many Galicians are crippled by greed. This vice destroys some working men in "El escondrijo." While tearing down an

old house, the workers come upon a chest full of treasure.

The foreman feels that he should receive a larger share than

the others. When the men do not comply with his demand, he

decides to destroy them. Consequently,

Al otro dia el Trenco hablaba con el sefior Barbosa y denunciaba-elhecho. Y, al siguiente, estaban en la carcel todos, y el juez citaba al platero a quien hablan vendido a cualquier precio las monedas. El hallazgo, o, mejor dicho, su ocultacion, cost un afno de c6rcel y arruin6 a 'las familias de aquellos menguados" C5, pp. 13-6137). . . 50

A greedy son-in-law causes his father-in-law to lose his

savings. After his daughter's death the father helps .his son-

in-law financially whenever he is asked. Realizing that his

son-in-law wants nice things without working for them, the

father-in-law tells him that he must toil and sweat if he wants luxuries. The son-in-law's reaction is described as

follows:

Y el yerno, echando mano al bolsillo y empunfando una.faca y abri6ndola, contest asimismo: Pues en pago-de eso que me das, te dar6 yo esto en las tripas; tan cierto como que se ha muerto mi padre. Suda y revienta y junta ochavos, que el dia que est6s mas descuidado . . . con esto te encuentras (6, p. 176).

Instead of retaliating, the father-in-law, a good man, feels

that he must leave before he does any harm to his greedy son-

in-law. He says: "Ya no sueflo con la muerte que 61 me d6,

sino con da'rsela yo; y tengo unas ganas atroces de verlo

tendido . . . y como no quiero perderme . . . ni condenarme

ahi esta', me voy l America . . . vendo todo" (6, p. 178).

In another example of greed, a father permanently dis-

figures his daughter's face in "Las medias rojas" in order to

benefit from her labors. The daughter wants to go to America

where she can have a new start on life. Like any girl, she

likes to look nice; consequently, she buys some red stockings.

When her father sees them he becomes angry. He then asks her

if she ever saw her mother. wear stockings. He says:

Ya te cansaste de andar descalza de pie y pierna, como las mujeres de bien, .eh, condenada? "'Llev6 51

medias alguna vez tu nadre? Pein6se como ti, que siempre estds dale que tienes con el cacho de espejo? Toma, para que te acuerdes" Cs, p. 13).

After these words he hits: her brutally and injures one of her eyes. His attack and its effects are described as follows:

Y con el cerrado puflo hiri6 primero la cabeza, luego el rostro, apartando las medrosas manecitas, de forma no alterada atn por el trabajo, con que se escudaba Ildara, tr6mula. El cachete mais violento cay6 sobre un ojo, y la rapaza vi6 como un cielo estrellado, miles de puntos brillantes, envueltos en una radiaci6n de intensos coloridos sobre un negro terciopeloso. Luego el labrador aporre6 la nariz, los carrillos. Fu6 un instante de furor, en que sin escrupulo la hubiese matado, antes que verla marchar (5, p. 13).

By ruining his daughters appearance, the father is assured of her assistance for the rest of his life because those with physical defects are not allowed to go to America. The violent nature of the father and the pessimistic ending are two very noticeable examples of naturalism in this story.

Greed comes between mother and daughter in "Saletita."

An old indiano comes to see his former girlfriend Maura. When she learns of all the money he has, she begins to think of her past poverty and wonders how she will be able to capture the money! She wonders:

C6mo se puede reunir tanto dinero? ;Qu6 de cosas se hacen con. 612 iQu6 existencia ancha, facil, deliciosa representaban esos cuatro millones de reales! Toda su vida habia lidiado donfa Maura con la escasez. . . . Apuros y mas apuros. . . . Entor- nando los ojos vela una despensa atestada de cosas buenas . . . conservas y dulces A porillo, aparadores repletos de loza, armarios abarrotados de sdbanas y ropa blanca en hoja todavia. . . . Peto, Lc6mo atraer, c6mo seducir al vejestorio? C6mo asegurar tan soberana presa (6, pp. 288-289)? 52

She decides that she must make her daughter, Saletita, marry him. However: "Al manifestar don Pdnfilo sus honestas inten- ciones,' Lc6mo trastear ' Saletita? LC6mo persuadirla al sacrificio' (6, p. 291)? 'After more thought Maura begins to believe that she would make a better wife for the old man than would her daughter, and she tells herself:

LPara qu6 necesitaba ahora esposa el bueno de don Pdnfilo? Para cuidarle, para servirle las medici- nas, para dirigir su casa, para . . . para heredarle en suma . . . si, para recoger aquel fortun6n, que no cayese en manos indiferentes, extrafias . . . LNo seria prudente que, supuestos tales fines, eligiese una mujer formal, una persona ya prdctica, seria, que sabe lo que es la vida y tiene experiencia y mundo (6, p. 291)?

When the mother tells her daughter of her "unselfish" decision to marry the old man,Saletita surprises her by saying that she had counted on marrying the 'indiano from the beginning. Threat- ening, her mother she says: "--Bien, iya s6 que usted queria el novio para sit . . . iPero en eso estaba yo pensando! Desde el primer dia cont6 con 61 . . . Si usted me lo quita . . . Ve estas ufias? jPues no le digo mis" (6, p. 292). What began as an unpleasant proposition becomes appealing to the greed of both mother and daughter.

Another example of greed found in "Un destripador de antafno." Pepona is a mean, greedy woman who works hard, getting up before the sun rises, laboring in the fields and in the mill. She is described as follows:

Pepona la molinera, mujer avara, codiciosa, ahorrona hasta de un ochavo, tenaz, vehemente y 53

aspera. Levantada antes que rayase el dia, in- cansable en el trabajo, siempre se la vela, ya inclinada labrando la tierrra, ya en el molino regateando la maquila, ya trotando, descalza, por. el camino de Santiago adelante con una cesta de huevos, axves y verduras en la cabeza, para ir 6 venderla al mercado (6, p. 14). In order to pay the rent, this woman kills her niece. She uses hopes to sell her body to the apothecary who supposedly is dead, corpses to prepare medicine. However, after her niece she discovers that the apothecary will not pay her for the to death for girls body as she had thought. She is condemned her crime.

Walter Pattison in his book states: "Perhaps the most

celebrated psychological trait of the Galician is their

nostalgia for home (morrifia). It is the privation of air which of ends by asphyxiating us when we don't inhale the atmosphere It is a physical the places where our heart resides. . . . sickness from which one dies" (8, pp. 15-16).

Morrifia is the subject of "Planta months." After a boy

is brought to the city to become a servant, he becomes very

withdrawn. At night he huddles in the corner of the kitchen

without eating. His master recognizes his problem as morrifia la and hopes that it will not last long. He explains: "Por la nochevimos al nuevo servidor acurrucado en un rinc6n de cocina, sin querer aproximarse d la mesa para cenar. . . los primeros Comprendimos bien esta nostalgia 6 morrifia de instantes, y esperamos que no duraria " (6, p. 56). 54

He does the work assigned to him, but, when he is, finished with his task, he goes back to: his corner and sits like an animal, a comparison typical of naturalism: "Trabajaba lo que le mandasen, pero en cuanto volviamos la espalda, se acurrucaba en un rinc6n, dejando los brazos colgantes y cla- vando la quijada en el pecho. Era la calma triste del animal, silenciosa y soporifera, sin protestas ni quejas: la obscura y terca afirmaci6n de la voluntad en el mundo zool6gico" (6, p. 159). Finally, the boy says that he is going to die although doctors can find nothing physically wrong with him. According to him a dog howls announcing his death. The next night the master hears a dog howling, and, the following morning, he finds the servant boy dead. He says, "Apenas me determino 'a estampar aqui que Cibrao amaneci6 muerto en su cama" (6, p. 161).

The Men

The Galician man can be described as proud, industrious and attached to his land. He cherishes his property, his per- sonal honor, and his family.

Pardo Bazan feels that the most powerful instinct in the

Galician is that of defending- his property (6, p. 181). If a person owns any land he will defend it to his death against outsiders. This extreme position is illustrated in two short stories. In "Ocho nueces" a rich man owns vast landholdings which he protects zealously. He constantly inspects every inch 55

of his holdings in order to examine the corn, pastures, pines and walnut trees. Pardo Bazdn states:

Si es cierto que todo el mundo nace propietari.o, y que el instinto de apropiaci6n y defense de lo ad- quirido es fuerte como la muerte . . . en nadie se reve16 mds vigoroso este instinto . . . que en don Ram6n. Amaba con vehemencia y defendia con rabia su propiedad. . . . salfa 6 recorrer y examinar sus fincas mns pr6ximas,- d ver-qu6 tal espiga el mafz c6mo hablian agradecido el riego los prados, si medraban los pinos, y si el nogal grande cargaba de fruta mis que el aflo anterior (5, pp. 240-241).

One day he noticed that several nuts had fallen from his walnut tree. The owner sent one of his servants to gather

the nuts, but there were none left. That night several of his

friends came to play cards. The first one to arrive brings

some nuts as a gift. Immediately the owner is suspicious and

the following exchange takes place:

--%De qu6 nogal las ha cogido?-- --Del nuestro--, contest6. .. 0 --LDel nuestro? LDe ctial nuestro, vamos ' ver?-- -- iSi, que no lo sabe don Ram6n! Del grande, el del camino . . . del que me hace sobra ' las patatas . . . y bien me las jeringa. --Pero don Juan, ese nogal . . . es tanto de usted como del nuncio. LC6mo le iba yo 6 entender, santo de.Dios? Ese nogal . . . no es de nadie sino del presente mara- gato--(6, pp. 242-243).

After being accused of being a thief, his friend becomes angry

and leaves never to return. He says that he hopes that light-

ning will strike him if he ever sets foot in the house of this man who calls him a thief. He says: iMal rayo me parta si

vuelvo yo nunca 'i poner los pies donde me tratan de ladr6n,

resangre" (6, p. 244)! The owner takes the matter to court, and in years of litigation, he spends more money on legal 56

costs than what it would cost to fill two ships with nuts:

le hizo gastar al hidalgo, en los afios -que dur6 la cuestifn, que al fin perdi6, una buena porrada de dinero: los miles de pesetas suficientes para cargar de nueces un par de navfos" (6, p. 246). Although the owner suffers a financial loss,his sense of justice is vindicated by having the courts declare him owner of the walnut tree and of the walnuts.

Another example of a man's love for his land is the incident in "Reconciliados." In this story two men claim that they own a strip of land about the size of a grave. Their reactions to one another are described as follows: "Mil veces ya se habian encontrado frente a frente los dos viejos, puesto

el pie sobre lo que cada uno de ellos creiia su propiedad, y se miraron con ardientes ojos de codicia, saludandose entre encias,

pues dientes no les quedaban" (5, pp. 105-106). The author

explains that the ownership of this small piece of land becomes more important to them than the ownership of the rest of

their land, which they would sacrifice in this litigation'.

Poseer, poseer: he ahil el empefio loco de ambos ancianitos. Y todo lo que poseian les importaba menos que aquel retal grande como una tumba, que se disputaban con furor. Por ganar el pedazo hubiesen sacrificado con gusto el resto de lo que tenian, aun cuando luego hubiesen de mendi- gar por-los caminos o pedir un jornal, que ya no les darla nadie (5, p. 107).

Their dispute *over the piece of land begins when one of the

men pulls out of the ground what the other has planted. 57

Finally the argument becomes violent. One of the men, Selmo, hits Roque's shoulder lightly with his hoe. Roque, then, directs his pitchfork at SelmnoIs chest. The pitchfork wounds Selmo deeply, but he has enough energy to hit Roque again on

the head. The battle is described as follows:

Al aproximarse, Selmo sacudi6 el primer golpe, un debil azadonazo,. en el hombro de Roque. Este se hizo atrds, pero no sin esgrimir su horquilla, dirigi6ndola contra el pecho del enemigo. Fu6 a clavarse en el est6mago. Las puntas aguzadas penetraron en la cane. Aull6 el herido,.maldi- ciendo. Roque acababa de caer arrastrado por la propia fuerza con que habia querido asestar el golpe, consumiendo en tal arranque cuanto le restaba de energia. Y, al verle en tierra el otro recogi6 del suelo su azada, y ya esta vez fu6.certero. La cabeza son6 como una olla que se parte. Luego, un azadonazo vigoroso quebr6 huesos y costillas (5, p. 108). . . .

As a result, both die, but, surely, they die happy knowing

that they were defending their property.

Honor has always been important to the Spaniard who would

face death rather than be dishonored. There are numerous examples of this type of behavior in Pardo Bazdn's short stories.

The honor of two parishes is at stake in "Sin querer."

The two boys selected to defend their parishes do not wish to fight. One day one of the boys decides to end the waiting period by confronting his foe. One rule is that they not use knives, but as the fight procedes, one of the boys disobeys

the rules. The author explains: "Pero al recibir otro porrazo

cruel en la cara, Colds, viendo estrellas y clirculos rojos

ante sus pupilas cegatas, ech6 mano al cuchillo . . . iJuanifio 58

se derrumb6! No hubo sangre. La herida sangraba por dentro"

(5, p. 21). . . . After having killed his rival, the other boy cannot face the consequences and leaves the country. Forced to stop working because of a strike, the main character in "Montero" is enraged by the idea that someone can order him not to work. He says: "--Si arranco o no arranco, eso se vera--respondi6 61 con arrongancia jactan- ciosa. A ml nadie me manda por malas, Llo oyes" (7, p. 1306)?

When he returns to work and find resistance, he finally kills a man.

In "Cuesta abajo" a man demonstrates manly pride before his female companion. When the girl wonders how they will respond to an attack by thieves upon their return from a cattle fair, he replies that with his knife and gun he can protect her from any and all thieves that might beset them. He says,

"Tengo mi buena navaja y mi buen revolver de seis tiros.

Vengan dos, vengan cuatro ladrones, vengan, aunque sea un ciento. iSoy hombre para ellos! iConmigo no pueden" (7, p.

1289)! In order to impress the girl, he displays his bravery.

A man's honor rests upon the faithfulness of his wife or girlfriend. Were they to be unfaithful he would need to avenge himself or be a social outcast forever. A young man in "'La redada" suffers from bouts of )ealousy whenever anyone in the presence of his girlfriend praises the good qualities of another man. This represents an injury to his pride as a man. He explains: 59

Si en su presencia alababa alguien los m6ritos de otro hoMbre, se me revolvia la bilis y se me ponfa la boca pastosa y anarga. No habi6ndome creifdo envidioso hasta entonces, la pasi6n me despertaba la envidia. . . .. Y desatinado por mis recelos, aplicaba un escalpelo afiladisimo A las perfecciones de mi imaginario rival; le rebuscaba los defectos, le ridiculizaba, le trataba como ' enemigo. . iHasta llegu6 dIalfilezade la calumnia (6, pp. 293- 294)

Another jealous man wants his wife to work as a wet nurse

for his landlord in lieu of paying the rent for his house. He

does not mind her going away to work, but he warns her to be-

have properly, threatening her with bodily harm if she is unfaithful to him. The husband says:

--Cata que eres moza y de buen parecer--. . . Cata que no se vayan a divertir a mi cuenta los senfori- tos . . . Tui vas para el chiquillo y no para los grandes, L.6yesme? En Madrid hay una mano de pille- ria. Comoyo sepa lo menos de tu conducta, la aguijada de los bueyes he de quebrarte en los lomos (5, p. 32).

A jealous husband in "En silencio" notices his wife's

subtle actions and becomes suspicious of her. The author

explains, "Siempre habila sido celoso, con celos vagos . . . y

la exacerbaci6n de coqueteria de su mujer le causaba esa ex-

trafieza, que es la puerta de la sospecha" (5, p. 96). Finally

he takes action. The night before they are scheduled to leave for America, he kills his wife and walls her up in a closet.

The final act of the tragedy is described as follows:

A medianoche, hubo como el ruido y trajin de una lucha, y poco despues encendi6 luz el marido, por cuya frente rezumaba un glacial sudor. Cogiendo el cuerpo inerte de Aya, lol1lev6 hasta el supuesto armario, en la nueva despensa; y recostandolo de pie contra la pared, trajo 60

ladrillo y mezcla, que habia dejado en el patio, y tapi6 el hueco de la puerta, que debia cerrar aquella cavidad. Con tal esmero lo hizo, que nadie hubiese podido sospechar, cuando al amanecer termin6 de cerrar aquella sepultura, que no era una pared lisa, sin comunicaci6n con nada (5, pp. 98-99).

In "La Mayorazga de Bouzas", however, it is the wife of an unfaithful husband who seeks to avenge herself. A servant tells her that her husband has been seeing a seamstress and has given her money and gold earrings. He says: "--Seora ama . . . el sefnorito. . . en los Carballos . . . quiero decir . . . hay una costurera bonita que iba 6 coser al Pazo de Resende . . . ya no va nunca. . . el sefiorito le da dinero

. . . son ella y una tia carnal, que viven juntas . . . andan ella y el seforito por el monte 6 las veces . . . en la feria de Illosa, el sefnorito le merc6 unos aretes de oro . . . la trae muy maja" (6, p. 122). . . . After she learns of her husband's unfaithfulness, she punishes his mistress by cutting her ears off. The husband is never unfaithful again, or is so careful that the wife never hears of any misconduct. Their marriage, which before had been childless, is blessed with children, and they live happily ever after.

The unfaithful husband in "So tierra" supposedly has a perfect marriage. Both husband and wife are attractive and wealthy, but in spite of his wealth, the husband is known to be very thrifty. Pardo Bazan describes them as follows: Habia en Rojariz . . . un matrimonio que pasaba por ejemplar. El, muy guapo, el mejor mozo de la comarca; ella, una senora tambien vistosa, y, sobre todo, tan prendada de su marido, que se le 61

caia la baba cuando salfa a la calle . . . Eran gente rica, y tenian, segrn fama, muchos ahorros. Hasta extrafiaba que el, no teniendo hijos, demos- trase tal mania y tal empefio en economizar, por lo cual ella tenia costumbre de embromarle (5, pp. 71-72).

When an observer notices that the husband is seeing another woman, he finds it difficult to believe. The observer says,

"Y si no me habla dado cuenta antes de que era Fajardo, en

efecto, no era porque me lo estorbaba una suposici6n de

imposibildad, que acababa de abolirse" (5, p. 74). At the

end of the story the secret of his extreme thrift is revealed when his girlfriend tells the narrator that her lover saved his money so that they could run away together. Unfortunately,

the unfaithful husband is killed by a robber.

Another characteristic of the Galician man is his indus-

triousness. Mr. Peers, in his book Spain: A Companion to

Spanish Studies, describes the Galician laborer. He says,

"The gallego is essentially industrious and severely practical.

Lack of ambition and supreme patience make of him when he

leaves home a manual labourer, laughed at for his equanimity

and thickness of skin" (9, p. 5).

In "La oreja de Juan Soldado,"Pardo Bazdn describes the personality of the Galician laborer: "Al hombre que se pasa

todo el dia hincando el azad6n en el terruflo, no hay cosa que

le guste como eso de que le dirijan una pregunta. Es un socorrido pretexto para interrumpir la labor, y descansar apoyandose en el mango de la herramienta. Es, ademds, una 62 distracci6n" (6, pp. 299300). She also tells of his caution in speaking: "El labrador gallego es cauto, y da tres vueltas

4 la lengua antes de soltar lo que por cualquier motivo juzga comprometido 6 peligroso" (6, p. 302). The laborer is pictured as a physically powerful man: "Y la fuerza muscular emanaba de . . . sus voces desentonadas y fuertes, de sus manos anchas tendidas siempre hacia la faena" (5, p. 176).

In "El 'Xeste" Pardo Bazdn further elaborates on the rural laborer. She explains that they were organized in groups, and went wherever there was work. She explains:

Organizados en caudrilla, iban a donde los llamasen, prefiriendo la labor en el campo porque en las aldeas, iretofio!, se vive mas barato que en el pueblo, se ahorra casi todo el jornal, para llevarlo, bien guardado en una media de lana, a la mujer, y mercar el ternero, y el cerdo, y las gallinas, y la ropa, y la simiente del trigo, y algtin pedacillo de terrunfo. No sentian la punzada del ansia de gozar como los ricos, que asalta al obrero en los grandes centros; el contac- to de la tierra les conservaba la sencillez, las aspiraciones limitadas del nifno; disfrutaban de un inagotable buen humor, y la menor satisfacci6n material los transportaba de j'bilo. Sus almas eran todavia las transparentes y venturosas almas de los villanos medie- vales (7, p. 1279).

The Women

Miguel de Unamuno said of the Galician woman, "Es muy frequente oir en Galicia y en boca de gallegos 'Aqui la mujer, si no es superior, es igual al hombre, cuando menos'" (4, p. 448). Other writers watching the Galician woman at work have believed in her superiority over the men. Mr. Phillips,

in his book, notices the Galician woman at work and says, "We 63

were immediately impressed with the hard laboring of the women of this section and with the correlative fact that it seemed to be regarded as -effeminate by a large part of the male population to work equally hard" (10, p. 40). Katherine

Lee Bates noted the variety of occupations and the strength of the Galician women as she observed them in her travels.

She states: "Women were serving as porters at the stations, carrying heavy trunks and loads of valises on their heads.

Women were driving the plough, swinging the pickaxe in the quarries, mending the railway tracks. Short, stout, vigorous brownies they were, and most of them looked old" (2, p. 400).

Emilia Pardo Bazdn portrays the same hard-working women in her rural short stories. Most of the women in her short stories are peasant women who have to work hard to survive.

In "La gallega," she presents a physical description of a typical Galician peasant woman, a large dark-haired woman with broad hips and a large bust. She writes:

. . . hallard el etn6logo mujeres semejantes d Ia que voy 6 describir: de cumplida estatura, ojos garzos 6-azules, del cambiante azul de las olas del Cantdbrico, cabello castanfo, abundoso y en mansas ondas repartido, facciones de agradable plenitud, frente serena, p6mulos nada salientes, caderas anchas, que prometen fecundidad, alto y tirgido el seno, redonda y ebirnea la garganta, carnosos los labios, moderado el reir, apacible el mirar.. Es la belleza de la mujer gallega eminente- mente plstica; consiste sobre todo en la frescura de la tez, blanca fy sonrosada, no con la fria albura de las inglesas, sino con esa animaci6n que -indica el predominio de la sangre sore, la bilis y la linfa, y en la riqueza y amplitud de las forms, que algunas 64

veces se exagera y hace pesados sus movimientos y planturosa en demasha su carnaci6n. No arde en sus ojos la chispa. de fuego que brilla en los de las andaluzas; su pie no es leave, ni quebrado su talle: mis el sol no logra quemar su cutis, y su-s mejillas tienen el sano carmfn del albaricoque maduro y de la guinda temprana (6,-p. 306).

The typical chores of the Galician woman listed by Pardo

Bazdn indicate that she is the equal of many men in strength.

She digs, plants, waters, tears off leaves, beats the wool, twists it, spins it, and weaves it on the loom. On her sturdy shoulders she loads full sacks of rye or corn and carries them to the mill. Then she kneads the coarsely ground flour, lights the oven after having cut -the fire wood on the mountains, puts it in the oven and bakes it. She milks the cow, and when the pail is full, she puts it in a wicker basket that has just been filled with two chickens, a dozen eggs, a pile of cabbage leaves, and cheese. Then she sets the basket on her head and directs herself towards the market where she sells these items, haggling down to the last penny. In Pardo Bazdn's own words:

Hoy, como entonces, ellas cavan, ellas siembran, riegan y deshojan, baten el lino, lo tuercen, lo hilan y lo tejen en el gimiente telar; ellas cargan en sus fornidos hombros el saco repleto de centeno o maiz, y lo llevan al molino; ellas amasan despu6s la gruesa harina mal triturada, y encienden el horno tras de haber cortado en el monte el haz de lefia, y enhornan y cuecen el amarillo torter'n de borona 6 el negro mollete de mistura. . . . ellas, rtsticas zagalas, lindan el buey, y comprimen las gruesos ubres de la vaca para ordefiarla; y cuando ven colmado un tanque de leche candida y espu- mosa . . . colocan el tanque en una cesta de mimbres que acaban de llenar con un par de pollos atados por las patas, cosa de dos docenas de huevos, un rimero de hojas de berza y tres o cuatro quesos de tetilla, y sentando en la cabeza la cesta, dirigense al mercado de la ciudad mds pr6xima, donde venden sus articulos regateando hasta el tltimo miserable ochavo (6, pp. 307- 308). 65

One of .the few studies of an upper class Galician woman is found in "La Mayorazga de Bouzas." The Mayor:az'ga is at first portrayed as a freespirited girl whose actions could be condemned by proper ladies. If she was thirsty she would stop at a tavern for wine. At times she tested her strength with the servants, and even knocked one to the ground. It was not unusual for her to help load a cart of furze or to plow with the best team of oxen. At various celebrations she would dance like a peasant with her own servants. This behavior is outlined as follows:

Cuando la molestaba la sed, apedbase tranquilamente a la puerta de una taberna.del camino real, y la servian un tanque de vino puro. A veces se diver- t1a en probar fuerzas con los gafianes y mozos de labranza, y ' alguno dobl6 el pulso 6 tumb6 por la tierra. No era desusado que ayudase ' cargar el carro de tojo, ni que arase con la major yunta de bueyes de su establo. En las siegas, deshojas, romerias y fiestas patronales, bailaba como una peonza con sus propios jornaleros y colonos (6, pp . 112-113) .

Later she marries a man she loves very much. This love is manifested by her sadness on the first night that her husband spends away from home. The author explains that ". . . una sombra vel6 sus pupilas, por ser la primera vez que Camilo dormir'a fuera del lecho conyugal desde la boda. Se cercior6 de que su marido iba bien abrigado, llevaba las pistolas en el arz6n y al cinto un rev6lver . . . y baj6 a despedirle en la portalada misma" 'C6, pp. 118-119). When La Mayorazga discovers that her husband has a mistress, -Pardo Bazain shows the reaction 66

of the Galician woman to an unfaithful husband., She locates

her husband's lover and, -upon seeing that the woman is wearing

the earrings that her husband had given her, orders her servant to cut off the girl's -ears. The Mayorazga says:

,Fu6 mi marido quien te regal esos aretes? --Sf--respondieron los ojos de vibora. -Pues yo te corto las orejas--sentenci6 la Mayorazga, extendiendo la mano. Y Amaro, que no era manco ni sordo, sac6 su navajilla corta, la abri6 con los dientes, la esgrimi6 . . . Oy6se un aullido largo, pavoroso de agonfa, luego otro, y sordos gemidos (6, p. 125).

When another woman is faced with infidelity, this time on the part of her boyfriend, she reacts more violently. Her boyfriend has found a wealthy girlfriend. Both his mother and his old girlfriend look on the new girlfriend with hate. They notice the small feet of the girl and compare them to their ugly bare feet. Their jealousy is explained as follows:

Y a su vez, los ojos fieros de la madre y de la abandonada celosa se. clavaron en los pies inso- lentes, encarnados, pequeflos, semejantes a dos capullos de amapola sobre el verdor himedo de la senda campesina. Ellas . . . estaban descalzas, y sus pies deformados atezados, recios, se con- fundlan con el terrufio pardusco de la corraliza, en cuyo dngulo, al calor del sol, hedia el estercolero (5, p. 165).

When Maria, the peasant girl, is on her way to the spring,she is snubbed by her old boyfriend. The animal-like feelings that Maria experiences at that moment are characteristic of

Pardo Bazdn's naturalistic style: "Maria Silveria apret6 el puiio y lo tendi6 hacia su amor antiguo: antiguo, iay', y presente, que bien sentia en las entrafias, en la quemadura aquella, 67

de rabia y desesperaci6n,( que el amor aldeano,, furioso,. vivia y se revolvia como gato months o tej6n salvaje 'acosado por cazadores" (5, p. 167). Following her animal instinct, she enters the house with a sickle, ready to strike down her com- petition. Then, "Se inclin6 sobre el cest6n; cogi6 de 61 la hoz de segar, afilada, reluciente, que manejaba con tanto vigor y destreza, y ocultcindola bajo el delantal, se meti6 por la casa adentro, segura de lo que iba a hacer, de la mala hierba que iba a segar de un golpe" (5, p. 167).

The Galician woman jealously protects her honor. An example of an honorable Galician woman is Dalinda who is a waitress at an inn. When a man from Madrid visits the inn, he tells his companions that he will win the girl with his flattery and gifts. He is not successful as can be seen by the following:

"Don Mariano intent deslizar un duro en la mano de la muchacha, que lo rechaz6 suave y porfiadamente. --Se estima . . . al seforito se le sirve de gana, sin necesidad de eso" (7, p. 1290).

Later in the story, Dalinda pushes the lecherous man out the window, and exclaims self-righteously: "Hice bien! . . . iVuelvo a hacerlo ahora mismo" (7, p. 1292)! Thus she has preserved her reputation at the price of injuring the culprit.

In ILa lumbrarada," Pardo Baza'n notes the relationship between a young Galician girl and a boy she meets in the woods, illustrating the superiority of women that has been noted before.

In this situation, that of cutting wood, the young girl tries to live up to that belief. 68

Habla,. en el movimiento: de cortar ramas y hasta pinos imenudos, una especie de porfia de vigor y de fanfarronada juvenil; trat.base de reunir pronto mds lefia, para; avergonzar al companero. Era. ese pugilato de fuerzas. fisicas entre el var6n y la hembra, que es uno de los atavismos de la raza, en el cual las hembras no han sido vencidas por los hombres, ni en caletre ni en musculatura (5, p. 27).

Both the boy and the girl tire themselves trying to show each other the strength that they possess. The author explains that: "Ninguno de los dos . . . hubiese confesado que aquello pesaba de mis. Al resistir el peso significaban, con bizarra vanidad, ella: --soy hembra de labor, capaz de ayudar a mi hombre--; y 61: --aunque me ves de marinero, sigo siendo un mozo de aldea, y lo que otro haga, a fe, hagolo yo--" (5, p. 28).

Thus the value of a woman in Galicia is related to her strength and her ability to help her mate in the struggle for survival.

A very important role of the Galician woman is that of a mother, not because she necessarily wants children, as Pardo

Bazan says, but because nature imposes them on her: "Imp6nele la naturaleza un hijo por a-no, como impone su cosecha anual ' la campifia" (6, p. 310). The story "Madre Gallega" is an idealistic view of a mother who is entirely devoted to her son's welfare. Her son is a priest who has taken an unpopular political stand. The other members of the community seem to be out to get him, although he never realizes it. One night a voice from outside asks for the services of the priest. His mother, knowing they mean to harm him, refuses to let him go to the door. Instead, 69

she goes and is shot by the bullet intended for her son. She

dies in the arms of the son for whom she had given her life.

The tragic conclusion of this story is narrated as follows:

--Tii no te asomes--orden6 en voz imperiosa, una voz diferente de la mansa y acariciadora voz con que siempre hablaba a su hijo--. Apdrtarte . . quitaday . . . Me asomo yo, no te apures. Y antes de que Luis Maria pudiera oponerse, apagando de un soplo el vel6n para no ser reconocida, abri6 la ventana con Impetu, sac6 el busto fuera. . . . El bar- baro, que ya tenia apuntada la escopeta, dispar6, y la madre, con el pecho atravesado, se desplom6 hacia adentro, en brazos del hijo por quien aceptaba la muerte (6, p. 132).

An example of filial love is manifested by a grandfather

in "El trueque." For love of his grandson a poor peasant gives

up the pleasure of watching him grow up. The grandfather sees

a nursemaid with the landlord's child in her arms. He offers

to keep the child so that the nurse can be with her husband.

When she returns for the child, which looks like the old man's

grandson, the peasant gives the nursemaid his grandson instead.

But he is happy knowing that his grandson will never want for

anything. He says: "--A nosotros nos echardn y nos iremos

por el mundo pidiendo una limosnita . . . Pero lo que es el

nieto mio, pasar no ha de pasar necesida; y el hijo de los

amos . . . ese, que adeprenda a cocer teja, cuando tenga la

eda'. . . si llega a tenerla, que isdbelo Dios' En casa del pobre muerense los chiquillos como moscas" (6, p. 192).

The other who leaves her child to become a nursemaid for

her landlord's baby is not idealistically portrayed. Zola 70

attacks wet nurses as being stupid and amoral in 'Fecoidit6 which may have influenced Pardo Bazdn's view of :such people.

In "La advertencia," the prospective wet nurse initially seems

to regret abandoning her :child as indicated by an account of

the moment of parting: "Que no le falte leche a Gulianifio--

implor6 la madre, sefialando a la cuna. Y al pronunciar el nombre carifioso del nene, se le quebr6 la voz a Maripepa y las

ldgrimas apuntaron en sus ojos verdes" (5, p. 32). However,

the prospect of luxuries and comforts that life in the house

of the master will afford her overpower her grief. She realizes,

furthermore, that there might be possibilities for frolicking

in the big city. Thus, while her husband counsels her against adultery, "La aldeana sonrelia interiormente bajando hip6crita

los ojos. Ella sera buena por el aquel de ser buena; pero su hombre no tenfa un pie en Norla y otro en Madri, y los mirlos no iban a contarle lo que ella hiciese" (5, p. 32).

The amorality of the wet nurse is presented as evidence

that humans, in this case, have not surpassed the instinctual and animal level. As a matter of fact, human behavior is depicted as being inferior to that of other mammals, because

the mother in this case surrenders her maternal impulses to

those that compel her towards self-gratification.

The Clergy

Since Pardo Bazdn was a very religious person, she

idealistically described the religious men in her short stories. 71

The members of the clergy included in her stories range from meek, hard-working types to those of a more brutal sort.

In "Obra de Misericordia," a devoted friar is the main

character. He is called to the bedside of a dying carpenter

too late to administer the last sacrament. Pardo Bazdn des-

cribes him as follows: "Era un fraile mendicante, alto, seco, que venia cargado de un brazado enorme de rama de eucalipto; y con 61 entr6 una rdfaga de escencia pura, fuerte, un aire de salud" (5, p. 34). The eucalyptus branch is obviously symbolic of the Christian charity peace and compassion that he brings with himself. Thus, upon finding the carpenter dead, he does not worry the widow with concern over her husband's dying without the sacrament. On the contrary, he sets himself the task of assisting the living. He instructs the woman to care for her child, and, in the meantime, he arranges for the burial and constructs a cross to place on the tomb.

Later, he helps the woman carry the casket to the cemetery and bury it. As he is finishing these tasks, he sees another body brought and immediately assists the second group of mour- ners. This last act of Christian charity is described as follows:

Los brazos les dolfan, la respiraci6n les faltaba al cavar en el suelo endurecido, la ancha fosa. El fraile, cuando ya vi6 el ataiid d6puesto, pens6 en orar. Dijo las preces, bendijo la sepultura cristiana. Luego cubri6 el atafid con los removidos terrones. Y enjugandose el sudor, ya frifo en sus sienes, iba a retirarse, a tiempo que divis6 a dos hombres, portadores de otra ftnebre carga. S6lo 72

que esta vez faltaba el feretro. . . . Venian los despojos envueltos. en una manta. Y el fraile, sencillamente, suspirando de fatiga, tom6'otra vez el azad6n . . . --Yo les ayudo, hermanos (5, p. 36).

In "La deixada" a priest goes beyond his duties when he visits the old woman who lives by herself on a deserted island.

Everyone avoids her except :this man who comes to save her soul.

This priest, "Venia a ofrecer lo tnico que posela. Un alma requeria su auxilio. Alli estaba 61 para ocuparse de esa

alma, que valla ma's que el pobre cuerpo roido por la enferme-

dad. Vestida de luz el alma subiria hacia su patria, el cielo,

cuando el cuerpo se rindiese" (5, p. 84).

In "Eterna ley," a priest discourses about the impossibility

of having enduring peace on this earth. He indicates that, even

if there were no wars, men's agressive nature would never allow peace to be long lasting, and uses as an example the fist fight

that followed the local pilgrimage to Santa Tecla which resulted

in a death. He states: "Eso de la paz serd excelente, pero mientras haya una naci6n que pida camorra, las otras estaran

al qui6n vive. Y la guerra no la hay s6lo de naci6n a naci6n.

Aqui la tenemos de parroquia a parroquia, y, si me apuran, de mozo a mozo" (5, p. 130). "No suele acabarse la romeria de

Santa Tecla sin trompadas. Tienen a gala romperse las cabezas,

y como por lo regular son duras, a los tres dias de abierto un craneo van como si tal cosa a arar o a sachar" (5, pp. 131-132).

When the people hear that a young boy has been killed, his only

reply is, "i--A ver ILNo valia mas que fuese en la guerra" (5, p. 133)? 73

In "El nieto del C.id," a priest is besieged by thieves who

demand that he give them the church treasures. He replies

that he would rather die than to acquiesce, since these valu-

ables, "Son del santuario, guoniam, y antes me dejar6 tostar

los pies. . . . Pero mejor serdi que le agujereen a uno la piel

de una vez, y no que se la tuesten" (6, pp. 140-141). Although

the thieves tie him up, the priest still refuses to give them

anything. The ensuing action shows the courage of this humble

catholic martyr who dies defending what he considers his sacred

trust: "El cura mir6 alrededor, y vi6 sobre la mesa . . . el

cuchillo. . . . Con un salto de tigre se lanz6 6 asir el

arma . . . comenz6 ' defenderse ' tientas, a obscuras, sin sen-

tir los golpes, sin pensar mds que en morir noblemente, mientras

a quemarropa le acribillaban a balazos" (6, p. 145).

In "Armamento," a priest allows guns and ammunition to be

stored in the sepulcres of his church during a time of political

struggle, but he is frightened of the consequences:

La idea de la profanaci6n humedeci6 su frente con sudor frio; precipitadamente hizo la sefial de la cruz. IDe aquello no podia salir cosa buena' Entre tanto, los mocetones, sin cuidarse de la suerte que corrian los despojos del valeroso ca- ballero, acomodaban en la tumba el resto del . dep6sito--fusiles, escopetas, cartuchos, balas(7, pp. 1301-1302).

After the deed is done, the priest begins to think of the punishment for suchanact. Finally the burden of this guilt forces himto

flee: "En arranque repentino y febril, meti6 ropa en el cofre. . .mont6 74

en la yegua . . . y el primer vapor de emigrantes que sali6

de la linda bahfa acogi6 en su seno a un hombre que iba huyendo de un altar de un sepulcro" (7, p. 1302).

"La capitana" is based on the misdeeds of a band of out-

laws who victimize clergymen. Consequently, priests in the area do not venture out alone after dark. A courageous priest, however, refuses to be intimidated by the thieves' reputation and rides out into the countryside one night. He is eventually attacked by the female leader of the gang, whom he slays in the battle. This act shows the predominance of instinct over mind or morals. As a man, the priest had been enjoined to protect women; as a priest, he was enjoined not to kill, yet the instinct of survival overpowered all these convictions in true naturalistic fashion. The author explains:

No fu6 61, no fu6 su raz6n; fu6 el puro instinto el que gui6 su mano derecha en busca del cuchillo oculto en el pecho. Y mientras la Loba reia con torpes carcajadas del espectaculo del cura sacando la lengua, a tientas la mano impuls6 el arma. La terrible argolla de las manos de la capitana se abri6 y ella cay6 hacia atris con el pecho atravesado (7, p. 1304).

Caciques

The cacique is the local political boss in Spain. In Pardo

Bazdn's short stories, the cacique is pictured as being violent, pitiless and power hungry. The rise of these caciques as social institutions is explained by this writer in her short story "Viernes Santo". The narrator of the story explains: 75

A veces me ponia 6 discurrir, y decfa para mi sotana: este rayo de hombre, Zen qu6 consiste que se nos ha montado a todos encima, y por fuerza hemos de vivir sbditos de 61, haciendo cuanto se le antoja, pidi6ndo- le permiso hasta para respirar? ZQui6n le instituy6 duefio de nuestras vidas y haciendas? ZNo hay leyes? INo hay tribunales de justicia? --Pero, mire usted: todo eso de leyes es nada mds que conversacion. Los magistrados, suponiendo que sean justificadisimos, estan lejos, y el cacique cerca. El Gobierno nece- sita tener asegurada la mecainica de las elecciones, y al que les amasa los votos le entregan desde Madrid la comarca en feudo (6, pp. 200-201).

The same character explains that Lobeiro, the cacique, began, by taking a few liberties, and when he received no opposition he began to to take more. He says: "Y repare usted lo que sucedia con Lobeiro: hoy hace una picardia, y le obedecen como uno; mafiana hace diez, y ya le rinden acatamiento como diez; al otro dia un mill6n, y como un mill6n se impone" (6, p. 202). Even though the majority of his subjects hate him, no one ever dares to speak out against the cacique. The author states, "Enemigos, a miles se le podian contar; y, sin embargo, como el hombre se mantenia agachado, nadie se metia con 61, temeroso de despertar 5 la fiera" (6, p. 210). An example of his unfair rule is the confiscation of the property of others.

He achieves this result by threatening with imprisonment those who do not comply. One poor man tells the narrator, "El cuxiflo es para ese condenado de Lobeiro, que me lo mand6 a pedir, y si no se lo entrego me arruina, acaba conmigo, y hasta muero avergonzado en la circel" (6, p. 202). 76

Pardo Bazan describes this ruthless individual as follows:

Pues volviendo al caso, Lobeiro, asi para el trato de la conversaci6n, era un hombre antipa'tico, de pocas palabras, que cuando se vela comprometido se reia regafiando los dientes, muy callado, mirando de trav6s. No se fle usted nunca del que no rne franco ni mira derecho: muy mala sefial. La cara suya parecia el Pico Medelo, que siempre anda embozado en br6temas (6, p. 201).

The cAcique's ruthlessness is made evident when a daring young man speaks out against Lobeiro and disappears. Later, the villagers find his battered body. With naturalistic detail

Pardo Bazdn speculates on the hideousness of this murder.

Debfan de haberle atormentado mucho tiempo, porque estaba el cuerpo hecho una pura llaga: a mi se ie figura que lo azotaron con cuerdas, 6 que lo tundieron a varazos: las sefnales eran a modo de rayas 6 ver- dugones en el pellejo. Para acabarlo,le dieron un corte asi, en la garganta. El rostro, desfiguradi- simo; s6lo una madre-- ipobre sefiora! --reconoce y se determina a besar un rostro semejante (6, p. 208).

In "Ardid de guerra," the cacique and his brother are running for the same public office. So ruthless is the former, that through his friends he threatened his own mother in order

to force her to vote for him. The narrator says: "iYa empezaban a surtir efecto los 'avisos' an6nimos! Dos habia escrito.

. . . Si la seftora no daba los votos a su hijo don Julidn, que

se atuviese a las consecuencias: la noche menos pensada . . el pazo saltarfa por los aires" (7, p. 1297).

"La ganadera" is about a community of people who purposely

lead ships to the stony shores of their village so that they can pillage the remains of the ship. The leader of the ganadera, or pillaging bout, is the cacigue who sells in another town 77

the merchandise taken from the ships. Pardo Bazin explains,

"El alcalde era la persona influyente, el cacique; 61 vendia alld, en la capital, los frutos de la 'ganadera', y estaba, segtn fama, achinado de dinero"(5, p. 192).

The village priest tries to stop this inhuman deed and pleads with the villagers. However, the caciue, showing his disrespect for any power other than his own, strikes the priest and causes the mob to riot and assassinate. Thus, Pardo Bazan pits the forces of instinct, represented by the cacique who appeals to men's greed, against the forces of the spirit, as represented by the priest. The latter are defeated. Again the naturalistic philosophy of the novelist is manifest: "Pero el alcalde, vigilante, empedernido, fu6 el primero que desvi6 al cura, blandiendo el garrote, profiriendo imprecaciones . . . Y la multitud sigui6 el impulso, y se defendi6, ciega, en la confusion del instinto, en la furia del desenfreno pasional" (5, pp. 193-194).

Social Outcasts

Beggars and thieves are two types of social outcasts that populate Pardo Bazan's rural short stories. The beggar in

Galicia is not presented as a despicable character, but rather as a part of the landscape. Thieves, however, are portrayed as brutal, violent criminals.

The story "Siglo XIII" deals with the subject of beggars and their habits. The narrator discusses where beggars find 78 shelter:

Y. . . la verdad es que no sabia hacia qu parte cae esa posada de los pobres. En el primer momento crei :que era el cielo raso, el diamantino pabe'1l6n de estrellas que Dios extiende gratis sobre el mundo; despu6s calcul6 que antes ser. a cualquier alpendre, cualquier pajar que los dos mendigos encontrasen. A estos bergantes, ya se sabe, les viene bien todo: aqui caen: aqui se agarran; no hay garrapata m.s mala de desprender que ellos. El cubil ruinoso y hediondo del cerdo, el tibio establo de la vaca, el h6rreo vacfo, la choza en construcci6n, excelentes para una noche. Los aldeanos, con bastante frecuencia, en invierno les permiten acostarse a la vera del hogar, al amor del rescoldo que se extingue. Las 6nicas puertas que no se abren para el vagabundo son las de los ricos . . . Alli ya no llaman (5, pp. 126127).

In the story "La cruz negra," the author attempts to explain the wandering nature of .beggars, although her main character remains stationary because of old age and blindness:

Raro es el mendigo que no tiene instintos de vagabundo.. Moverse, trasladarse, es g6nero de libertad, y los pobres estiman mucho el sumo bien de ser libres. Hasta los semihombres que carecen de piernas lagar- tean velozmente sobre las manos; hasta los paraliticos, en un carro, se hacen zarandear. Una inquietud, un gigantesco espiritu aventurero suele hurgar y escara- bajear a los mendigos. La de la encrucijada, por el contrario, pertenecia al ntmero de los que se pegan, como el liquen, a las piedras, o como el insecto al rinc6n sombrio donde no lo persigue nadie. Dos razones podrian explicar su caricter estadizo: tenia mas de ochenta afnos y no tenia ojos (7, p. 1292).

A naturalistic description of this beggar shows that she is a

wrinkled hulk of a woman, with red holes for eyes and a face

creased by many wrinkles. Pardo Bazdn states:

No agradaba mirar de cerca los agujeros rojos que el pafuelo de algod6n cubria, disimulando tambi6n en lo posible el resto de la cara; plegada por mil arrugas y bajo cuyo pergamino . . . se adivinaba exactamente la forma de la calavera. Las manos . . eran un haz de sarmientos, y negruzcas, temblonas, 79

ya no aferraban el.paraguas. . . . El cuerpo ca- rec lade forma (7,, pp. 1292-1293) .

Her blindness makes it difficult for her to catch the coins that people dropped for her. Because, "Se necesitaba gran destreza para arrojarle una moneda que recibiese, y lo mas acertado era tomar la resoluci6n de apearse y colocarsela en la mano. Si la moneda cala entre el polvo o en las zarzas, perdida para la mendiga infaliblemente" (7, p. 1293).

A popular character in "Siglo XIII" is tio Amaro, another blind beggar ifho entertains the guests at weddings and other celebrations. The author explains: "Goza de gran popularidad este ciego. . . . le conocen y solicitan en veinte leguas a redonda para todas las fiestas, holgorios, bodas y romerias, donde su zanfona y sus cantares son complemento obligado del recocijo de la gente aldeana" (5, p. 126).

Whereas beggars are presented in Pardo Bazan's stories

in all their deformity and misery, thieves are presented in

terms of their deeds of violence. The reader is not spared

the unsavory details of tortures, maimings and murders.

An example of this is found in "Inu'til" where the violence

and hideous behavior of criminals of this type aredescribed.

These thieves are after a hidden treasure, but, when Carmelo

refuses to tell them where it is, they push both of his hands

in the fire. Thus, "Desviaron las mds pr6ximas, y arrodillan-

do a Carmelo de un empuj6n, le apoyaron ambas manos en la

brasa. Un alarido de salvaje dolor subi6 al cielo (7, p. 1300).

Later, they continue to torture him: "Y despacio, con rabia 80

fria, le extendieron las palmas sobre el brasero, avivado por llamitas cortas, en que se evaporaba la resina del pino. Cru- jian, desnudandose de piel y tegumento, los secos huesos, al tostarse, y el cuerpo, inerte ya, no se revolvia" (7, p. 1300).

Finally, they realize they will not be able to get the treasure, and they kick his body farther into the fire: "De un puntapi le empujaron mas adentro del hogar. La llama prendi6 en la ropa y en el pelo canoso. No hizo un movimiento. Ardia mejor que la yesca y la madera apolillada" (7, p. 1300).

Like the thieves cited above, those in "Nieto del Cid" use the threat of burning the victim's hands in the fire in an attempt to rob him of his treasures. They tell the Victim:

"Le vamos ' freir 6 usted los dedos en aceite del que usted no ech6. La vamos a sentar en las brasas" (6, pp. 144-145).

They torture him until he dies leaving his body terribly deformed.

The narrator then states, ". . . me asegur6 que el cadaver de

6ste no tenia forma humana, segiin qued6 de agujereado, magu- llado y contuso" (6, p. 145).

Again in search of treasure the thieves in "Nuestro Seflor de las barbas" torture their victim. Pardo Bazan describes the ordeal with naturalistic detail: ". . . le ataron, y con amenazas y por ultimo refinados tormentos, echdndole aceite hirviendo en la planta de los pies y sobre el vientre desnudo, le obligaron 6 que revelase el escondrijo" (6, p. 254). Then,

"Como ya no quedaba sino lo encerrado en la cueva, al hincarle lancetas de cafias entre las ufias, resolvi6se don Gelasio, 81 moribundo de dolor, 6 :guiar alli d los ladrones t (6, p. 255).

The thieves, hearing dogs: barking, decide to kill their victim: "T los ladrones, :que temian ser sorprendidos porque los perros ladraban, apoyaron en la sien de Gelasio el cafion de una carabina,dispararon"(6, p. 255).

A Naturalistic View of Life

Pardo Bazdn's stories are flavored with naturalism. One aspect of naturalism, pessimism, is especially evident in her

treatment of the indiano, and of Galician family life.

As seen in Pardo Bazain's short stories, the indiano or

Spaniard who goes to America and returns to Spain, is always

disappointed upon returning home. In the book Spain ad

Portugal there is an explanation of the Galician indiano who

goes away from home to earn his fortune and returns home to

change his life: "Whether he goes to Castile or America,

Madrid or Lisbon, his sole concern is to reap a fortune and

return to his native village to restore his father's house or,

if he is rich enough, construct the village steeple or even

build a luxurious home with a view of the sea" (3, p. 174). In "El tetrarca en la aldea," the indiano's feelings upon

returning home are analyzed as he speculates on how his family

will react to his apparent wealth: "Si en su casa todo marchaba

en orden, imagnifica sorpresa la de verle llegar tan bien por- tado y hasta con su cadena de oro de tres vueltas! Y si habfa

alld choyo . . . imagnifica sorpresa tambi6n" (6, pp. 219-220)' 82

When he reaches his old: home he glances in the window to find his wife looking very healthy, nursing a baby. He notices the improvements since he left:

Antes de que 61 se marchase, eran alli descono- cidos los lujos de colchones, colhas, cunas, mesas, sillas, armarios y buen quinqu6 de petr6leo; nunca Sabel habia vestido de lana rasa como entonces, ni calzado rico borceguI de becerro, ni usado tan finas ropas como las que se entreparecian al trav6s del justillo aun desabrochado (6, p. 223).

The trials of another indiano are described in "El vidrio roto." At the age of fifteen Goros, the main character, sneaks aboard a ship bound for America. Once he makes his fortune, he sends money home for his parents to repair their old house, especially the broken window in his room. Goros decides to come home without telling anyone. But upon reaching the old house he can not believe his eyes, for nothing had changed.

Pardo Bazan elaborates:

Al avistar el sitio sofado, dud6 de sus ojos... Porque la fe tiene esta rara virtud: creemos que es 1o ge debia ser, y descreemos de la evidencia. . . . Alli estaba la casa, alli, pero identica a como don Gregorio la habia dejado al marchar: el mismo mont6n de esti6rcol a la puerta, el mismo charco infecto que las lluvias hablian saturado del hediondo pur6 del estercolero, iguales carcomidas puertas despintadas, igual fachada de tierra y pizarra donde las parietarias crecian (5, pp. 156-157).

The expectations of the indiano were shattered. He had

hoped that the money he had sent would have inspired his family

to repair the house, not just the broken window. But they are

victims of their environment and do not know how to change

their manner of living. Since he has changed, since he has 83

fought and escaped the fate that this same environment had decreed for him, he now feels that he must go away forever.

However, "en la aldea de Santa Morna no saben por qu6 el indiano se fu6 tan cabizbajo y tan cariacontecido, cuando su madre, segtin ella repite,' le habia complacido en casi todo" (5, p. 157).

In the story "Barbastro" a man named Barbastro goes to

America early in life and returns home in order to fulfill his dream. Barbastro "Liquid6 su caudal, lo impuso en fondos europeos, y se vino a su tierra, deseoso de realizar dos en- suefios: construiruna casa de campo nunca vista y desposarse con una muchacha sin bienes, pero linda y virtuosa" (6, p. 235).

He encounters a problem in trying to purchase the land on which he wants to build his dream house. This land belongs to an ugly, ill-mannered woman. She says that he can buy her land only if he will take her as his wife. Finally, he gives in and marries her in order to fulfill his dream. However, his wife controls him and drinks all day while he spends his time showing his beautiful house to all who wish to admire it. In pessimistic tones the author concludes:

Ella, la Domingona, ha vencido en la lucha; hace lo que quiere, le tiene bajo el zapato; se pasa la vida echando traguetes de licor, y merendando y jugando a la brisca con las doncellas y el co- chero; y 61,para consolarse de su atroz mujer, ensefia a todo el mundo las bellezas de su amada, de su verdadera novia . . . que es la quinta (6, p. 237).

An indiano in "Contra treta" returns home with the hope of eloping with a former girlfriend who is now married. His plans 84

were: " . . . iiba a viajar cuidado por Cunchifia, y la tendrIa

a su lado, atendi6ndole s6lo a 61, limpidndole el sudor de la

angustia gstrica con su pafnuelo de lienzo, que olla a man-

zanas camuesas" 5, p. 145)! However, Cunchifia and her hus-

band kill him and run away with his money. As recounted: "En

breve escena violenta, ayudando Cunchina, con vigor no suponible

en sus brazos m6rbidos, el indiano qued6 amarrado a la cama

por fuertes sogas, amordazado, tapado con sus ropas, asfixian- dose. Martiflo se apoder6 de los billetes del barco, de la

cartera, del reloj, de las mantas, de cuanto valfa" (5, p. 145).

One can see by these illustrations that in Pardo Bazan's

short stories the expectations of the returning indianos are

always frustrated by the harsh realities of the backward en-

vironment that they had previously abandoned. They are powerless

to change their much longed-for Galicia to the extent that they

themselves have changed.

Happiness and contentment are virtually nonexistent in the

Galician family, where sheer survival is a problem. Because

most poor Galicians own no land, they find it difficult to

support all of the children in the family. Consequently, the children are often put to work at a young age. For example,

in the story "Entre humo," a young boy has to work for a woman

in exchange for his room and board. At the beginning of the

story the protagonist explains:

A pocos dias de residir en el poblach6n de la montafia donde me confinaba mi carrera y la necesidad de empezar a formarme un porvenir 85

--eramos seis hermanos, y mis padres tenfan lo estricto y nada mds- ., empezaron a hablarme de mi patrona a medias palabras reticentes. Para combinar un arreglo. econ6mico, mi madre habla escrito a aquella mujer, de quien supo por re*' ferencias, para que ne cediese habitaciones y guiase mi pitanza (5, p. 48).

In "Planta months," a similar situation occurs. Julidn offers the services of a young boy in his family to a city family in exchange for payment of the rent on his place. The narrator states:

Comprendimos que el tio Julidn venia animado del firme prop6sito de vendernos su mozo a trueque de la renta del lugar, reconstruccion de morada y dinero para unos bueyes 9 parecia, que contaba le sacasen de apuros. En arras de este contrato tacito, ofreci6nos dos empedernidos quesos, cuatro onzas de rancia manteca, y hasta media hanega de castafnas gordas (6, p. 156).

When the harshness of circumstances cannot be overcome

by finding employment for the children of poor families, the

fathers are forced to migrate. Such is the case of the father

in "El tetrarca en la aldea" who, in order to support his

family, migrates to America. In America, he hopes to make

enough money so that his wife and children will not go hungry. The author states that: "El tio Marcos Loureiro emigr6 porque

no podia sobrellevar el peso de las contribuciones, ni sostener

con su labor agricola a la mujer y a los tres rapaciftos" (6,

p. 218).

Perhaps because of the poverty of the Galician people, the

children in "La cruz negra" are forced to steal. When people

threw offerings at the blind beggar woman and she could not 86 see the offerings to pick them up, the little children quickly gathered up what they could, while their mothers chided them.

Si la moneda cafa entre el polvo o en las zarzas, perdida para la mendiga infaliblemente. La apro- vecharfan los golfitos de la aldea. . . . Estos gorriones sol'an comerse el grano de trigo ofrecido a la mendiga, a no ser que, vi6ndolos sus madres, les gritasen indignadas, prontas al estreg6n de orejas: -aiTeney verguenza! Soltay los cuartos! jEso es de la malpocada (7, p. 1293)!

Young girls in Pardo Bazdn'-s short stories are usually unfortunate and have to look forward to a life of hard work, or, as many do, have their lives come to an early, tragic end. In "Accidente" a young one-eyed girl has a job digging ditches. Since there were twelve in the family, she, being the oldest, must work. While eating lunch with the other workers, she tells them of her situation.

--En casa eramos doce--corrobora la tuerta, con tono de indefinible vanidad--, y mi madre baldada, y yo cuidando de la patulea, porque full la mas grande. . . . Peleaba con ellos desde l'amanecere. A fe, mds quiero arrancar terrones. Habia un chiquillo de siete affos que era el pecado. Estando ya dormida me meti6 un palo de punta por este ojo y meloech6 fuera(7, p. 1294) .

Her life has been full of trials, and, since she has to take on such a hard job, there seems to be little hope for a brigh- ter future for this Galician girl.

Another young girl whose hopes for the future are dashed

is Ildara in "Las medias rojas." When her father notices that

she has bought some red-stockings he becomes angry and beats her. The ferocious beating is described as follows:

Ildara, apretando los dientes por no gritar de dolor, se defendia la cara con las manos. Era 87

siempre su temor de mocifa guapa y requebrada, que el padre "La mancase". . . . Y tanto mas defendfa su belleza, hoy que se acercaba el momento de fundar en ella un suefio de porvenir. Cumplida la mayor edad, libre de la autoridad paterna, la esperaba el barco, en cuyas entrafias -tantos de su parroquia y de las parroquias circunvecinas se habilan ido hacia.la suerte, hacia lo desconocido de los lejanos paises donde el oro rueda por las calles y no hay que bajar- se para cogerlo (5,- p. 12).

As a result of the beating, she is left with only one eye and

is no longer eligible to go to America since she is not in perfect physical condition. She is now doomed to a life of

servitude under her father's iron hand.

In "El pafuelo," a girl who is only twelve years old be-

comes an orphan. Out of necessity she begins to work as a

servant. In order to eat, she must tend to neighbors' fires,

cows, and children. Pardo Bazdn explains that:

Era temprano para ganarse el pan en la pr6xima villa de Marineda; tarde para que nadie la re- cogiese. iDoce anos! . . . Ahora que no habia casa, faltando el que trala a ella la comida y el dinero para pagar la renta, Cipriana se de- dic6 a servir. Por una taza de caldo, por un pufado de paja de maiz que sirviese de lecho, por unas tejas, y sobre todo, por un poco de calor de compafia, la chiquilla cuidaba de la lumbre ajena, lindaba las vacas ajenas, teni a en el colo toda la tarde un mam6n ajeno, can- tandole y divirtiendole, para que esperase sin impaciencia el regreso de la madre (5, pp. 56-57).

Whenever she has any spare time, Cipriana goes to the beach to

gather fish to sell in order to have enough money to buy a

handkerchief: "Cuando Cipriano disponia de un par de horas,

se iba a la playa. . . . recogia mariscada, cangrejos . . . y

venia su recoleccion por una o. dos perrilas. . . . En un

andrajo envolvfa su tesoro y lo llevaba siempre en el seno. 88

Aquello era para mercar un pai'uelo de la cabeza".C5, p. 57).

The handkerchief is important to her since "El pafluelo es la

gala de las mocitas en la aldea, su lujo, su victoria. Lucir un pafiuelo majo, de colorines el dia de la fiesta; un pafiuelo

de seda azul y naranja . . . Qu6 no hard la chicuela por con-

seguirlo" (5, p. 57)? But one day as she ventures out to

gather fish to sell, the waves overpower her, and her young

life is quickly snuffed out.

The life of a young girl born on the seashore is the

topic of "La Camarona." Her playthings were sea animals; she

never went to school because her life belonged to the sea.

The author states:

Los juguetes de la nifia fueron navajas, almejas y berberechos, desenterrados en el arenal cuando se retiraba la marea.,. . . A la escuela, ni in- tertaron llevarla, ni ella iria sino entre civiles; a la iglesia si que solia asistir, porque la gente pescadora ve tan a' menudo cerca la muerte, que se acuerda mucho de Dios y le siente mejor que los labriegos y que los sefores (6, p. 194).

In this story the author, exalting the virtues of nature, shows

the reader a picture of the young healthy girl who lives by

the sea. Pardo Bazan pictures her with a basket of sardines

on her head wearing a short skirt of green baize. Poetically

she writes:

Imaginadla joh pintores! con su cesta de sardinas en equilibrio sobre la cabeza; su saya corta de bayeta verde, que en.las caderas forma un rollo; sus agiles y rectas piernas desnudas; su gran boca bermeja, como una herida en un coral; sus dientes blancos y lisos a manera de guijas que las olas rodaron; sus negros ojos pestan-ados, francos, lu- minosos; su tez de dgata brufnida por el sol y la 89

brisa de los mares.- La salud y la fuer za rebrillaban en sus facciones y se delataban ' cada movimiento de su duro cuerpo virginal (6, p. 196).

When her parents try to persuade her to marry a rich boy who has fallen in love with her, she replies that she would die

if she stayed away from the sea. She says, "Camarona naci y Camarona he de morir. Otras que la echen de senoras. A mi, si me hacen fondear en una sala, a los dos meses me en-

tierran" C6, p. 197). Finally, she marries a boy whom she

does not love, but one who will provide her a life by the

sea. "Ella misma se explic6 con el encogido de Tomds, que

no le gustaba ni pizca, pero que al fin era cosa de mar, un

pescador como ella, empapado en agua salobre y curtido por el

aire marino, que trae en sus ondas vida y vigor. Y se casaron,

y la pareja de gaviotas se pasa el dia en la lancha, contenta,

porque el ave le gusta su pobre nido" (6, pp. 197-198).

Here it is evident that the main character, although able

to leave an environment that keeps her in squalor, refuses to

do so. Probably, because there is a basic conflict in the

author's view of life in close contact with nature. On the

one hand, she exposes it as the catalyst for people's brutal

and instinctual behavior, on the other hand she seems enamoured

with the physical beauty of the landscape. The Galician boy, like the Galician girl, has a difficult

life. Many have to go to work very young to help support the

family, while others have to help around the house. The story

"Accidente" concerns a thirteenyear-old boy who is working 90

for the first day. His weekly salary will go to his family who needs it to live. Pardo Bazdn explains that ". . . un real diario parece poca cosa, pero al cabo de la seimana son iseis reales!, y la madre le ha dicho que los espera, que le hacen mucha falta" '(7, p. 1294). Unfortunately, the boy never lives to receive his wages because he is killed by a landslide on his first day of work.

Even more tragic is the fate of the children in "Respon- sable." In this story a young boy is left in charge of the other children while his mother goes to the market. He takes care of his two brothers, makes the fire for the soup, and after they have eaten, puts them to bed. After he is assured that they are asleep he sneaks out of the house to dream about his father who is dead and was allegedly rich. The awesome responsibilities of this child are touchingly outlined by the writer as follows:

El mayorcito, de cinco a-nos, en camisa rota, de pie, miraba a la menor absorto, meti6ndose el pulgar en la boca rosada y sucia. Cirilo rin-6, salv6 a la traviesa, receb6 la lumbre y corri6 a ordenar la vaca, para dar a los chicos buenas sopas de leche con pan de ma*lz desmigajado. Estos menes- teres piden tiempo. Asi que atrac6 de sopas a los rapaces y les vi6 con el vientre tenso, redondo, les arrul16: les acost6 juntos sobre un lecho de poma, hojas de malz seco, con las cuales rellenan en el pais los jergones. Aguard6 impaciente hasta que la respiracifn igual y dulce de las criaturas le indic6 que por una hora, al menos, no necesitaban vigilancia; rebaAo el puchero de las sopas, y despacio, hundidas las manos, a falta de bolsillos, en la cintura del astroso panta.16n, se meti6 por los sembrados hacia el h6rreo: de la senora Eufemia (5, p.: 152).

Suddenly, he is awakened from his dream by the 'smell of smoke.

He discovers that their hut is on fire. Knowing that he is 91 responsible for the situation, he decides that the best thing for him to do is to die with the others, and he walks into the burning hut to accept his punishment. In the portrayal of .the Galician people Pardo Bazdn's naturalistic pessimism is more evident than in her descriptions of customs or landscape. Her characters are stifled and often shattered by living conditions. The environment weighs heavily upon them, bringing forth the more despicable aspects of human behavior. In spite of this, she succeeds in probing the soul of her countrymen and giving them life in her short stories. CHAPTER BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Baquero Goyanes, Mariano, El cuento espanol en el siglo XIX, Madrid, Talleres GrTicos, 1949.

2. Bates, Katharine Lee, 'Spanish Highays 'and 'Byeways, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1900.

3. Ogrizek, Dor6, Spain _and 'Prttgal, New York, McGraw Hill Publishing Company Ltd., 1953.

4. Palencia y Alvarez Tubau, Ceferino, E'spafna vis'to p los espanoles, M6xico, D.F., Almendros y Vila, Editores, S.A., 1947.

5. Pardo Bazdn, Emilia,' 'Cuentos de la tierra, Buenos Aires, Emec6 Editores, S.A., 1940.

6. Pardo Bazdn, Emilia, Un destripador de antanlo, Madrid, V. Prieto y Companiia, Editores, 19

7. Pardo Bazan, Emilia, 'Obras cotpetas, 3rd ed., Vol. II, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957.

8. Pattison, Walter T.,' Emilia Pardo Baz'.n, New York, Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1971.

9. Peers, E. Allison, Spa4n--A 'Companion to Spanish Studies, London, Methuen and Company Ltd.,196.

10. Phillips, Henry Albert, Meet the Spaniards, Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott Company, 1931.

92 CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

In Emilia Pardo Bazan's rural short stories there is a conflict in her views oflife in Galicia. She presents the landscape almost idealistically, the customs and daily life with the realism of a costumbrista,and her characters with the pessimism of a naturalist.

In "La gallega" there is a passage describing the landscape of Galicia as a paradise on earth with fertile valleys, many streams, trees, and granite mountains. A view of the Galician countryside after a thunderstorm given in "Un destripador de antaflo" allows the reader to sense the pleasant sights and odors of the setting. In "Barbastro," the environs of a man-

sion are described as having beautiful trees, flowers, fountains,

and statues. Two descriptions of an estate are given in "La

Deixada." The first one tells of how it was many years ago with beautiful staircases,symmetrical gardens, tapestries, and

flowers. The second description tells of its present state of

disrepair with its overgrown gardens, its mansion that no longer

has a roof, and its inhabitants that are rabbits. There is a

noticeable difference in the treatment of these two descrip-

tions. The first is almost idealistic where as the second is

very naturalistic. When describing the dwellings of the

peasants such as the one in "La gallega," Pardo Bazdn uses 94

tendencies of naturalism. Since these houses are associated with the characters that :she treats in a naturalistic fashion, this naturalism carries over into her descriptions of shacks with dirt floors and leaky thatched roofs where the people and animals live in close proximity.

More realistically described than either the characters or the landscape are the customs observed by the Galicians.

In "Cuesta abajo" Pardo Bazdn presents the proceedings of a typical cattle fair where even the women participate in the disputes over prices. The popular peasant stew, the p gallego, is mentioned in many stories. In "La Mayorazga de Bouzas" and in "Vampiro" Pardo Bazan explains the arrangement of marriages, the wedding feast, and the charivari. The activities involved in religious celebrations are described in "El tltimo baile,"

"Lumbrarada," "Viernes santo," and "La soledad."

The characters, in close contact with nature, are brutal and instinctual beings. Examples of this brutal, naturalistic behavior are shown in "En silencio," "La Mayorazgade Bouzas"

"La hoz," "Intitil," "Nuestro Sefnor de las Barbas," "La Ganadera," and "Las medias rojas." A man in "En silencio" kills his wife because he fears that she has been unfaithful, while a wife in "La Mayorazga de Bouzas" cuts off the ears of her husband's lover. A girl plans to kill her boyfriend's new girlfriend in

"La hoz." Thieves in "Infitil" and "Nuestro Senior de las Barbas" torture their victims by burning parts of their bodies and by driving pieces of cane under the victim's fingernails. The 95 characters in "La Ganadera" purposely wreck ships in order to steal any items of value; f'rom the passengers or cargo. The father in "Las imedias rojas,'" in a fit of anger, beats his daughter until she loses an eye. The main character in "La cruz negra,'' a blind beggar woman, is described minutely and naturalistically. Tragedy marks "El pafinuelo" and "Responsable." In the former story an orphan girl who must work is killed at the seashore while looking for fish to sell in order to buy herself a handkerchief. A boy in the latter story is responsible for his younger brothers and sisters. He leaves them for a few minutes in which time their house catches on fire. He returns to the burning shack and enters it to accept his fate. Although Pardo Bazan classified herself as a realist, her rural short stories also contain elements of idealism and naturalism. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baquero Goyanes, Mariano, El cuento espafnol en el 'siglo XIX, Madrid, Talleres Grdficos, 1949.

Barja, C6sar, Libros y autores' modernos, Battleboro, Vermont Printing Company, 1933.

Bates, Katharine Lee, Spanish Highways and Byeways, New York The Macmillan Company, 1900.

Bensusan, S.L., Home Life 'in Spain, London, Methuen and Com- pany Ltd., 1910.

Casas Gaspar, Enrique, Costumbres espafioles, Madrid, Editorial Escelicer S.L., 1947.

Casona, Alejandro, La dama del alba, edited by Juan Rodriguez- Castellano, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.

Correa Calder6n, E., "El costumbrismo, germen de la novela realista," Costumbristas espafioles, Vol. I, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1940.

Diez-Echarri, Emiliano and Jos6 Maria Franquesa, Historia de la literatura espaflla e hispanoamericana, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1968.

Feibleman, Peter S., The Cooking of Spain and Portugal, New York, Time-Life Wi6iUks, 1969.

G6mez-Baquero, Eduardo, De Gallardo a Unamuno, Madrid, Editorial Mundo Latino, 1926.

Gonzdlez L6pez, Emilio, Emilia Pardo Baz-.n, Novelista de Galicia, New York, Hispanic Institute, 1944.

Martin, Elvira, Tres Mujeres Gallegas del Siglo XIX, Barcelona, Editorial Aedos, 1962.

Merim6e, Ernest, A History of Spanish Literature, New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1930.

Morton, H.V., A Stranger in Spain, London, Methuen and Company 1930.

Ogrizek, Dor6, Spain and Portugal, New York, McGraw Hill Pub- lishing Company Ltd., 1953.

96 97

Osborne, Robert E., Emilia Va"rdo 'Baz.n, Su jida ysos oras, Mexico City, Ediciones de Andrea, 19'64.

Palencia y Alvarez Tubau, Ceferino, 'Esp'ada visto par 'los es 2ls, M6xicD, D.T., Almendros y Vila, Editores, S.A., -1947.

Pardo Bazdn, Emilia, Cuentos de la tier'ra, Buenos Aires, Emec6 Editores, S.A., 1940.

Pardo Bazan, Emilia, Uides'Tiador de antafi, Madrid, V. Prieto y Compania, Editores, 190. Pardo Bazadn, Emilia, 'Obras' 'c'o'mpl'e'tas, 3rd ed., Vol. I., Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. deEiciones, 1957. Pardo Bazan, Emilia,' Obras 'completas, 3rd ed., Vol. II, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957. Pattison, Walter,' Emilia Parda Bazan, New York, Twayne Pub- lishing, Inc., 1971.

Peers, E. Allison,' Spain-"'-A Companion to Spanish Studies, London, Methuen and Company Ltd., 1956. Perrier, J.L., History of 'Spanish Literature, New York, J.L. Perrier, Editor, 1925. Phillips, Henry Albert, Meet 'thSpaiards, Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott Company, 1931.

Sainz de Robles, Federico Carlos, "Pr60lgo," Obras completas, 3rd ed., Vol. I, by Emilia Pardo Baza'n, Madrid, Aguilar, S.A. de Ediciones, 1957.

Sainz de Robles, Federico Carlos, "Su obra," Obras comletas, 3rd ed., Vol. I, by Emilia Pardo Bazdn, Madr1i"d,7AguiiTar, SA. de Ediciones, 1957.