Analysis of the Play: Sociocultural Context and Narrative
Play Summary
The play opens in a verbena in San Juan, where Pijoaparte (a lower-class boy) meets Maruja, Teresa’s maid (a bourgeois). Maruja and Pijoaparte begin a romance one summer day. Maruja falls and hits her head, entering a deep coma from which she will not awaken. During Maruja’s hospital stay, Teresa and Pijoaparte fall in love and begin dating. After Maruja dies, Teresa is forced to return to her family’s villa for the holidays, losing contact with Pijoaparte. Pijoaparte learns she is at the villa and decides to go to her. He steals a motorcycle for the journey and is arrested by the Guardia Civil, who discover he was reported by a friend of Teresa’s. He spends two years in prison and discovers that Teresa has forgotten him.
Sociocultural Context
The play was written during the 1960s, reflecting the situation in Barcelona, or rather Catalonia. There was significant economic growth, leading to a large influx of migrants seeking work. This emphasized the difference between the bourgeoisie, who actively participated in the economy’s development, and the proletariat, who were migrants seeking jobs.
The play is a contemporary work that speaks to the sociocultural context of Barcelona in the 60s, explained by someone who lived there at the time and knew the environment well. It highlights social differences and the divisions within society. The writer provides detailed descriptions and information, making the play easier to understand. The language reflects the slang of the suburbs, using Catalan words and phrases, as well as occasional French and English words.
Time and Space
The narrative is primarily linear and chronological, but there are many flashbacks to the characters’ childhoods to reconstruct important events and deepen our understanding of them. The action spans one year and three months, with a brief episode two years later. It takes place in Barcelona and the nearby beach of Blanes.
In Barcelona, there are two distinct worlds: the Caramel neighborhood, populated by thieves, prostitutes, and criminals, and San Gervasio, a wealthy and exclusive suburb with its own problems.
Narrator and Style
The narrator is in the third person, with some interior monologues in the first and sometimes second person. The narrator occasionally hints at information to create mystery around a character called “Cardinal.” The novelist skillfully foreshadows the outcome at times.
The third-person narrative voice, that of the author, brings the reader closer to Pijoaparte than to the other characters. The third-person narrative does not exclude perspectivism, presenting reality in different dimensions. For example, the scene where Murcia appears uninvited at a private party in San Gervasio is presented from the perspectives of Manolo, Teresa, and Maruja. Other scenes are projections of the characters’ fantasies. For instance, the detailed description of Manolo’s visit to Teresa’s bedroom in her parents’ villa spans several pages, only to reveal that it was a feverish dream, a product of the youth’s excited imagination.