Baroja’s Narrative Techniques: Portrait, Impressionism, and Style
Baroja’s Narrative Techniques
Portrait Technique: Avoid creating a complete portrait of the character. Instead, select the most striking details and express them through rapid strokes. Secondary characters should receive brief descriptions, presented without excessive detail.
Impressionism: Baroja highlights Andrew’s surroundings, such as the view from his window, cabarets, the dissecting room, the hospital, and the house of Minglanillas. He favors environments of misery. Characterization is sparse, focusing on vivid impressions. Baroja demonstrates expertise in landscapes, using few features to reproduce the desired impression. He frequently uses the word “seedy” to characterize the urban landscape.
Dialogue and Style
Dialogue: Baroja employs diverse dialogue styles, reflecting each character’s position, education, and culture. Characters use language appropriate to their social stratum, resulting in naturally expressive dialogue. He utilizes slang and colloquialisms.
Style: Baroja’s prose is characterized by brief paragraphs, simplicity, clarity, accuracy, and expressive economy, resulting in short chapters. Primarily a novel of character, it narrates the protagonist’s life in a linear, sometimes fragmented, fashion. The narrative is occasionally interrupted by descriptions of environments and characters, reflecting Baroja’s tendency to be “entertained by the way.” The book interweaves narratives, descriptions, and dialogue.
Slang and Spanish Themes
Slang: Baroja’s extensive use of slang lends the book simplicity and naturalness, making it accessible to the people of that era, whose cultural level was generally low.
The Theme of Spain
The novel’s environments and characters reflect the desolate Spanish reality of the time, portraying a society and country in decay. Spain serves as the framework for Andrés Hurtado’s life and is a central theme of denunciation. Baroja highlights Spain’s anomalies and absurdities, reflecting this reality through two core elements:
Urban Spain
Urban Spain is represented by Madrid. Baroja offers a ruthless depiction:
- Political life: Irresponsible politicians mislead the people.
- Social classes: Social misery is represented in the seedy atmosphere of houses and the environment of prostitution.
- Cultural environment: Baroja denounces cultural poverty, exemplified by the inefficiency of fraudulent teachers.
Rural Spain
The rural reality is no less painful, represented by Alcolea del Campo. Baroja highlights the following aspects:
- A narrow, puritanical Catholic morality, full of prejudices.
- Caciquismo (political bossism).
- Rapacity, selfishness, incompetence, lack of solidarity, and social envy.
- Iniquity, against which Andrew feels impotent.
- A depressing spectacle of cholera casualties.
- Miseria among the upper classes and social and cultural poverty.
- Passivity in the face of injustice.