Lazarillo de Tormes: Summary and Characters
Chapter Summaries of *Lazarillo de Tormes*
Chapter 1: Lazarus and the Blind Man
The central idea is the evolution of Lazarus, who transforms from a naive and innocent child into a ‘mischievous’ young boy who must fend for himself to survive. A constant theme is hunger. Lazarus dedicates all his efforts to deceiving the blind man, his cunning master, to get food or wine. At the end of the chapter, Lazarus takes revenge for the beatings he received, tricking his master and leaving him to his fate.
Chapter 2: Lazarus and the Priest of Maqueda
The cleric whom Lazaro serves is a petty, miserable man who refuses to adequately feed his servant, saving the few available foods at home in a locked chest. Lazarus, once again gripped by hunger, must sharpen his cunning to get a chunk of bread. Finally, the cleric, learning of the boy’s deception and theft, decides to dispense with his services.
Chapter 3: Lazarus and the Squire
The squire is a low-level nobleman, living in abject poverty but striving to maintain a false image of tranquility, respectability, and wealth. Lazarus does not understand his master’s pretensions of grandeur but takes pity on him and often feeds him. Hounded by creditors, the squire flees the city, so this time, it is the master who abandons the servant.
Chapter 4: Lazarus and a Friar of the Merced
Lazarus talks about his new master, a friar of the Merced, who is not fond of the obligations of a religious man and spends the day attending to and fro ‘certain businesses’ whose nature is never explained. The chapter concludes: ‘For these and other things which I do not count, I left my master.’ This ending leaves all possibilities open: what are these ‘little things’ that made Lazarus decide to leave the friar?
Chapter 5: Lazarus and the Pardoner
The pardoner was a priest who dedicated himself to going through the parishes selling bulls, papal indulgences, which allowed those who bought them to avoid certain religious requirements (such as fasting or abstaining from meat during Lent). Lazarus describes the dirty tricks used by the priest to sell his bulls, without any true religious feeling, with the sole aim of achieving good returns.
Chapter 6: Lazarus with a Chaplain
Once again, Lazarus’s master is a religious man. In this case, the chaplain allows Lazarus to work as a waterboy in the city. Once the boy has been operating profitably and could change his clothes, Lazarus decides to quit work and seek a new master.
Chapter 7: The Purpose of Lazarus’ Letter
After working with a constable (police), a job that seemed too dangerous, Lazarus entered the service of an archpriest, who suggests that he marry one of his servants. Gossip in town suggests that the archpriest’s desire was to lend an air of decency to his relationship with Lazarus’s wife, who was really his concubine (mistress). Lazarus, who knows the rumors, prefers to be deaf: he has reached ‘happiness’ and some renown in the city, albeit in exchange for giving up his honor and allowing his wife’s infidelities.
Characters
- Lazarillo: The protagonist of the novel. He is poor, has no money or food, and is a beggar. The blind man is Lazarus’ first master and teaches him to be bad and deceitful. Lazarus also teaches him how to get food and money.
- Tomé González: Lazarus’ father, is charged with theft and is sent to serve as a boy, where he dies shortly after.
- Antona Pérez: Lazarus’ mother, gives Lazarus to the blind man to guide him.