Miguel Hernández’s Poetic Imagery and Symbolism
Images and Symbols in Miguel Hernández’s Poetry
Each poet has their own images and personal symbols, and in the case of Miguel Hernández (MH), these evolved as his outlook on life changed. These symbols encapsulate his life in a concentrated way. This analysis focuses on two aspects: the technical evolution of his metaphors, particularly his use of surrealist techniques, and the relationship between the recurring symbols in his poetry.
Early Works: Perito en Lunas
In Perito en Lunas, Hernández achieves a perfect technique similar to Góngora’s use of metaphor, characterized by intellectualism.
El Rayo Que No Cesa: Emotional Metaphors
In El Rayo Que No Cesa, a shift becomes apparent. Metaphors become expressions of his feelings, elevating the image and metaphor to a high degree of perfection. The “bull” is a prominent symbol in this book, representing the powerful love that shakes the very essence of the “golden woman.” This symbol encapsulates three major existential themes: life, love, and death. Hernández is compared to a bull: both are destined for grief and pain, yet possess virility and a disproportionately large heart full of love. This is a sincere externalization of his inner self, his lyrical language “bathed in the blood of his heart.” He is an indomitable beast with persistent and stubborn insistence, sharing a tragic fate: death. Other symbols, such as the knife and lightning, also appear to express love, the central theme. A knife wound is both a touch and something sweet, yet also a murderer.
Viento del Pueblo: Surrealist Influence
From Viento del Pueblo onward, influenced by Neruda and Vicente Aleixandre, Hernández discovers the power of surrealism, where emotion generates similarities, enriching his metaphors. He creates a world at war where men, trees, and animals feel equal, identifying with the cosmos and undergoing a process of humanization touched by the tragedy of man (they are populating every corner, to accompany your death).
A multitude of animal-like images are displayed – brave, strong, and wild. Animals associated with Franco, however, take on negative characteristics (“I am not of a cattle-raising people…”). The core of the poems, however, features images of nature connected to humanity in the unity of the earth: sweat, blood, etc.
El Hombre Acecha: Surrealism and War
With El Hombre Acecha, Hernández cultivates the surrealist image, but with less tendency towards hyperbole. The images in this book are negatively charged by the prolonged war, which has already claimed many lives without a clear outcome. Here, man undergoes animalization, losing humanity. For example, hands, once a symbol of man’s ability to conquer and unite the world, become claws capable of destroying one’s own child. Several groups of “magnets” appear, mixing human and metal, reflecting Hernández’s stay in Russia and his attempt to exalt the achievements of communism – something big and modern. Images of unity also appear. Inanimate objects are mobilized against the combatants; for example, in “Letters,” a beloved letter becomes a living thing, a bird. Images of the artificial and bureaucratic also appear, critiquing the enemies of the Republic.
Cancionero y Romancero de Ausencias: Poetic Peak
In Cancionero y Romancero de Ausencias, the poetic image reaches its peak. Now, mostly bare nouns are used (light, flower, kiss, etc.), and this is where the most themes are interrelated. One of the key themes is absence – the absence of the dead child, captured in images like the empty house, and also the void left in concrete images, like a lingering aroma. Furthermore, shadow and darkness convey sadness and death.
Love, Subjectivity, and Imprisonment
Another major theme is love, especially in the sections “Orillas de tu Vientre” and “Hijo de la Luz y de la Sombra,” where surrealism is used to express that love. Besides surrealist imagery, he also chooses simple and concrete images: the mouth, the kiss (“Kissing, woman, sun, kiss in life”). The other major theme is the subjectivity of the poet, isolated in jail, thinking about life and death, war and love. This makes it easy to identify feeling as the essence of the individual, emphasizing the image of the heart. The fact of incarceration leads to the frequent appearance of the bird symbol, which expresses his sentimental state – lively, warm, intense. The bird also represents the longing for freedom, as it can fly anywhere.