Dualism and polarity in the novels of Ramon Perez de Ayala (Spain)
Description
Many critics have noted Perez de Ayala's fondness for contrasts and paired opposites. We believe that his Jesuit training and education in the classics of both Greece and Spain helped form the author's dualistic frame of mind. But, in his novels, we notice a progression from clear-cut dualisms to a more polaristic view and, finally, to integration in the person of Tigre Juan The early novels are replete with paried opposites but, later, the oppositions begin to be between major themes such as, for example, the dualisms of spectator vs. actor, 'voluntad' vs. 'abulia,' the ideal vs. the real and, finally, the most basic dualism of all--the male and the female. The characters of the early novels are extreme examples of one dualism or another but, in the later novels, the characters become polaristic. The best example of this is, of course, the meshing of the personalities of Belarmino and Apolonio. In like manner, Urbano is able to change from 'abulia' to 'voluntad,' thus showing that the two are not irreconcilable opposites but, instead, poles that can be interchanged depending on the circumstances. When we reach the two volumes dedicated to Tigre Juan, the dualisms have all been integrated: the protagonist is a harmonious blend of spectator and actor, and the dualism of 'voluntad' and 'abulia' has disappeared. Moreover, he is also able to integrate the dualism of the ideal vs. the real by humanizing the Don Juan and the 'honra' traditions of Spanish culture Starting with Belarmino y Apolonio, we notice an increase in personages that combine contradictory characteristics and, in particular, increasing use of the androgynous character. Again, Tigre Juan serves as an example of the harmonious blend of male and female elements into one integrated whole The first attempt at unification was by the use of circles in La ca(')ida de los Limones. Later, in Belarmino y Apolonio, we observed the use of language as a unifying factor and, in the last novels, the great integrating force is love. El curandero de su honra ends with Tigre Juan's song which symbolizes the harmony of the universe