Existentialism and Faith in Unamuno’s Novel

Posted on Oct 10, 2024 in Religion

Existentialism and Faith in Unamuno’s Novel

This novel is a reflection of the tragic sense of life that dogged Unamuno throughout his life, a theme prevalent during the turn of the 20th century. This period saw numerous changes that affected all areas of knowledge: the emergence of modern physics, the rise of sociological history as a tool for social analysis, and the growing distrust of positivism. New philosophies, such as Nietzsche’s irrational philosophy and Freud’s psychoanalysis, shaped the breeding ground for existential questions.

Freud and the Subconscious

Freud’s psychoanalysis analyzed the human subconscious, explaining how cultural impositions from childhood repress and frustrate human spontaneity, causing anguish. This anxiety sometimes manifests through symbolic imagery in dreams or, in severe cases, through neurosis. Psychoanalysis was a breakthrough as it allowed us to explore the human subconscious, from which humans often try to escape through art.

Nietzsche and the Superman

Nietzsche advocated the concept of the superman, challenging traditional morality. His ideas became a rallying cry for journalists, poets, painters, anarchists, and radical dreamers who despised the prevailing regimes (the French Third Republic, the Italian Risorgimento, the Spanish Restoration, etc.). They dreamt of an alliance with the poor and preached direct action. Nietzsche’s philosophy contributed to the agnosticism of Unamuno and many other intellectuals who spoke about the “death of God.” These ideas intertwined with existential angst—the realization that man is born for death, a theme explored by both Heidegger and Jaspers. These ideas formed the basis for works like Sartre’s Nausea. We also cannot forget the rise of the philosophy of life (Henri Bergson), which explained reality as a dynamic and intangible entity that we perceive through intuition, further challenging the prestige of reason.

The Plot and Themes of San Manuel Bueno, Mártir

The plot of the play is primarily driven by Don Manuel, the village priest, who fervently wishes to believe in the immortality of the soul, although his reason prevents it (reason and faith are presented as polar opposites in Unamuno’s work). Don Manuel is an alter ego, a transcript of the writer himself, who reveals his contradictory personality through his actions.

Eternity and Faith

Beyond the main plot, other themes emerge: the interplay between eternity and faith, the tragic truth that man is born for death, and the naive portrait of a people who live in illusory happiness. Don Manuel dreams of men being immortal, viewing religion as a consolation for the inevitability of death. The idea that religion is the opium of the people, originating from Marxism, is presented critically, considered a white lie. It may seem paradoxical that a man without faith is the one who embodies love for his neighbor, seeking his own purification by surrendering his comfort to others.

Other Important Themes

Other important issues that arise throughout the novel include the subject of man’s sin, the blurred boundaries between the lived and the dream, the real and the illusory, and the social issue, focusing on the complaint of injustice and the proposed social reforms. Finally, the theme of the salvation of the soul emerges, becoming a clasp that closes the narrative, leaving us with the bitter taste of ambiguity, as doubts remain unresolved. For Unamuno, the question is paramount. For Angela, the narrator, Don Manuel, and Lázaro, “believing died not believing what mattered most to them, but without believing believing.” This statement offers a glimpse into Unamuno’s paradoxical style.

Narrative Structure and Characters

Narrative Levels

The narrative operates on various levels, both personal and temporal:

• Angela recalls the story of Don Manuel at the beginning of his beatification process. The central character, Don Manuel, is seen as a saint in the flesh who holds a secret.
• The first sequence provides external details about Don Manuel: healing the sick, his affection for Blasillo. These anecdotes recreate the pastor’s personality and are often shaped like parables, echoing gospel quotes like “Judge not, and you will not be judged” from the Gospel of Luke. We witness the pastor’s charitable nature towards the people.
• From the eighth sequence, more intimate aspects of his personality are introduced. In Angela’s confession with the priest, conversations begin to touch upon issues like the existence of the devil and hell. Don Manuel talks with Lázaro, who opens his heart, revealing his agonizing doubt. He does not believe in God or eternal life, despite his yearning to believe. Lázaro reaffirms the pastor’s role to the people but confesses the truth to Angela.
• The death of Blasillo, the village idiot, who dies the same day as Don Manuel, is crucial to the meaning of the work. This character represents simple faith, and his death closes the central part of the story.
• From sequence 21, the narrative tells of Lázaro’s death without faith. Angela refuses to accept the truth, deluding herself into thinking that she believes, although doubt also reaches her.
• Life and dream, truth and illusion, become intertwined, reminiscent of the Baroque style. In the epilogue (sequence 24), Unamuno pretends to have found the manuscript of Angela’s memoirs and offers his opinion on them.

We are faced with a novel of ideas and characters, where the narrative action is minimal. Time seems to stop, and the focus is on characterization and the intricate personality of Don Manuel, which overshadows all other elements of the work.

Character Analysis

The characters are characterized by what they do and say. Through Angela, we learn how they act. She is the catalyst character, the narrator. Don Manuel is not portrayed as a typical good pastor but as a tormented and very human individual. He does not believe, does not pray, and yet he does not leave the priesthood for the sake of his parishioners, out of commitment to the people. Angela sees him as a “male mothering” figure because he leads and protects the people from what would hurt them. Lázaro, meanwhile, sees Don Manuel as an atheist but a worthy example.

Angela plays a dual role: on the one hand, she is a non-omniscient narrator who uses her memories of lived experiences and what she has heard; on the other, she is a character who lives and intervenes in the action. She oscillates between her religious inclination and the torment of doubt. As a spiritual daughter, she feels respect and admiration for her spiritual father, but that feeling changes when he reveals his secret. At that moment, the dynamic reverses, and she becomes a compassionate mother who receives the priest’s confession.

Lázaro, in turn, represents the resurrection of faith, but an illusory resurrection, not a real one; it is a facade. For some authors, he represents the young Unamuno.

External and Internal Structure

The external structure is divided into 24 short, numbered sequences without titles, each developing a distinct part of the story. The internal structure can be represented by concentric circles of voices and confessions that are interlinked. The author, Unamuno, indirectly speaks of himself; he is the one collecting Angela’s memories, who tells the story of Don Manuel in the first person. The narrator also speaks of her brother Lázaro, of herself, and her relationship with Don Manuel. We experience the story from her point of view as she selects her memories.

From an external point of view, this is a memoir; however, at the end, Unamuno simulates having found the manuscript and comments on its contents. In this way, the structure is divided between the narration of the “Manuscript Found” with Angela’s memories and Unamuno’s epilogue.

Alternative Divisions of the Narrative

There are different ways of dividing the main body of the work. It can be divided into three parts:

1. Presentation and justification of the memoir (sequence 1)
2. Central Body (2 to 21)
   • Angela’s early memories about Don Manuel
   • Angela’s life between 16 and 24 years
   • Angela’s relationship with Lázaro and the disclosure of Don Manuel’s secret
   • Deaths of Don Manuel, Blasillo, and Lázaro
3. Angela’s late reflections (22-23)
4. Epilogue by the author (24)

We may also use other criteria for the division of content:

1. In sequences 1 to 7, the more external aspects of the pastor’s personality are presented.
2. Sequences 8 to 10 delve deeper into the pastor’s intimate and personal struggles, his existential doubt.
3. From sequence 10 to 18, the narrative focuses on Lázaro, first as Don Manuel’s opponent and then as his confidant. It reveals the lack of faith in both and their final decision to feign faith. Lázaro reveals the priest’s experiences and thoughts to Angela, his suicidal tendencies, his ideas about popular superstitions, religion, and social issues, including the theme of “the sin of being born” (a Calderonian theme).
4. In sequences 19-21, the narrative recounts the death of Don Manuel, Lázaro’s reflections on it, and his own death.
5. In sequences 22 to 23, it shows us Angela’s thoughts and doubts, the theme of truth and fiction, life and sleep.
6. Finally, in sequence 24, it presents the author’s findings.

From a structural point of view, the progressive reveal of Don Manuel’s secret is important. The problem is created, uncovered, discussed, and finally reflected symbolically in the landscape. This is typical of Unamuno’s novels of ideas, considered “nivolas.”

Another Interpretation

Lazarus and Tuson propose another interpretation in their book (Editorial Anaya):

1. Sequences 1 to 8: Notes on Don Manuel that Angela has heard or read in Lázaro’s journal.
2. Sequences 9-20: Angela integrates them into the development of the action upon her return to town and becomes a witness-narrator. With the participation of Lázaro, who returns shortly after from America, pursuing the initial clues and discovering the protagonist’s secret. The plot is maintained because the author skillfully introduces information.
3. Sequences 21-25: Angela shares her final thoughts, and the author provides his epilogue.

Thus, the protagonist gains strength through interconnected anecdotes. From the beginning, the existence of a personal drama in the parish is suggested. The reader gradually discovers the doubt until the climactic moment when it is revealed by Lázaro, who confesses the protagonist’s inner turmoil to his sister. Another characteristic of the structure is the interspersing of anecdotes and stories, such as the story of Perote.

Space and Time

Regarding space and time, the timestamps are less concerned with continuity or action and more with marking periods in Angela’s life. There are plenty of jumps or “ellipses” in time. The external time refers to rural Spain at the beginning of the century, as evidenced by the language, type of education, and morals in the story, despite the attempt to maintain a certain timelessness to ensure the continued validity and universality of the themes.

The internal time divides itself into the present of the editor of the memoir (the “found manuscript”), the present of the narrator who is writing her memoirs, and the past—the events contained in these memoirs that progress linearly with a slow tempo, punctuated by temporal ellipses in the collection of fragmented memories.

The real space is the village of San Martín de Castañeda, bordering Lake Sanabria in the province of Zamora. The ruins of a nearby convent and the legend of a city of Carolingian origin, Lucerna, submerged in the lake, help transform the real space—the landscape with its mountains, lake, and town—into a symbolic space: the people and the parish of Valverde de Lucerna.

Language and Style

The language is complex despite its apparent simplicity. The syntax, which respects the logical order, is complicated by multiple subordinate clauses. The language is deliberately literary and sometimes lyrical.

Among its features, we find:

• A sentimental, romantic tone with sensory descriptions, resulting in emotional intensity.
• A nostalgic tone achieved through archaisms and lexical selections from the affective field.
• Literary figures: metaphors, comparisons (including small allegorical developments), images, symbols (especially in the geographical scope), and paradoxes, all serving to enhance the density of ideas.
• Use of infrequent phrases and unusual words. The word order deliberately departs from the norm.
• Frequent use of vocatives and a preference for pronouns over nouns. Use of the enclitic “se.”
• Abundant biblical quotes and references (“God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” etc.).

The style is ambiguous, preventing definitive conclusions from both the narrator and the author. The problem remains open, although the structure of the novel is circular, closed by the framing device of the “found memoirs.” At the end of the narrative, the reader, who has been accumulating many questions, must answer them alone, intimately. The author does not impose solutions.

Themes and Symbols

Agony and Dialectic (Struggle of Opposites)

• Reason/Faith: Reason denies eternal life. It is a painful truth that causes anguish and leads to the contemplation of death. It is represented by Don Manuel and Lázaro.
• Faith: Faith believes in the immortality of the soul. It is an illusory peace that allows life to continue. It is represented by the people and Blasillo. The confrontation between reason and faith creates doubt about the meaning of faith and the relationship between experience, truth, and falsehood. Unamuno believes that dreams represent this struggle, as exemplified by Angela.

Unamuno represents the contemporary man, San Manuel is Christ, Lázaro is the friend, brother, the resurrected one (young Unamuno), Angela is the messenger, the narrator (Unamuno as author).

Symbolic Patronymics

• Manuel, Emmanuel, God with us: Christ
• Angela: Angel, messenger, narrator
• Lázaro: Resurrection (of the death of faith)
• Don Miguel (phonetic proximity to Don Manuel)
• Blasillo: The simpleton (naive faith)

Symbolic Place Names

• Valverde de Lucerna: Green Valley: Hope
• Lucerna: Lamp: Light
• Diocese of Renada: Re-nada: “Nothing” or “more than anything”

Metaphorical Symbols

• Mountain: Snow: Faith (life)
• Lake: Snowmelt: Death
• Sky (blue) / Eyes (blue like Don Manuel’s)
• People (monastery or convent) / Village submerged (and Cistercian abbey): Life (immortal), truth, the real, the permanent
• Death (fatal): Lies, the imaginary (the transient)

Relationships Between the Characters

• Blasillo represents simple faith. There is a relationship of affection and compassion between him and Don Manuel.
• Angela is the spiritual daughter: there is a relationship of respect and affection (motherly). The dynamic shifts from penitent to confessor.
• Don Manuel is the hub of the dialectical and spiritual relationships.
• The people, the mother… represent the admiration for the saint. These are pastoral relationships.
• Lázaro represents antagonism and is the disciple and friend who helps Don Manuel confront his dubious faith.