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AMOS AND HAGGAI: SOURCES OF THEMATIC MOTTF AND STYLISTIC FORM IN IGNAQO ALDECOA'S CON EL VIENTO SOLANO Charles R. Carlisle On a fly-leaf immediately prior to the first page of tibe text of Con el viento solano, Ignacio Aldecoa makes two references to the Old Testament. Citing Haggai and then Amos, he quotes: Os herí con viento solana" ("I smote you with east wind.") The reference in both books is to physical punishment sent by God to the people of Israel as a form of test, which they fail by not returning to Jehovah after their sufferings. That Aldecoa uses these quotes is no caprice. The suffering of the Israelites and their rejection of God suggests the suffering of Sebastián Vásquez, the central figure in Con d viento solano, and his alienation from both his fellow man and God. In many works of modem fiction which deal with alienated man there L· some outward act of alienation committed by the estranged character. One such example is Yossarian's stripping himself naked in Catch-22. His refusal to wear the uniform which identifies him with the rest of the men around him and with the societal structure which their Air Corps doming represents is an external aspect of Yossarian's expression of alienation. Furthermore, by being naked, Yossarian has made it impossible for the general to pin a medal on him; thus he rejects society on the level of its code of honor and rewards. Similarly, the central character in Eduardo Mallea's Chaves externalizes his alienation through a refusal to speak, since he previously proved to be unable to communicate his feelings to others with words. This refusal to attempt an explanation of his inner feelings causes others to hate Chaves, because they can no more understand his silence than they could his speech. Another aspect of alienation as an inability to communicate is presented in the black humor of Fernando Arrabals El triciclo, a play in which the guard, a character based on the Spanish Civil Guard, speaks only nonsense syllables to those around him despite their efforts to reach him with words and gestures. In contrast to these characters stands Sebastián Vásquez, the alienated Gypsy fugitive in Con el viento solano. He shows neither outward defiance or hatred, nor the inability or refusal to communicate. The novel does not end in an explosive scene of rebellion or rejection. Qn the contrary, there is a feeling of quiet in the final paragraphs which suggests the most important aspect of Sebastian's alienation: his alienation from God. Sebastián has suffered rejection and scam as a second-class dtizen from the non-Gypsy majority of society in which he lives. He has further alienated 84RMMLA BulletinFall 1972 himself from sodety through an act of unpremeditated murder. After committing this crime, he loses his friends and family-even his mother—upon whom he has felt he could depend for help and comfort. These stages of Sebastian's alienation from his fellow man are carefully developed in the course of the noveL The action of the novel develops Sebastian as a man suffering from the effects of alienation from mankind. That Sebastian Vásquez is alienated from God is shown by what does not happen in Con el viento solano. Despite his agony of fear, the physical and emotional punishment of his flight from the Spanish Civil Guard, and his classification by society, first as an inferior element of that sodety and later as a criminal to be hunted down and captured or shot, Sebastián never turns to God for help in any manner, either through personal supplication or through the institution of the church. Like the Israelites described by Amos and Haggai, whom God tested with blight, fire, and famine, and who suffered those trials without turning to Him, Sebastián Vásquez is alienated from his Creator. Because he is isolated from both God and his fellow men, Sebastián is virtually dead. When he finally becomes aware of the extent of his alienation, Sebastián surrenders his body to the Civil Guard without protest. His alienated soul had been a captive since...

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