por The characters of The Lazarillo de Tormes They managed to represent the society of the 15th century, the moment in which this iconic work was written. The life of Lazarillo de Tormes and his fortunes and adversities It is a novel characterized as picaresque, classic of Spanish literature.
This work narrates in the first person the life of a very humble little boy, from birth to adulthood. The protagonist of the story, Lázaro, tells of his life from a very young age until he becomes a mature man who gets married. The narration is made in such a way that it implies that it is a letter addressed to someone so that they never forget everything they had to go through.
Despite the fact that from the beginning this work was made known without an author, several researchers have dedicated themselves to inquiring about who really belongs to the authorship of it. The Lazarillo de Tormes, Among the possible authors, Alfonso de Valdés (1490-1532), Fray Juan de Ortega (1557) and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (1503-1575) head the list.
Characters of Lazarillo de Tormes and their characteristics
lazaro de tormes
Lázaro González Pérez was born in the Tormes river in Salamanca and is a boy from a humble family, with a vagabond, skinny and small appearance. He lived with both of his parents until his father (Tomé) died in the Gelves war and his mother, Antona, handed him over to a blind man since she could not give him the support he needed.
Lázaro is a very cunning and insightful child, and after his mother handed him over to the blind man he went from master to master, on whom he depended for his livelihood.
Already at an advanced age, although still a young man, his last master married him to one of his maids. Said woman brought stability and happiness back to the man’s life.
This character matures incredibly throughout the story. His main desire throughout the work was always to satisfy his hunger and achieve stability. He was very determined and intelligent, thanks to all the experiences and lessons that he had to learn throughout the story.
Tomé González and Antona Pérez
They are the parents of Lázaro, both of humble origins. Tomé worked in a mill where he stole sacks to bring more food to the table at home, but when he is discovered he is banished and a short time later he is sent to a war against the Moors, where he dies when his son was barely eight years old.
When widowed, Antona found love again and, in addition, she had to resort to working to be able to support her son. This is how she began to work in an inn, which was regularly attended by a blind beggar who later became Lázaro’s first master.
zaide
He is Antona’s new love and Lázaro’s stepfather after the latter lost his father. It is presumed that he was or was a slave and some time after beginning his romance with Antona, he was caught for stealing and was whipped at least a hundred times. Immediately after, the woman decides to give her child to the blind man.
At first, the relationship between Lázaro and Zaide was a bit cold, since the boy felt scared by this new male figure in his life, but as they spent more time together, he noticed their good intentions.
This character has given much to talk about because of how marginalized he is in the work, the author practically does not provide information about his origins or customs. He is also a character little developed by many of the researchers who have analyzed and commented on this work.
The blind
He met the guide’s mother at the inn he frequented and asked the boy to serve as his guide. Antona agreed to this proposal so that her son could have a better future than she promised.
This is one of the characters that had the most influence on the protagonist’s childhood, because he was a greedy, hypocritical and selfish man who even mistreated him with blows and barely fed him.
Seeing his master’s attitude, Lázaro was forced to deceive him in order to steal a little food or a little wine, and when the blind man realizes this he punishes him terribly. It was at that moment that the young man decided to leave him and look for another master who would satisfy his needs.
The cleric of Maqueda
After abandoning his previous master, Lázaro looked for another master to work for and met a clergyman with whom he worked as an assistant to give mass.
This man turned out to be just as greedy as the previous one. Despite having a chest with plenty of food, he only fed the child at burials and when he felt like it with those dishes that he didn’t like or were out of date.
Lázaro deceived his boss again and managed to steal the key to the chest, so he could sneak in at night and eat a little. As the days passed, the cleric noticed that there was a lack of food and found out what the hungry boy had been up to. He in a rage, he kicked him out of his house.
the squire
After having spent 15 days living on alms in Toledo, Lázaro ran into a very nice-looking squire who appeared to be a man in a comfortable situation, who was not in need. However, the guide was able to realize the opposite just by seeing the state of the house in which he later lived.
The squire was excessively concerned about not showing the serious economic situation he was in, so he never begged or asked for a job. Since he did not have food, he depended on Lazarus to sustain himself.
Finally, the squire abandons the young man when he is thrown out of his house for not being able to pay the rent.
The friar of Mercy
He was the fourth master of Lázaro and he was a religious man, a lover of nature, walks, the expedition and women.
He was very kind to the young man and was the one who gave him his first gift, a pair of shoes. Eventually, Lázaro got tired of the long walks he liked to take with the friar and abandoned him.
the boulder
He was the fifth master of the guide and represents the false religiosity existing at the time. He was a liar and a swindler, he sold false bulls for the sole purpose of profit and was extremely corrupt, he did not mind breaking with the principles of his religion in order to obtain economic benefits.
He never bothered to bond with Lázaro and they did not understand each other very well. For this reason, and because of the displeasure and disapproval that the young man felt towards the lifestyle full of scams and deception, he leaves him to find another place where he could feel more comfortable.
The painter
The master painter of tambourines was the sixth master of Lázaro and represents the Renaissance class of the time. He was a very cultured and artistic man.
The time he was able to share with the guide was very short because the latter ended up leaving him, since he felt that he was being very exploited.
the chaplain
This character is described as an opportunist. He offered Lázaro a job as a paid water carrier and became his seventh master.
With the chaplain, the protagonist felt that he had found a bit of stability again. She spent 4 years with him until she was able to get enough money to buy a sword and some clothes.
For the first time, Lazarus did not abruptly abandon his master because of some kind of conflict or discontent. This time, the young man took his time and left with everything he wanted, without rushing.
Sheriff
He was the eighth master of Lázaro. Since the job of this character represented the law, the young man worked as a porquerón (sheriff’s assistant).
Lázaro felt that it was dangerous to spend a lot of time with him, so he abandoned him shortly after.
The Archpriest of San Salvador
He was the ninth and last master of the lazarillo, with whom he worked as a town crier for his wines.
It represents the existing corruption in the clergy, because despite his religion and its demands, he had sexual relations with his maid, who later became the wife of Lázaro.
He worked on his friendship with the young man and always showed himself as a kind and sensitive man.
The maid of the archpriest of San Salvador
She was the wife of Lazarus. This marriage was arranged by the archpriest with the intention of keeping her close to her forever, since previously both characters had relationships.
This woman was the one who brought joy and tranquility back to Lazarus, but it was the reason why he loses his honor due to accepting his wife’s infidelity. With her, hunger and instability were a thing of the past for Lázaro.
References
First Treaty of Lazarillo de Tormes. Retrieved from web.ucm.es
The figure of the Squire of Lazarillo de Tormes, his gestures and clothing. Retrieved from uv.es