El camino (novel)

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The novel El camino (literally: the path ) was written in 1950 by the Spanish author Miguel Delibes . German editions appeared under the titles And to Remember Freckles (1960) and The Last Night in the Valley .

Summary

The eleven-year-old Daniel, called the owl (in the original without diminutive : el Mochuelo , which also means “burden” or “ chore ”), sees himself forced by his father, a cheese maker , to watch the village in which he grew up leave and get a high school diploma in town. His parents are simple people who always have enough to live on, but cannot afford much beyond that. Daniel's father now wants something better for his son. He wants Daniel to achieve more than him in his life. In order to make this possible for his son, he saved a lot of money for the planned trip; So Daniel sees no more possibility of remaining in his village. On the last night before his departure, Daniel remembers all the adventures and tests of courage he has experienced in his village over the past eleven years. He has never left the village and does not know what is hidden behind the mountains that divide it from the rest of the world. Everything Daniel knows about life, he has learned from the people and stories from his village. Thanks to his friends like Roque and Germán, Daniel matures and learns the secrets of life. From his mother he knows where the milk comes from, he finds out what an abortion is, and he learns what love is when he falls in love with an older girl who does not love him. It is the unreachable daughter of a rich homecomer. At the same time, a younger girl falls in love with him, whom he roughly rejects. He also learns that there are things that humans cannot control, he measures his strength with his friend Roque and is caught stealing apples. All of these are reasons Daniel will miss his village and would rather not leave it. On the other hand, his father fought hard for a good education for him, so that he should go against his will. When he tries to make up his mind, he realizes that the night is already over; so he gets up and sets course for the new path that is now open to him.

Narrative structure

The fictional narrator is heterodiegetic and therefore uninvolved ( narrator ), he abstains from any interpretation of the events. Large parts of the actions and scenes are unknown to Daniel and they do not come into contact with him or only indirectly through hearsay or the formation of legends. In this respect, the story draws a moral image ( Catholicism , honor and defamation, gender struggle) of this isolated community surrounded by mountains, whose mirror and final focus is Daniel. The dialogues are given in uninitiated (autonomous) direct speech . The plot is condensed, with each episode having its own chapter. The narrative is emphatically apolitical, with the exception of a brief mention of flying planes in the Spanish civil war , which is only hinted at , no reference to current affairs is made, but social differences are thematized and in Daniel himself the urge for social advancement awakens when he was courting the Adored recognizes his position. A point of view that he rejects at the end of the plot, which shows how much he has matured through the experiences.

people

Daniel "el mochuelo"

Daniel is the protagonist of the novel. He is an eleven year old boy who has to leave his home village to go to school in town. Stories are told in the novel that Daniel experienced in his village; in the form of his memories the night before he left.

Roque "el moñigo"

Roque and Germán are Daniel's best friends. Roque is thirteen years old, brave and a strong boy. He is the son of the blacksmith Paco and has a sister Sara, who bullies him. He keeps talking about himself and bragging about his scars.

German "el tiñoso"

Germán is the son of the shoemaker Andrés. He knows a lot about birds and thanks to him Daniel learns a lot about animals too. He dies when his head falls on a stone. Daniel is very sorry for his death and he is learning how much a good friend is worth.

Salvador, Daniel's father

Salvador doesn't take much part in the narrative, but decides Daniel's departure, i.e. the conflict of the novel. He makes cheese and is not very happy with his situation, so he sends Daniel into town so that he can strive for something higher. However, he does not see that Daniel is happy in the village.

Daniel's mother

She doesn't take much part in the narrative either, but lets it be seen that she is very soulful and loves all children. She would have loved to have more children. She accepts her husband's decision with resignation.

More people

• Paco (the blacksmith)
• Don José (the parish priest)
• La Sara (sister of Roque)
• Don Moisés (the teacher)
• Doña Lola (the older "guindilla mayor" pepper)
• Doña Irene (Guindilla Menor)
• Quino (el Manco)
• La Mica (daughter of the wealthy returnee from America)
• La Mariuca-uca (a girl in love with Daniel)
• Ramón (the pharmacist)
• his son Ramón (law student)
• Etc.

expenditure

• Miguel Delibes: El camino (= Áncora y Delfín series. 57). Destino, Barcelona 1950, OCLC 1865582 .
• Miguel Delibes: And freckles as a reminder. Translated from the Spanish by Annelies von Benda. Bachem, Cologne 1960, DNB 450892786 .
• Miguel Delibes: The last night in the valley. Translated from the Spanish by Annelies von Benda. Bonner Buchgemeinde, Cologne undated [1965], OCLC 312253882 .