Delibes's Los Santos Inocentes: Themes & Analysis

Open Nature: Rural Life and Environmental Themes

In his work, Delibes vehemently defends rural life, free from pollution and environmental aggressions. The natural world is depicted as a kind of "Arcadia" threatened by progress. This positive progress is often offset by what Delibes called a "kickback" or regression. The action primarily takes place within this natural world. It has been said that the novel's landscape coincides with the fields of Extremadura, where the peasant is resigned and happy, living in perfect harmony with the earth. For the family of Azarías and the rest of the peasants, the countryside is their very livelihood. Nature itself is treated like the humble characters in the novel.

Azarías leads a life quite similar to that of animals, engaging in activities such as:

• Feeding birds
• Hunting small game

Paco, El Bajo, is described as being like a dog with a keen sense of smell. However, the female characters, such as Regula and Nieves, do not identify with this natural existence and are confined to housework. These two intelligent characters, possessing a practical vision of the world, are condemned to live without hope for progress, as it offers no escape routes for them. Quirce is the only one who seems to distance himself, taking a slightly suspicious stance, as his work is not meant to please the whims of the young master Iván.

Key Characters and Their Conflicts

Los Santos Inocentes is a character-driven novel, as quantitatively and qualitatively, a large proportion of the text is dedicated to the portrayal of human figures. The gallery of characters in the novel clearly denotes the author's concern for human beings. The characters in the foreground are:

• Azarías (the true hero)
• Paco, El Bajo
• Master Iván (who embodies negative traits)

Among the secondary characters, we find Paco, El Bajo's family, and Master Iván's associates, for example. Additionally, there are tertiary characters such as the doctor or Master Iván's guests. One of the most important aspects of the novel is the conflict between characters, which arises from their nature, dividing them into two blocks: the simple and the vain.

Temporal Structure and Narrative Pace

There is no explicit date indicating the year that passes in the novel, but by examining some references, we can place it in the 1960s. The novel is intended as a whole to demonstrate the persistence of an archaic and unjust society in a relatively recent past. The temporal development is quite slow because the action takes place over just a few days. Also, in the novel, we find unusual markers of time that intensify the idea of routine, which are only broken up by the concrete time frame in which narrated snapshots occur. These markers include:

• Specific date allusions, especially in relation to hunting.
• References to seasons or days of the week.

The novel generally follows a chronological order, with small flashback jumps justified by some characters. The slow temporal development does not prevent passages where time passes more quickly (like when Paco, El Bajo, has the accident). The narrative of the final events becomes linear, while the preceding narrative shows freedom in the use of time.

Setting and Its Significance

The depiction of the landscape is one of the fundamental aspects of the novel. It has a very relevant theme and plays an integrative role. The historical realism of the setting corresponds to the concept present in Delibes's stories, based on credibility and authenticity, not mere photography. The elements of the farmhouse appear carefully written with a lexicon of great precision and a profusion of details. The entire narrative takes place in the same location, with a preference for the outdoors, and it could be said that it represents the routine life of a Spanish estate. Thus, the space has a fundamental function in the novel, demonstrating:

• The landscape of the farm has value in itself or conveys a specific reality.
• It provides cohesion for episodes.
• It reveals the hierarchical structure of the estate, where each landscape element refers to the social differences of characters.
• It reflects a dual attitude of man towards nature. The innocent are integrated, while the vain are alienated.

Finally, it can be said that time and space are condensed, as Delibes emphasizes the monotonous and slow passage of daily life.