Narrative Structure of The Holy Innocents by Miguel Delibes

Structure and Characterization in The Holy Innocents

In The Holy Innocents, events are contingent on the characterization and shaping of the world of Azarías. The novel consists of six chapters, and each functions as an autonomous poetic narrative that does not need the other five to have a full sense (sentido pleno). The six chapters are divided into two very unequal parts. The first part includes the chapters: Azarías, Paco, el Bajo, La Milana, and El Secretario. The second part consists of The Accident and The Crime, which are books of a narrative nature.

Part One: The World of Azarías and Paco

Book One: Azarías and the Timeless Cycle

The first book presents Azarías and the cycle of timeless tasks. Delibes summarizes the character's entire life, its monotony, and two events that barely break it: the ritual of running the cárabo (owl) and the lazy chapter. We see a first and serious methodical upheaval of Azarías' paradise: the illness and death of the Grand Duke and the desolation of the innocent before the incomprehensible end. It also presents the Niña Chica.

Book Two: Social Issues and Education

The second book presents several major issues in the novel, highlighting three:

• Educating the underprivileged.
• The Christian spirit in Franco's Spain.
• The confrontation between servants and masters.

Book Three: Values of the Oppressed

The third book shows the confrontation between the oppressor and the oppressed. The emphasis is on showing the value system of the poor, especially their compassion for their neighbor and their love for nature. The central figure is also Azarías. The structure of this book is very similar to the first: the repetitive and monotonous world of Azarías is interrupted by an event involving his instincts as a new "cash" Milana.

Book Four: Paco el Bajo and Social Denunciation

The fourth book gives character to Paco, el Bajo, as the secretary of the hunt (secretario de caza). It delves into the opposition between masters and servants. This chapter has two parts:

1. The relationship between Paco, el Bajo and Master Iván, which contains an episode of Paco's canine loyalty and the public humiliation of the servants, translated into a resounding and painful social and political denunciation.
2. The periodical visits of the Marquise to the cortijo.

Part Two: The Narrative Outcome

Books Five and Six: Justice and Private Vengeance

The fifth and sixth books are dominated by the tale of the action over the description of characters. We note that the last three books were written 17 years after the first and their outcome was not foreseen in the original plan: justice for the innocent of all the victims. It is a disappointing end, as the only avenging momentum is a private act of poor reasoning, while characters who might open their eyes to the oppression abide by their situation without a hint of rebellion.