Pío Baroja: Andrés Hurtado and Lulú Character Analysis

Trajectory of Andrés Hurtado

Trajectory of Andrés Hurtado: Andrés is an undisputed star in the 53 chapters forming the book. He begins intellectually supported by heterogeneous knowledge; in his library are treatises on medicine and biology, novels, a history of the French Revolution, and more. The narrative arc begins with republican ideas, but he soon reveals his true political inclinations.

He prefers not to belong to any social class and despises both the rich and the poor for the defects he perceives in each. He believes in social classes and shows a constant limit in his aristocratic disdain for vulgarity. Andrés is a man of action who stumbles upon a mass that is ignorant and cowardly, resigned and incapable of changing the injustices of life. This rebellious and critical sourness makes him a pessimistic man.

Nevertheless, he demonstrates throughout the novel a critical spirit and a propensity for action. He shows himself rebellious and fights hypocrisy, cruelty, and cowardice. For example: “He opposes the lifestyle of his father and denounces unjust character.”

He criticizes the hospital doctor Juan de Dios for his cruelty and the maltreatment inflicted on the sick. He confronts the director of a newspaper he had quit, because Villasuso mocked and teased him at home in a stupid and tasteless way. Lulu defends Manolo when facing the chafadín with an Alcolea chair. In defending the truth and attempting to do justice, his combative uncle Garrota appears.

The active principle in Andrés is shown as demonstrating a strong Nietzschean influence, and at times anti-Christian and anti-Semitic positions are taken. But as his melancholic descent increases, one can also see the influence of Schopenhauer: he becomes inactive, withdraws from life, and later regains the strength to leave.

Lulú: Character and Development

Lulú: Lulú is presented as a main character, comparable to Howard or Iturrioz. At first she seems not as relevant, but she becomes important by the end. Lulú is Hurtado’s wife. Baroja devotes two chapters to this character.

She is depicted as withered by work, a product of misery and intelligence. The author gives a physical description and presents her in contrast to her sister, Nini. She is at once nasty and funny, with a malicious smile; she utters harsh remarks but remains lucid and sharp.

Her character is portrayed as very human and noble: tolerant, confident, outspoken, and unwilling to accept certain social practices. Lulú feels tenderness for the helpless people, a tenderness shared by Andrés (and apparently by Baroja himself). She is sincere and desires to analyze everything.

Many traits of Lulú project Baroja’s mood; he even devotes a chapter to this character in his memoirs. She is insignificant at first, but she undergoes personal development and gradually becomes more important in the novel.

Key Traits

• Rebellious and critical: opposes hypocrisy and cruelty.
• Intellectual influences: Nietzschean vigor, later Schopenhauerian resignation.
• Social stance: rejects both rich and poor due to perceived defects.
• Lulú’s evolution: from withered, overlooked figure to central character.