Unamuno and his Version of Spain

Nare Minaeian
UID: 704446032
Spanish 42

For many years, the Spanish identity was defined by the strength of their empire and al
the glory that came with it. However, at the turn of the twentieth century, the great Spanish
empire had dwindled down to just a few colonies. The Spanish-American War relieved Cuba,
Puerto Rico and the Philippines from Spanish rule. This reality of a crumbling empire was too
unbearable for the Spaniards and it propelled them into an identity crisis. There were a few
writers who were brave enough to compose writings that discussed the major issues that the
society faced in Spain during this time. These works pushed boundaries and tested the limits of
literature. The authors are classified into the group called La Generacin del 98. This literary
movement expanded on ideas from great philosophers, using these ideas to question and discuss
major social and political issues. One of the most significant writers of la generacin del 98 was
Miguel de Unamuno. However, in order to understand his influence in the literary world, we
need information regarding the conditions Spain was in leading up to the Disaster of 1898.
When Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the early nineteenth century, a new
internal conflict began to develop. Those who wanted a more progressive and modern Spain
sided with Napoleon. However, most Spaniards refused to associate themselves with the French.
They saw the French as Enlightenment thinkers who favored reason over religion. Therefore,
they began identifying themselves with anything that made them as Spanish as possible. When
the French refused to leave Spain, the War of Spanish Succession ensued. The Spanish and
French found themselves in a battle against conservative and liberal values. At the same time,
many of the colonies in South America seized the opportunity to fight a weak and preoccupied
Spain to win their independence. By 1824, almost all of the colonies had gained their
independence. The only hope that Spain had left for maintaining their colonial empire was with

Cuba and the Philippines. This hope was thwarted in 1898 with the Spanish-American War. It
brought the battle front to the Western Hemisphere and inspired the Cubans and Filipinos to fight
for their independence.
The year 1898 was a devastating year for Spain. Aside from the loss of Cuba and the
Philippines, Spain was dealing with severe internal struggles. An uprising was brewing between
the progressive and the conservatives. The progressives, or the liberals, wanted to change the
social norms of the Spanish society and modernize the country. On the opposing side, there was a
strong group of nationalists who refused to give up the traditional Spanish way of life. This led to
the Spanish Civil War in the early twentieth century which was essentially a clash between
liberal and conservative ideals. Liberals were fighting for a completely new, democratic society,
while the conservatives wanted to maintain the traditional Spanish social and political structure.
Between the internal conflicts in Spain and the Disaster of 1898, the country was submerged in a
culturally-fueled struggle in an attempt to create a new identity for themselves.
Spain was in a dark point in its history, but the constant conflicts and the battle for power
triggered many revolutionary ideas from some of the most brilliant writers of the twentieth
century. The literature from la generacin del 98 is characterized by the use of reason and logic
to display the social and moral issues that were present in Spain after the Spanish-American War.
It is said that the outstanding feature of the literature novels, dramas, essays of the
Generation of '98 is criticism.(Buffum, 277). Although criticism in literature was not a new
concept, this group of writers did not shy away and instead confronted all the major issues
present in the society. The literature contained simple and precise language as it tried to
regenerate and redefine the Castilian identity. The main goal of the writers was to create an

intellectual establishment of a 'new' Spain that had to come to grips with the fierce reality it
faced. (Spanish Modernist Literature).
Miguel de Unamuno is considered to be the leading figure in this movement. Unamuno
was an erudite man. He was a polyglot who read different philosophical works in their
vernacular. One of the most influential philosophers that Unamuno studied was Kierkegaard.
Kierkegaard is sometimes referred to as the Father of Existentialism. Although he was a religious
man, Kierkegaard was considered a bitter foe of conformist institutionalized religion and mass
society for obliterating the individual.(Kurtz, 472). Instead, he believed in personalized faith
and religion. There are many similarities between Kierkegaard and Unamuno. Unamuno was
also raised in a Catholic home. However, the more educated he became, the more he began to
question his faith. Unamuno described his internal struggle as a mans hunger to live on after
death [who] is constantly denied by his reason and can only be satisfied by faith, and the
resulting tension results in unceasing agony (Encyclopedia Brittanica). Kierkegaards influence
on Unamuno is especially evident in his writings. He helped sculpt Unamunos theories about
perception, reality and our existence. His most intriguing theories are encompassed in his
nivola titled San Manuel Bueno, mrtir.
The story takes place in a little village in Spain called Valverde de Lucerna. When
translated into English, the towns name means the green valley of light where light signifies
the truth. Ironically there is a lack of truth and reason in this town. This little village represents a
microcosm of Spain. Spain was looked at as a battlefield between conservative and liberal
values. Most Spaniards remained on the more conservative side which entails a very religious
lifestyle. This kept Spain very isolated from the rest of Europe. The other countries were

progressing and modernizing whereas Spain seemed to be stuck in the past. Similarly, there is a
sense of isolation between this village and the rest of the world. Furthermore, we should note that
the main characters name is Manuel which comes from the Hebrew name Emanuel meaning
God is with us. This becomes signifiant as one reads on and discovers the truth about the
character.
The story is a look into the narrators past. Angela is an old woman writing about a
particularly significant moment in her life. At a very young age, Angela befriends San Manuel, a
well respected priest in this town. She describes San Manuel as an approachable individual with
wise words to share with everyone. He was beloved by the people in the town. However, he is
hiding a big secret The respected priest is conflicted about his faith.
Upon returning to the village, Angela finds herself in a predicament. Her older brother,
Lazaro, wants Angela to leave town and go to America with him in order to get a proper
education. Lazaro sees the people in this town as uneducated, devout Christians. He can see how
this town and their devotion can isolate his sister and prevent her from living a better life. Angela
looks to San Manuel for guidance. She, too, has been questioning her faith. However, she knows
that the more educated she becomes, the more she will question everything, which will only
solidify her doubts about her faith. She is unaware of San Manuels secret, as he spends most of
his time performing good deeds in order to mask the darkness that is inside him. San Manuel
believes that as long as he can help others achieve a happy and content life, then he has done
enough to go to heaven if there is one. The unfortunate thing is that he is successful at making
others happy, but he is unable to bring himself happiness. This internal struggle has destroyed
San Manuel. He often finds himself very isolated emotionally. San Manuel querer huir de su

soledad (Unamuno) but he does not have anyone to connect with and therefore must keep all
these conflicting emotions to himself. Throughout the story, we find Angela looking to San
Manuel for answers regarding her doubts, but he is unable to provide her with adequate answers.
Since the villagers are very religious, San Manuel fears expressing his true feelings towards
Catholicism because he can picture the true enajenacin y aislamiento he would be faced with.
So he continues to live in this delusion that he is content with this life.
Throughout the story, Unamuno introduces some of his philosophical theories. One of the
most significant messages presented in the novel is this idea that life is an illusion. This
modernistic idea can be seen in the passage with the image of the lake. The lake in the town is a
motif in the story and it plays several different roles. One of the most important roles it plays is
the illusion of heaven. San Manuel walks Angela over to the lake and says cree en el cielo, en el
cielo que vemos.(Unamuno). If she can see el Cielo than she should believe in el Cielo. The
play on words here is particularly interesting because el cielo refers to both the sky and heaven.
As they look at the lake, they can see the reflection of el cielo. Now, whether Angela wants to
believe they are looking at the sky or heaven, is up to her; that is the illusion she creates for
herself.
The lake also plays a significant role in creating the union between the spiritual and
physical world. There is a legend that a city was submerged in the lake. This legendary city
represents the spiritual and mystical world whereas the village represents the physical world.
Thus, we can view the lake as the threshold between the two worlds. San Manuel is often seen
taking long walks by the lake. This body of water can also be seen as a representation of our
beloved priest. It looks calm on the surface, but underneath there is a deep abyss of darkness.

The common proverb, ignorance is bliss could not be a more accurate statement in the
case of the villagers of Valverde de Lucerna. Having faith doesnt require much thinking; you
just believe. Sometimes San Manuel considers his education and intelligence to be a curse
because it forces him to think. Thinking destroys whatever faith one has because the more one
thinks, the more one questions what is held to be true. Unamuno discussed the importance of
keeping the people ignorant in San Manuel Bueno, mrtir. If religion is what provides the people
with hope and happiness, then they should remain blissfully ignorant. That is why San Manuel
chooses to keep all of his doubts about his faith to himself. Through his experiences as a priest,
San Manuel has seen how religion has helped so many individuals. It gives them hope and
comfort. San Manuel refuses to ruin that experience for all those people by sharing his doubts.
With these reservations in mind, he tries to convince Angela that her own doubts about her faith
are false.
Upon returning from America, Lazaro criticizes the Spanish way of life calling it feudal
y medieval (Unamuno). This view was held by most of the liberals at the time. They believed it
was time for Spain to catch up to the rest of Europe. Another very significant moment in the
story is when Angelas ailing mom shares that her only wish is to see San Manuel help guide her
children back to a life of faith. San Manuel knows this is an impossible feat but he explains to
both Angela and Lazaro why it is important to pray for their mother. He tells them to pray for her
even if they dont believe. That one act will bring her immense joy and allow her to pass away,
content with her life. This brings about another important message presented in the story by
Unamuno. Perception is reality. Every individual has a different perception of the world.
Although Angela and Lazaro did not pray out of belief in their religion, their mother saw it as

their first step back to a life of faith. This allowed their mom to remain in her blissful state.
Unfortunately, San Manuel has been doing this his whole life. He has performed countless
services, masses and prayers without every really believing in what he was preaching. He
continues to live in this delusion that he is fully committed to his faith for the sake of the
villagers, so they too can remain in their blissful states. San Manuel hoped that if he pretended
enough, he would begin believing, but that has not been the case. He just feels more and more
isolated.
Overwhelmed with the feeling of confinement as he is forced to keep his doubts to
himself, Lazaro ends up preaching his own ideas to Angela about how we are born to die. There
is so much truth in that one statement. We all know that one day we are going to die. That is one
thing we know for fact. Now, whether or not there is an after life, one will never know. Lazaro
exclaims that it is unfortunate to see people become a slave to religion out of the sake of tradition
or because it is what society expects of the them. This is the first time that Angela is fully aware
of the truth about her brothers faith. When she confronts San Manuel to see if he knew about her
brothers conflicting thoughts, he begins to cry. Angela is also overcome with emotion as she
realizes that the tears symbolize San Manuels own lack of faith.
Spain is a devout country and it has become both a tradition and a social norm to be a
Catholic. Unamuno argues that just because this is what has been done before does not mean it is
necessarily the path that everyone must follow. This criticism of the church is significant because
it does not merely question the Catholic church. Instead, it attacks the institution of religion. In
the case, of Spain we focus on Catholicism, however, this notion can be addressed to all other
religions. In Spain, religion had become such an important part of their identity that they had a

difficult time accepting anything or anyone who challenged their faith. This can be seen with the
expulsions of the Muslims and the Jews in the fifteenth century. Religion was also a significant
factor in the defeat of the Republicans during the Civil War in the twentieth century. The
Nationalists wanted to create a totalitarian state with a strong Catholic church influence. The
Republicans, wanted to establish the Second Republic of Spain. They were supported by the
Soviet Union, a communist country. The foreign aid they received was a big determining factor
in their defeat because communism supports atheism; Marx even stated that religion is the
opium of the people (Marx). The Nationalists used this to associate the Republicans with
atheism which reduced the amount of support they received from the public.
There is an important quote repeated throughout the story by the town fool, Blasillo el
bobo. It comes from the bible and it reads, Dios mo, Dios mo! por qu me has abandonado?
This quote puts an emphasis on the theme of isolation. San Manuel and Angela feel isolated from
the rest of the village due to their conflicting thoughts. It is important that the town fool repeats
this line, because he too shares in the feeling of isolation. He has been abandoned by society and
has been labeled as an outcast. He is considered a fool, because he repeats what he sees or hears.
The villagers are so blinded by their delusions and their own versions of reality that they fail to
recognize that what he says actually holds some truth.
As the story continues, San Manuel becomes ill. He is taken to the church so he can be
surrounded by his loved ones in his final moments. He tells Lazaro and Angela that only if he
dies and ve la cara a Dios can he really be content. That is when he will finally know the truth.
Lazaro kept urging San Manuel to take his final moments as an opportunity to educate everyone.
San Manuel was a respected man in the town and so if he explained to the villagers the reason

and logic behind their doubts they may understand and accept that information. However, San
Manuel says it is important to leave them be. They are happy in their ignorance and that is all
they need.
The story then flash forwards to the present. Angela has been so busy with the town and
taking care of the people that she never realized she got so old. She is still trying to come to
terms with all that happened. She thinks that maybe San Manuel and Lazaro spent so much time
thinking about and questioning their faith that they convinced themselves they didn't believe.
Better yet, Angela thinks that San Manuel did believe all along and that he may have only played
this role in order to provide comfort to Lazaro who was struggling to find his faith. Essentially,
Angela is creating an illusion, her version of reality, in order to comfort herself and to be content.
This introduces the avant guard idea that every individual creates his or her own vision of the
world. This was a radical notion at the time and it is a precursor of the ideas that will later lead to
the development of the existentialist movement. Angela reveals to the readers that she is writing
this letter to the Seor Obispo in order to have San Manuel be recognized as an official saint.
The story abruptly stops here and Unamuno inserts himself into the story as the final character.
He wants to take this moment to acknowledge the fact that the characters in the novel are more
alive then we will ever be. In fact, these characters are the only ones who are truly immortal
because they will live forever in this book. He created these characters; he is their god.
But what if we all just created each other in our minds? What if we are each others gods?
According to this theory, we are just mere creations of each others imaginations. As mentioned
before, Unamuno had conflicting thoughts about his own beliefs. He was such a rational and
logical person he wondered how one could believe in something he could not see. What is worse

is that every person has his or her own individualized perception and perspective of the world. It
is shaped by their morals, values and beliefs. Therefore what I see is different from what you see.
So if everyones version of the world is different, what is the true reality? Is any one reality more
true than the other? These conflicting thoughts are what entrapped Unamuno in his mind. He
used writing as a medium to express this internal struggle.
These thoughts were ahead of his time, but they captured the social issues of the Spanish
people perfectly. Unamuno used his writing as a platform to bring to light many of the social
issues that were prominent in Spain during this time. Spain was crumbling; the world empire had
disappeared and Spain was being destroyed from the inside out. This prevented Spain from
modernizing and keeping up with the rest of the world. In spite of all of this, most Spaniards
lived in their own form reality, while Unamuno wrote about his version of Spain.

Bibliography:
1. Buffum, Mary E. "Literary Criticism in the Essays of the Generation of 1898." Hispania 18.3
(1935): 277-92. Web. 29 May 2015.
2. Kurtz, Paul W. "Kierkegaard, Existentialism, and the Contemporary Scene." The Antioch
Review 21.4 (1961): 471-87. Web. 29 May 2015.
3. "Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right 1844." Marx, A
Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right 1844. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May
2015.
4. "Miguel De Unamuno: Biography - Spanish Educator, Philosopher, and Author."
Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
5. "Spanish Modernist Literature." Spanish Literature and Drama: Modernism. N.p., n.d. Web.
30 May 2015.