Dying for the Nation: Rite of Passage, Homoeroticism and Martyrdom in the Falangist Narrative during the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

Eugenio o proclamacion de la Primavera (1938) by Rafael Garcia Serrano, and Unificacion (1937) by Jacinto Miquelarena are two propagandistic works in which the male protagonists most fully embody the core values of Falangist masculinity. The glorification of youth appears clearly in the two texts, along with an emphasis on violence. War becomes the rite of passage for the two male protagonists, who also renounce romantic relationships to devote themselves to the nation. The two main characters find in their fellow comrades a substitute for their families; in this sense, the nation is constructed as a masculine project. The presence of male bonding and affection among the soldiers allows for a homoerotic interpretation that challenges the heteronormative values of military masculinity. When the protagonists die at the end of the works, they are identified with Christ, since their blood becomes part of the national landscape and will produce new heroes.