The Role of Secondary Plots and Secondary Characters in Galdos's Miau

Abstract

THE controversy surrounding true of Miau does not seem to be dying down, as radically differing interpretations of novel's central character, Ram6n Villaamil, have continued to appear in recent issues of Anales Galdosianos and elsewhere.' The debate began in earnest with Robert J. Weber's affirmation that Villaamil is weak and basically selfish character, totally responsible for his own fate, and in no way victim of society or of inherently absurd bureaucracy, as had been implied in Ricardo Gull6n's classic study of novel.2 Since then, critics have sided in varying degrees with one or other of these views, but most seem to concur that a meaningful interpretation of Miau must be based on an understanding of Gald6s's careful delineation of protagonist,3 or put even more strongly, that any attempt to understand novel must inevitably be based on study of central character.' Recently, Eamonn Rodgers's new Critical Guide to novel has, for first time, shown common basis between Villaamil's world and the other blocks of human experience which make up Miau. Rodgers sees entire novel as an ironic scheme in which Gald6s shows within each of main characters the human capacity for self-deception and self-dramatization.' On this basis, he establishes parallels between protagonist and Abelarda, Victor, and to lesser extent, Luisito. But he does not deal with development of sub-plots nor with importance of each character's ultimate realization. Although Rodgers's conclusions as to function of secondary characters of Miau-and as to meaning of novel -differ from mine, I believe our views are not incompatible, as I shall later suggest .6 Since Villaamil remains controversial figure, and since it appears that interpretations centered on him alone are at best inconclusive, I will attempt to show that Gald6s's message might become clearer if we consider novel's central plot and main character in light of two secondary plots: story of Luisito's struggle against injustice in his own world and, even more important, Abelarda's romantic involvement with Victor, ending-as Villaamil's story does-in rude awakening and rebellion against what she considers an unjust fate. Seen in this way, thematic structure of novel appears to be based on parallel unfolding of three plots whose protagonists are all led from an initial trust in universal order to discovery of absurdity of life and arbitrariness of fate.7 To begin with, there is no internal justification for Weber's extremely critical view of Villaamil as spineless, self-interested ... unable to meet problems of existence. Weber's judgment of character's basic ineptitude as bureaucrat and as man rests primarily on passages which were either suppressed or expanded from an earlier version of Miau manuscript. Since we will never know Gald6s' motives in altering his text, valid interpretation must be based solely on novel in its final form.