_ — — ,- — ___ V, 4—— — — W7 ! — — — :— H“. 1 E; M ms MORAL ”$630934? oat MANUEL 6AM: as mama av ms mums czmmmm fie-331$ fer évim 525w” sf M. A. {WCHEQAEN STA”??? CCLLEGfi 20322“; F. Masha: i953 MICHlG AN STATE UNIV ERSI TY U8 ' lll'lli [I'llllllllll Ill! 'll'llfl'llllltlll H. s 1293 00612 9500 - w-w :u—"w—v "zd’iw (31% ____...AL This is to certify that the thesis entitled The Moral Philosophy of Manual Calvaz as Indicated by his Female Characters presented by John F. Mosher has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for WM Major professor Date August 10, 1950 ma Moan. PHILOSOPHY OF manual; oéLvaz A; INUICATED BY HIS FthLE CHARACTERS BY John F.vMo§ er .. .. A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Foreign Languages 1950 THES'S TABLE OF CONTENTS FCREWARD........................................i INTRODUCTION....................................l I. THE PROSTITUTE...............................5 II. THE ADULTERESS.............................10 III. THE IADAME................................15 IV. SCCIETY'S COKTRIBUTION TO VICE.............20 V. THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN LIFE................25 VI. CONCLUSION.................................52 BIBLIOGRAPHYOOOOOOOOOOO0......0.0.00.0;0000000036 339388 F OREWARD Manuel Galvez, born in Argentina in 1882, became one of that country's greatest authors. In his youth he received an extensive education and was graduated from the University of Buenos Aires with a degree in law. Early in life, Galvez felt a great sympathy for the poverty-stricken members of his society and chose for his doctoral dissertation the problem of white slavery. The research and study which he made at that tine have been a source of material for many of his novels. Gélvez traveled to EurOpe, and while there, met many authors who influenced his thinking and style of writing. Other influences upon him have been the associations he had with youthful, liberal thinking authors of the early twentieth century argentina, and his own readings of the works of men such as Ibsen and Tolstoy. Since 1911, following his return from his last trip to Europe, the life of Gélvez has been quite uneventful. His literary creations are the only means by which one can fol- low the course of his life. He has held an inspectorship of secondary schools for many years and thereby gained material for the phase of his literature which deals with education. His scholarly interests have prompted him to write on subjects dealing with science, history, religion, art, and biographies of prominent men. -11- The sincere interest which Manuel Galvez has in the plight of the financially oppressed ranks of society and the valuable contributions he has made to the field of literature mark him as being a person of noble and intelligent mind. It will be the purpose of this thesis to investigate the moral philosophy of Manuel Gélvez as it is developed in the treat- ment of the most interesting women characters in his novels. INTRODUCTION Toward the close of the nineteenth century in Argentina writers were producing a literature which described in a realistic manner the social ills which were afflicting the country. Of these writers, Manuel Galvez ranks among the foremost. Born in 1882, Manuel Galvez came from one of Parané's most distinguished families. He received a good education studying under the Jesuits in the primary and secondary schools. At the age of sixteen he decided to study law and entered the University of Buenos Aires. He graduated six years later in 1904. During these six years, law by no means absorbed his entire attention; he devoted himself seriously to music; be- sides learning English and French, he read widely in the Golden Age literature of Spain; he wrote a few articles which were published in a newspaper of Santa Fe; and most note- worthy of all, he established in 1903 a monthly literary re- view, 22222: which was published regularly until 1905. As- sociated with him were several young men who have since made their mark in Argentine letters. During this period, Galvez took an active part in the Bohemian life of the struggling literati of Buenos Aires. Among the wide and varied influ- ences which left their impressions on his spiritual develop- ment were modernistic poetry, the plays of Ibsen, and the -2- idealistic views of Tolstoy.l The year following his graduation, Galvez traveled to Europe where he was occupied for the most part by a study of art. During this one year stay abroad, he met Valle-Inclén, Ruben Dario, and many other men noted in the field of liter- ature. These acquaintances and his continental eXperiences were among the first influences which helped to create Galvez' many interests in life. According to Torres-Rioseco, Galvez is a novelist of ideas that treat of social, artistic, reli- gious, educational, and scientific problems: Galvez es un novelists de ideas que se mete a fondo en problemgssociales, artisticos, religiosos, edu- cacionales o cientificos.2 , In 1910, Galvez married the authoress, Delfina Bunge. Shortly after their marriage, the two traveled to Spain where Gdlvez found material for and began writing El Solar de la £353, a work in which he tells of the Argentine inheritance from Spain. It is interesting to note that in 1943 Galvez still retained his passionate love for that part of his nation which is of Spanish temperament: ...creo que los argentinos debemos luchar herdica- mente, contra el mundo entero, si es necesario, por conservar lo que de espafioles nos quedafi5 Upon his return from his first Journey to Europe, Galvez 1 Jefferson Rea Spell, Contemporary Spanish American Fiction, (University of North CaroIina Press, 1944),0167T E Arturo Torres-Rioseoo, Grandes Novelistas de la America His ana, (University of California Press, 1943I,‘I401 3 Manual Galvez, El Solar de la Raza, (Buenos Aires, 1943), 6. -3- obtained a position which gave him a deep insight into another phase of Argentine life. He held this position, inspector- ship of secondary schools, for many years and in that capacity gained much of the material which he used in writing La Maes- tra Normal.4 Galvez has not limited himself to describing the deplor- able conditions of society. His first literary work of im- portance was his doctoral thesis to which he gave the title, La Trata de Blancas. Although the theme of this work, pros- titution, is common in many of the novels which he wrote later, following graduation from the University, his first literary achievements were in verse. He has now written poetry, short stories, and naturalistic, historical, and biographical nov- els. An example of the great range of subjects which he treats can be seen in a comparison of Historia de Arrabal5 with El Santito de la Tolderia.6 The former deals with pros- titution, white slavery, robbery, in short, the most vile forms of human decadency. The latter is a biOgraphical novel of the life of Ceferino Namuncura, an Indian lad who, born under the adverse conditions of the pampa, before his nine- teenth birthday had risen from the life of bloody deeds, vi- olence, corruption, absolute paganism, and barbarism which characterized his environment to a very high level in the 4 Manuel Galvez, La Maestra Normal, (Buenos Aires, 1914) 5 Manuel Galvez, Historia de Arrabal (Buenos Aires, 1922). 6 Manuel Gélvez, E1 Santito de la Tolderia, (Buenos Aires, 1947). -4- ranks of Christian philosophy and practice. The following quotation gives some idea of the almost mystic tone of the latter book: ?No es un milagro eso de haber pasado desde los ranchos Junto al Coll n-Cura hasta la capilla Six- tina, decorada pro Buonarotti, en el palacio de los Papas, junto a1 clasico Tiber? En una isleta dentro de este rio que fue cantado por los poetas latinos, murio él que habia nacido en los miseros y sucios ranchos de Chimpay.7 Célvez is an unknown author to the rank and file of peo- ple in the United States. This is not due to any failing on his part, but rather to the lack of English translations of his works. In Latin America he is relatively unpopular be- cause those people who could make him popular are too often' the object of his denunciations. Torres-Rioseco says that the readers of Galvez are found in that group about midway between those who read serials and a so-called ”elite" who are always seeking the nueva sensibilidad especially in for- eign writers such as Huxley, Romaine, and Gide: La popularidad de Galvez esta relativamente limi- tada por varias razones. Tiene un publico medio equidistante de esa masa insubstancial de lectores y lectores de folletines y de la "elite" intelec- tual, que anda eternamente en pos de lo que ella llama la "nueva sensibilidad" y que lee a Huxley, Homaines, o Gide, a veces sin entenderlos. Esta "elite" niega a Leapoldo Lugones, a Ricardo Rojas, a E. Rodriguez Larreta, a Manual Galvez y a otros escritores que han adquirido prestigio de maes- tros en nuestro continente. 7 Manuel Gélvez,o o.'cit., 7. 8 Arturo Torres-R0 oseco, op. cit., 139. -5- I. Th3 PROSTITUTE Prostitution, a problem of morality, is a prominent sub- ject in several of Galvez' most notable novels. His atten- tion is directed solely to the society of Argentina, presum- ably that of the late nineteenth and early twentieth cen- turies. He creates situations which are true to the life of that society, and then projects his own beliefs regarding the causes of social ills and their effect on the individual. The prostitute, as portrayed by Galvez, is a person to be pitied. Circumstances beyond her controL such e3 envi- ronment and poverty,often prevent a girl from earning her livelihood in any manner other than prostitution. Galvez' feelings were eXpressed in the novel Nacha Regules.9 He said that the unhappy creatures were simple victims. In the stores, in the factories, and in the offices where Nacha was employed, everyplace she went she was followed by men whose only interest in her was her body. The fact may well be that all men, even those who seem to be decent, are nothing more than vulgar beasts. How can a woman who earns hardly enough to eat, who lives a wretched life, be able to resist the temptation of a likeable man, a man who perhaps has a kind heart, when he offers to remove her from the hell in which she lives? No, the prostitute is not to be blamed. These 9 Manuel Galvez, Nacha Regules, (Buenos Aires, 1919). words were Spoken by Amilcar Torres, a prominent character in the novel Nacha Regules: ----Son simples victimas estas infelices---agregd Torres-—-Nacha me contd una vez que en la tienda, en las fabricas donde trabajd, en las oficinas donde pedia empleo, en todas partes, los hombres la perseguian. Y es que nosotros los hombres... ?eh?...somos todos, haste los que narecemos de- centes, unos vulgares canallas. ?No le parece, che‘D Y digame si una mujer que apenas gana para comer, que vive miserablemente, puede resistir a la tentacidn de un individuo amable, tal vez buen mozo, cue 1e ofrece sacarle del infierno en que vive...io, ellas no tienen la culpa...1O A girl of unsympathetic parents can live in an environ- ment which will inevitably lead to a life of material desti- tution and moral degradation. Rosalinda Corrales of the novel Historia de Arrabal was a good example of such a case. Rosalinda was treated brutally and actually raped in her own home by her foster brother. This was done with the full knowledge and consent of her foster mother. Galvez made it clear that she would have left home early in life and pos- sibly have avoided her ensuing disastrous career had it not been for the admirable quality of devotion to her father: Mds de una vez pensd en irse de alli. No podia tolerar que en padre continuase bebiendo, y menos que aquella mujer 1e asesinarailentamente y le tratara sin piedad. Pero...tcomo habia de aban- donar a su padre cuando era la finica persona que le queria, la unica que tenia para él palabras de carifio'.l Her foster brother, El Chino, eventually carried Rosa- linda to a slum district of the city, and, there, having vir- 10 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 23. 11 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 23-24. -7- tually imprisoned her, forced her to sell her body to earn money for him. It is interesting to note that even after she had conditioned herself to the rigors of La vida, when her life was no longer the terrible nightmare that it was at the first, Rosalinda still retained hopes of marriage and a re- spectable home. As she continued in that life, however, Galvez injected into her Spirit a supernatural or psycholog- ical element which gradually caused her to offer less re— sistance to the bestial demands made upon her by the man who dictated her very existence. She explained her feelings by saying that at times she felt that she had the same thoughts as El Chino, that he made these thoughts pass from his mind into hers against her will: En ocasiones, me parecia ue pensaba cosas que no queria pensar y hasta era a que eran los pensa- mientos de 61, que los hacia pasar a mi cabeza... Y no se...A veces se me ocurre que estuve en- ferma...13 In the portrayal of the life of this girl, Galvez created two incidents that show conclusively that he believes that in a prostitute such as Rosalinda Corrales there exists a last- ing, if sometimes inactive, desire to do that which is morally correct. One of these incidents was her attempt to murder El Chino and thus free herself from her enslavement. In order to show his strong faith in the enduring good of the girl's soul, Galvez first let a transformation be wrought in the surface of her character. In her work as a prostitute she 12 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 54. gradually began to feel a certain pride if she had earned more money than the other girls. She did not aspire to any other pleasure nor did she hope to better herself. To meet someone, to be well-paid, to spend some time with an amusing young man who knew how to awake her sleeping emotions, these were happy moments of her life. She could not imagine ever leaving this type of life. It was the only thing possible for her. The idea of fleeing no longer presented itself to her. She even thought she felt at times a certain love for El Chino. At the same time, however, she wanted to be far away from his horrible presence: Rosalinda septia un intimo or ullo si llevaba mas dinero que lo otra. No aspiro a ningun placer ni a ningun mejoramiento. Enoontrar un conocido, ser bien pagada, pasar un rato con un muchacho alegre que sabia despertar su sensibilidad ador- mecida, eran sucesos felices y extraordinarios. No concebia que pudiese dejar semejante vida. Aquello era lo definitivo, lo unico posible para ella. La’idea de huir ya no se presentaba a su imaginacion. Haste creyo sentir, en alguna oca- sion, cierto carifio por el malevo, si bien, al mismo tiempo, deseaba hallarse 1ejos de su pre- sencia terrible.13 The second incident which demonstrated Galvez' belief in the goodness in this prostitute came late in the novel following her apparent complete surrender to vice. Rosalinda attempted to unite herself in marriage to a man of high moral standards. Her love for this man was completely unselfish and showed that the force of good still worked within her. The novel, however, ends in tragedy when her foster brother, 13 Manuel Galvez, 0p. cit., 110. El Chino, kills the man she loves and carries her back to the life of corruption and evil. The development of this char- acter is done in a very realistic manner. The mental and physical situation in which the unfortunate girl finds herself leads to inevitable tragedy. Galvez believed firmly that the majority of girls in prostitution were helpless to change their situation. No mat- ter what their aspirations might be, the carnal lust in men and the lack of sympathy on the part of those who might al- leviate their condition left them only one way to earn their living: the exploitation of their womanliness. In the novel Nacha Rggules we find an example of a girl who had lived as a prostitute and then married with the belief that she had left the life for good. After her marriage, her husband who had been working in a dry-goods store quit his job fully ex- pecting her to continue selling herself for their mutual sup- port. With prostitution as her only recourse, she left her husband and rejoined her old companions atI madame Annette' 3 house. Ts prevengo que me casé dispuesta a ser honrada... No te exagero. hl diablo harto de carne diras.... Pero si vieras que nene era mi maridot Un horror. Siendo soltero, trabajaba. Ln un bazar. Pero deepués de casarse dego e1 empleo y pretendio vi- vir a mi costs. Quer a que o fuese la de antes. Y entonces, volvi a la vida. 4 14 Manuel Galvez, Nacha Regules, (Buenos Aires, 1919), 148. -10- II. THE ADULTLRESS Galvez, as he wrote of the prostitute, intended to pro- voke sympathy for the girls in that life, but on the other hand, when he wrote of women who were plainly of weak moral restraint he denounced them unmercifully. He showed that he has no respect for people who, while enjoying the benefits of both material security and a satisfactory home environment, still maintain a philosophy of life that permits them to practice illicit sexual relations. He has shown in his treat- ment of the problem of free love that he believes that man and wife are obligated to accord each other an unfaltering allegiance. His approach to this subject is done mainly through the character of Marilén of the novel, Cautiverio.15 Having been born in the Catholic faith, Marilén outwardly professed to be a member of that church during her entire life, but after she reached the age where the emotions of her sex began to create new desires and goals, she put aside her religious beliefs as best she could in order to go about achieving physical satisfaction without having her conscience bother her. Galvez believes that even though a person may have certain religious concepts if he lacks a strong, living faith, sin daily separates him more and more from religious practice. Marilén wanted to be a true believer and a faith- 15 Manuel Galvez, Cautiverio, (Buenos Aires, 1935), 16. -11- ful wife, but lacking a faith that was truly alive, her curi- osities, her desires lead her into sin and sin separated her from religious practice: Deseaba ser verdadera creyente y esposa fiel; pero su temperamento, su aficion a lo turbio, sus cu- riosidades, le tironeaban hacia el pecado. Creia en todo, mas or menos; pero sin fuerza ni conti- nuidad, sin una fe verdaderamente viva. El pecado la apartaba de la practica religiosa.16 Galvez insists that a person must have a strong, endur- ing faith and not merely engage in hypocritical demonstra- tions of religious fervor. Marilén's infrequent confessions were at times prompted by a sincere belief in their spiritual value, but too often they were only a means to please her husband or to prevent him from suspecting her conduct. She admired the serene peace of her religious husband, and while fearing that her actions in this life would condemn her in the next, her failure to be strong in will and conviction denied her the power to change: Confesébase algunas veces al afio, entre una aven- tura y otra. A veces lo hacia por un sincero deseo de transformacion 0 de ser perdonada; otras, 3610 por contentar a su marido, para que él no sospechase de su conducta....De tiempo, la ator- mentaban ansias de fe y de virtud: cuando habia bajado un escalon mas en el vicio; o cuando pen- saba con fuerza en la serenidad feliz de su ma- rido; o cuando atributabala el temor de la muerte.17 Galvez made it quite obvious that Marilén was a type rather than an individual, for he eXplained that she searched for justification of her errors in the same way that many 19 Manuel Galvez, on. cit. Manuel Galvez, g} . 16. 17. 3 ’ ! -12- other people do. He said that women more often than men feel very sharply the necessity of Justifying themselves, and with the ability to forget, which is characteristic of them, they convince themselves that others are to be blmned for their faults. Marilén tried to Justify herself by accusing her mother of having failed to educate her properly, by accusing her friends who had perverted her, and by accusing her lovers previous to Delos (the most prominent of her lovers), and Dales himself: Les mujeres, mas que los hombres, sienten aguda- mente la necesidad de Justificarse, y, con el poder de olvido que es caracteristico en ellas, se convencen de que otros son los culpables de sus faltas. Marilén se aliviaba de su responsa- bilidad acusando a su madre, por la educacion que le diera; a sus amigas, que la habian pervertido; . a sus amantes anteriores a Delos, y a Delos mismo.18 while blaming others for her errors, Marilén sought to prove to herself that it would be impossible for her to change her moral conduct. She appreciated the fact that her husband lived according to the highest code of moral practice, but did not try to follow his example. On the contrary, to de- fend herself, she criticized him for being backward and out of harmony with the spirit of their times: Perc hay que adapterse a los tiempos, Juan. No podemos tener ahora las ideas de hace cien afios. Y desde que andamos en el mundo...19 Galvez attributes supernatural powers to chastity, and consequently if chastity does have supernatural powers, it 18 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 59. 19 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., l4. -13- must be at least part of an eternal truth. Believing that chastity is an eternal good, he could not share with.Marilén the belief that one has to adapt himself to the times. Gal- vez said that continence had endowed Juan (Marilén's husband) with an extraordinary moral and intellectual force. His practice of abstinence had been for him a gruelling school of character. To the element of chastity Marilén's husband owed the purity of his spirit and the clarity of his intel- lect. Chastity and the fight to maintain it had taught him to be his own guard, had given him prudency in actions and words, and had provided him with the quality of constancy: La abstencion habiale insuflado una extraordinaria fuerza moral e intelectual, y habia sido para el una formidable escuela del caracter. A la casti- dad debia la pureza de su espiritu, la claridad de su inteligencia. La castidad y la lucha por man- tenerla le ensefiaron la vigilancia de 31 mismo, la pgudencia en actos, y en palabras, la constan- cia. 0 In his criticism of the group of people whom Marilén represents, Galvez showed that he believes in the real ex- istence of a place of punishment after death for those tho have overly transgressed the moral law. He condemns the ro- mantic people who, weak and without true principles, love a God for a false goodness. By this false goodness he means the belief in a God that tolerates and excuses every sin. Such a belief, he says, is allied with the Devil. He pro- poses the thought that the lack of a punishment for evil 20 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 48. -14- would be an injustice on God's part against Himself and against the virtuous members of humanity: Marilén, como todas las personas romanticas, dd; biles, y sin verdaderos principios, amaba cierta false bonded que es aliada del Demonic: la bonded que tolera y excuse todos los pecados; que, por consiguiente, es inmoral e unjusta; y que niega el Infierno, incapaz de comprender que la no exis- tencia de un castigo para el mal seria una injus- ticia de D918 hacia si mismo y hacia los hombres virtuosos. 21.Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 155. -15- I I I . THE MADMJE While in the University of Buenos Aires, Galvez made an intensive study of the business and the people engaged in the business of "white slavery". One can feel confident, therefore, that in analysing the characters of a novel,such as Nacha Regules, the persons dealt with are true types and not mere products of imagination. or the characters portrayed by Galvez in his novels, the Madame or operator of a house of prostitution plays an important part. He tries to eXplain why a person will sell the honor, virtue, and lives of other women in return for pieces of silver. In the book Nacha Regules the leading male protagonist, Fernando Monsalvat, made countless visits to houses of pros- titution in an effort to find Nacha, a prostitute with whom he had fallen madly in love. Galvez often gives us some idea of the thoughts of the operators of these houses which Mon- salvat entered, as well as those of the women with whom Nacha dealt when she was trying to eke out an existence by selling her body. One of these was Madame Annette who catered to the most influential politicians and millionaires of Buenos Aires. In her subconscious mind, this woman had little respect for her profession. Her greatest desire in life was to make it possible for her daughter to have a good marriage, happiness, and reapectability. At the same time she knew that no girl working in p1 rostitution could possibly achieve that goal. She was proud, however, for having accumulated a fortune and blithely ignored the means used to obtain it: Madame dejo a Nacha baJo la augusta proteccion de uno de los mas venerables padres de la patria, y se asomo el balcon de uno de los tantos cuartos que daban sobre la calle. Miro con gran interes hacia el fondo de la plaza, a través de los arboles mag- nificos, como si esperase algo importante. Espe- raba, en efecto, la llegada de su hija, una nifia de diez anos, medio pupila en un colegio de monJas. ?Por qué no vendria? Madame se enternecia pen- sando en el fruto de sus canallescas entrafias. Sonaba a su hija cono un modelo de perfecciones, un ser puro y céndido, bien casada, feliz, res- petada. Y todo se lo deberia a ella, madre ad- mirable, que tuvo el arte de instalar un negocio como no habia otro en Buenos Aires, una casa de verdadera distincion, de alegria; una casa donde solo en champana se ganaban cien pesos diarios. Madame se preciaba de conocer la fuerza y solidez de las instituciones, y con su talento administra- tivo, su "savoir faire", su arte de francesa, habia logrado realizar una fortune, con el apoyo y la bendicion de la Politics, de la Alta Banca y de la Aristocracia. 22 It is later conclusively proved that she had no pangs of remorse or any sort of guilty conscience. Nacha had rep- rimanded Madame Annette for having accepted into her business a girl of not more than seventeen years, and she, Madame, answered that it was the fault of the girls and not here when and if they fell by the wayside. According to Madame Annette, the girls had a liking for vice: Yo no he perdido a ninguna mujer; ustedes se pier- den solas. Se pierden solas porque las gusta el vicio, porque son unas... 22 Manuel Galvez, Nacha Regules, (Buenos Aires, 1919) 154. , 23 Manuel Galvez, gp. cit., 155. ~17- another parallel is found in the character of Madame Juanita who Operated her house in order to give material ben- efits to her daughter. Monsalvat with his friend, Amilcar Torres, found himself in her house one evening during his search for Nacha. Appalled by the sight of a very young girl running about the corridors, he asked Torres how such a child happened to be in that awful place. Torres answered by ex- plaining that it was the daughter of the proprietoress of the house. The mother's plan was to retire from the business, selling it after she had accumulated a fortune. She exploited the vice in others so that her own daughter might be virtuous: ---Es la hija. Curioso, ?eh? Juanita se sacri- fica por ella. Espera retirarse del negocio, venderlo en buenas condiciones, cuando haya amon- tonado una fortunita ?sabe? Para que su hiJa pueda ser virtuosa, ?eh?, explota ella el vicio de los demas.34 Farther on in the search for Nacha, Monsalvat and Torres came into contact with another Madame, a woman very gracious in fonms of courtesy and social protocol. This Madame Flo- rinda professed an admiration for people of high moral stand- ards, but did not believe that one could learn to be good. The quality of goodness or virtue, according to her, had to be instilled at birth. These were her words: Porque yo sé estimar a las personas que valen, a las de condicion elevada. No me gusta la mala educacion. Y yo me permito creer que la buena educacion no se aprende. ?Verdad, caballeros? No, no se aprende. Se la adquiere desde la cuna. 24 Manuel Galvez, 02. cit., 191. -18- El buen nacimiento es el mejor pergamino...25 This woman, Florinda, apparently sincere in her belief that it was hopeless to attempt to learn to be good, sold her own daughter's body, according to Torres: ---Ahi tiene una mujer que se cree honrada---dijo Torres---Y ha vendido a su propia hiJa. Curioso, ‘E‘eh'E‘z6 Galvez offered an intellectual's opinion of the cause of this hideous crime. His indignation may be taken from words spoken by Fernando Monsalvat: Todos somos culpables---exclamo'Monsalvat, como si continuase su pensamiento.---En esa venta de la hija fue criminal él que la compro, y fueron criminales los padres de la madre, y los padres y los amigos del que la compro y los profesores que tuvo y los autores de los libros que leyo. ?Quién queda sin culpa? ?Quién hizo algo para que la venta no sucediese? Y los que legislan, ?qué ley dictaron para evitar Iestos mages? Y los que vigilan, ?no fueron complices97 Galvez' approach to the problem of fixing guilt is very broadminded. In the above scene, the reader hears the voice of the author speaking to the society as a whole. In the sale of one's own daughter the parent is irrefutably guilty of a hideous crime, and it would be the natural tendency for the human mind to merely condemn that parent and ignore the remaining multitude of contributing factors. Someone had to buy before the sale could be made possible. If it were wrong for this girl to be sold, the person purchasing bore as much 25 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 194. 26 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 194. 27 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 194. -19- guilt as the person selling. The thought then proceeds to the question of why the purchaser would permit himself to participate in this crime. Galvez answers this question by saying that the buyer's parents were guilty of the crime of not prOperly training their child. The teachers that this person had and the authors of the books which influenced his concepts of right and wrong were strong contributors to the fulfillment of the crime. Finally, the fact that the sale could take place brings to mind the truth that it should have been prevented by those who legislate and those whose duty it is to watch over the people who are not able to practice re- straint or to perceive the two qualities of right and wrong. -20- IV. SOCIETY'S CONTRIBUTION TO VICE The people upon whom Galvez places the guilt for the evil in the society of Buenos Aires of his day seem to be characterized by an egoism which precludes their having re- spect for the inalienable rights of other human beings. A self-edification seems to be the rule of their lives. The men who inhabit the slum district of Buenos Aires are portrayed as ill-bred seekers of pleasure who treat women merely as beasts of pleasure. Galvez feels that these men believe that women are completely void of delicacy, ten- derness, and human feeling: La ”patota" protagonists usual de estas escenas, es un grupo de JOvenes malcriados.---A 1as mujeres 1as tratan como a bestias de placer sin delica- deza, ni ternura, ni simpatia humans. 28 Although the above quotation was taken from the novel Egghg Regules, El Chino of the novel Historia de Arrabal is a fine representative of this group. Rot only did he force Rosa- linda into prostitution, but also used her as an accomplice in his robberies and other crimes. He so completely dominated her body and mind that she did not consider her crimes as being anything more than daily routine: El Uhino 116 5 a complicarla en sus hazafias. Ella hizo cuanto 1 1e indicara, sin pensar ni por un instante que aquello fuera un delito.29 28 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 13. 29 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 112. One of the reasons why Galvez believed that prostitution was not done away with by legislation was very aptly eXpres- sed by Julieta, a girl who, like Nacha, detested the life she led. It was her Opinion, and obviously that of Galvez, that many peOple do not want the girls to be good. We can put in this group the men who feel that their sexual desires must be satisfied and the madames and solicitors who gain their living at the eXpense of these unfortunate girls. These peo- ple and the police and politicians who are paid by the owners of houses of prostitution would never support legislation or encourage instruction that might put an end to the pitiful condition: ---Seria posible si dependiese sOlo de nosotras. 1Pero la gente nos pone tantas dificultadest tLa gente no quiere que nos volvamos buenas, Nacha130 Galvez points out a great error in the attitude of soci- ety when he describes the life which Fernando Monsalvat could lead merely because he was a male. Monsalvat was of illegit- imate birth, as was his sister, Eugenia. His father, how- ever, gave him.money with which he educated himself and then used to lead an epicurean existence. He traveled, he con- quered beautiful women, he attended fiestas and wrote arti- cles while his m.ster daily slipped lower and lower by having toaaell herself to the passersby. While he lived his life of luxury, millions of girls suffered the same fate as that of his sister. The peOple of high financial standing, insensible 30 Manuel Gélves, on. cit., 176. ~22- to the eternal torture of the poverty-stricken multitude, continue in beastly ignorance of the companions of poverty; hunger, misery, and prostitution. The wealthy exploit the poor, who, even though they live a different life, are human beings endowed as well as the rich with a soul: ---se veia e si mismo (Monsalvat) feliz, viagando, conquestando bellas mujeres, escribiendo art culos, O en el Club O en una fiesta, mientras Eugenia Mon- salvat caia cada vez mas abaJo, se vendia al primer pasante, mientras millones de mujeres padecian identica miseria; y veia a1 mundo de los bienha- 11ados, insensibles a la torture eternaIde los de abaJo, orgullosos de su dinero, de su facil virtud, robando a los pobres sus muJeres comprandoselas, pervirtiendoselas, y gozando egoistamente de sus placeres, a1 mismo tiempo que sus hermanos los pobres, hombres como ellos, seres con una alma como la de ellos, sufren tormentos espantosos, baJo los tentaculos de aquellos monstruos apocalipticoquue se llaman e1 Hambre, la Miseria, la Prostitucion.3l In the novel Nacha Regules, Fernando Monsalvat represented the voice of the new generation of authors of which Galvez was a leader in an attempt to correct what they believed to be a situation desperately in need of correction: the plight of women in the lower financial brackets. One evening at a din- ner given by one of his former schoolmates, Fernando Monsal- vat engaged in a discussion with one of the feminine leaders of Buenos Aires' society. The tOpic turned to the theatrical productions of the day which were to a great extent the works of French realists. This elegant, distinguished woman, steeped in her own material security and lack of human understand- ing, was vehemently against the portrayal of scenes that 31 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 39. -23- were unpleasant to the eyes, ears, and mind. She was highly indignant when Monsalvat stated that such pieces were pre- sented for the benefit of the class of peOple whom she repre- sented so that they would have knowledge of the great human sufferings. Her belief was that a knowledge of such things was of no value to her or anyone else. As for those suffer- ing in poverty, if there were hungry people, let them work for a living. Let everyone get along as well as he can, and if troubles and cares do fell upon someone let him keep them to himself as she claimed was her own practice: ---?Y para qué quiere que nos enteremos, Mensalvat? Yo no necesito enterarme. Que cada cual se arregle como pueda. Cuando yo tengo mis pesares, y creo que todos los tenemos alguna vez, no voy a contar- selos a nadie; de modo que tampoco es justo que me obliguen a mi a sufrir con 1as penas de los otros. Ademas no se trata de penas morales, sinO de Odios, crimenes, insultos a la sociedad. Si hay gentes que tienen hambre, que trabajen; pero yo no quiero ir a1 teatro para enterarme de cosas que no me in- teresan y no puedo remediar. Menos quiero ir para que me echen la culpa.---?Qué tenemos que ver no- sotras con esas mujeres933 In the above quotation Galvez is extending a message to society that cannot be mistaken. The peOple who let their lives be ruled by such a philos0phy should know that it is man's duty to correct abuses and to alleviate the suffering of the rest of humanity. An attitude of complacency on the part of the rich, and their lack of interest in the poorer ranks of society are two inexcusable moral crimes. In the novel Nacha Regules an owner of a house of prostitution tells 32 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., as. -24- how the rich are as guilty as anyone or possibly most guilty in the creation of the conditions that foster prostitution. It was her argument that the owners of the factories who pay so little that the girls are obliged to sell their bodies are more to be condemned than the actual Operators of the houses of prostitution. She maintained that the men of the world, principally the rich men, were the greatest contributors to the cause of prostitution: Pero es licito ser duefio de la gran tienda La Ciudad de Paris, donde es tan poco lo que pagan a las empleadas que las obligan a perderse....YO no soy complice de crimenes, como los asionistas de casa grandee empresas. Mire: las mujeres no perdemos a otras muJeres. Son los hombres, los ricos principalmente, los que pierden a las mu- Jeres. Son los duefios de conventillos, loe duehos y erentes de fébricas....Més casa de prostitu- cion que la mia es cualquiera fabrics donde pagan a las mujeres treinta pesos.33 35 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit.,gag, -25- V. THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN LIFE Juan Larrandy, the husband of Marilén in the novel 933: tiverio, had all the characteristics of a person with a strong, living faith in a religion. No matter how difficult the circumstances were at times, he practiced the teachings of his religion and truly let his conscience be his guide. His steadfast adherence to what he believed to be right and Galvez' obvious admiration of his character proves that in the person of Juan, Galvez was portraying his own conception of the moral law. From words spoken by Juan Larrandy we can see how positively Galvez disagrees with Freud. He angrily stated that the very name of Freud exasperated him. He goes on to say that he realizes that some of Freud's Opinions show the truths of Catholicism. One can find in Freud ar- guments to prove the reality of original sin and the thera- peutic truth of confession. His mania to explain everything by certain base instincts, however, is very irritating. Be- cause of this, Freud seems to be a great corrupter of human- ity. To Freud, the best things which man produces, art, science, the religious life, are nothing more than sublima- tions of the most depraved instinct. To think that even to maternal or paternal love, and even to the purest of friend- ships he attributes the same filthy orgin: For that man there exists nothing that is noble. Humanity, according to his books, remains as nothing more than so much foul matter. In his degraded interpretations the children desire the death of their brothers. The life of any saint is a destructive argument against Freud: Por favor, no me hable de Freud. Haste su nombre me exaspera. Reconozco que algunas de sus compro- baciones, las que merecen este hombre, demuestran 1as verdades catolicas. Podria encontrarse en Freud argumentos para probar 1a realidad del pe- cado original y la verdad terapéutica de la confe- sion. Pero me irrita su mania de exnlicarlo todo por cierto instinto inferior que no puedo nombrar delante de las sefioras. A cause de esto, Freud me parece un corrupter de la humanidad. Para 61 lo mejor que produce el hombre, el arte, la cien- cia, la vida religiosa, no son sino sublimaciones del mas baJo de los instintos. 'Pensar que aun a1 amor maternal o paternal y aun a la mas pure amistad les atribuye el mismo sucio origen: No existe nada noble para ese hombre. La humanidad, a través de sus libros, results una inmundicia. En sus interpretaciones canallescas los hiJos de- sean la muerte de sus padres; los hermanos, la muerte de los hermanos. Y esto lo ve, precise- mente, en el mismo dolor....No, no me hable de Freud....La vida de cualquier santo es un des- tructor argumento contra Freud.34 In the novel La Roche Toca a Su Fin Galvez conclusively proved his belief in the efficacy of his religion.35 He wrote this novel as if it were the autobiography of a man who after years of an irreligious life turned to religion with an unusual fervor. This man, Claudio Vidamor, spent the early years of his life under the influence of his father, a.Mason, who was vehemently against the Catholic Church and anything that it might stand for. Due to the patriarchal domination in the home, his mother, a devout Catholic was un- 34 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 160-161. 55 Manuel Galvez, La Noche Toca a bu Fin, (Buenos Aires, 1935) successful in every attempt to educate Claudio in her reli- gion or to direct his thoughts in any way. As a result, Claudio went through many years of his life without any re- ligion and with a very active hatred for the Catholic Church. Early in life he began to find a beastly, selfish amusement in the satisf ction of his animal instincts. Later, he di- rected his profession, that of a writer, toward ridicule and satire of the clergy and the concepts of the church. when he at last came to the belief that the Catholic Church was the true answer to the problems of humanity, he sat down and wrote his autobiography in intimate detail. In this way, Galvez tells society what he believes to be true of a person who lives without belief and participation in a religion. Even though Galvez criticises a person that leads a life that is inmoral and without religious direction, he attempts to be objective in his approach to the subject. The child, he says, is first of all amoral by nature. The immature mind functions outside the sphere in which moral distinctions or Judgments can be properly conceived. The child, therefore, must be patiently, yet rigorously, instructed in the princi- ples of Christian doctrine. If this is not done, the child will not know of the basic rules of moral behavior. In the education of children, according to Galvez, every means must be utilized. The element of fear, encouragement by promise of reward, tenderness, these means any any other means which may aid in the effort to educate a child are more than legit- imate, they are to be sought after. Through the person of Claudio Vidamor, Galvez eXpressed these sentiments and others concerning religious education and its value. In the confes- sions which he made in his autobiography, Claudio offers a complete lack of religious instruction as an excuse for his early years of sinful life: Algo me excusaba: yo no tenia principios reli- giosos ni morales de ninguna especie. El nifio es por naturaleza amoral. Si no se le dirige severamente, sé no se le inculcan, a fuerza de paciencia y de habilidad, conductoras ideas mo- rales, se perdera para el bien. En la educa- cion de 133 ninos hay que utilizarlo todo: el temor, 1as recompensas, la ternura. El nifio es maleable y responde casi siempre a una direc- cion energica. 5 In the realm of the sacraments baptism is the first one encountered in life, and, according to Galvez, without this sacrament one cannot expect to be able to distinguish right from wrong. He attributes great power to baptism and eXplains both the anti-Christian and Christian Opinions concerning it by telling of the early conceptions of Claudio Vidamor. In the immature years of his life, CLaudio had not the slightest idea of God. To him, religion was an invention of the priests. He believed that they promoted this abstract idea only to ex- tort money from any and all fools that might believe in them and their patrons. As Claudio meditated upon this anti- Christian attitude of his preceding years, he came to the conclusion that it was the lack of baptism which'thus pagan- ized and deteriorated his spirit. His words were as follows: 56 Manuel Galvez, OE. cit., 23-24. -29- No tenia ni siquiera una idea de Dios. La reli- gion era un invento de los curas, para vivir a costa de los tontos que creian en ellos y en sus patrahas. Yo estoy ahora cierto de que la falta del bautismo me paganizaba y empeoraba.37 By the time that Galvez wrote the novel La Noche Toca a Su Fin, he was a confirmed believer in the Catholic Church and its doctrines. In his efforts to explain what happens in the mind of a man such as Claudio Vidamor who is con- verted from paganism to Christianity, he interjects a lesson for the members of society who may believe as he does. He showed that Claudio was a person who once violently objected to Catholic principles, but yet during the years of his re- sistance to that religion, he quite probably was influenced by the statements and counseling of Catholics with whom he associated. In referring to his associates Claudio said that he may subconsciously have been indoctrinated with religion: Uno de ellos, Lorenzo Braila, pretendio conver- tirme. he hizo leer, a Leon Bloy, a Paul Claudel y a otros grandee espiritus catolicos: me inte- resaron enormemente pero pertenecian a otro mundo que el mio, casi a otro planeta. Ahora me pre- gunto si esas lectures no habrén obrado dentro de mi, subterraneamente. Tal vez la esencia de ellas quedo en mi subconciencia y alli fue trabajando durante afios, sin que yo lo advirtiese.38 On the basis of this passage we can assume that Galvez advises the Catholics of the world to talk to the opponents of their religion in an effort to convert them to their way of thought. Galvez believes that a person, even someone who conducts 37 Manuel Galvez, op. cit., 24. 38 Manuel Galvez, op. cIt., 89. -30- himself in as beastly a fashion as Claudio did, can be brought to an appreciation of the beauty of social refinement. Jus- tina, a well-bred and socially sensitive girl whom Claudio had seduced in his earlier years, gradually brought him to the realization that he should follow high cultural patterns in such daily and common acts as eating and engaging in con- versation. She showed that the habit of being aggressive with everyone was boorish and crude, and steadfast as Claudio was in his mannerisms and convictions, he gave in to her superior arguments. Also, by gentle yet untiring argument she created within him the Opinion that religion was at least something useful and.worthy of respect: Lie enseno a comer comO una persona culta. Me in- culco la necesidad, siquiere como prOpia defense, de no ser agresivo con todos. Y haste me hizo ver ue la religion era, por lo menos, una cose muy util y digne de respeto. 39 An important subject to the mind of Manuel Galvez was the institution of motherhood, or the need of mankind for that indefinable quality which a conscientious mother gives a child. He eXplained that he believed in the early instruc- tion of the child, and the early instruction almost always comes from the mother. From that point of view, the mother plays a most important role in the training of the child's mind. He goes on to show that the love which a mother has for her child satisfies a basic need in every man. Even Claudio, independent, self-satisfied as he was, supported 59 {anuel Galvez, Op. cit., 95. -31- Justina after he realized that she no longer loved him as a mistress normally would. He kept her because she gave him a love which was maternal in nature. It was a love that he needed, a love that could not be replaced: Porque si al principio Justina fue me amante, en los ultimos afios ya no quedaba en ella de su vieJo amor hacia mi sino un profundo instinto materno. Y por eso no la he dejado. A una amante se le deja con facilidad, pues puede ser reemplazede. Pero ?Quien reempleza a una madre, a una madre como ella?4 40 Manuel Galvez, Op. cit., 96. VI. CONCLUSION It has been the objective of this thesis to arrive at a Just conclusion concerning the moral philos3phy of Manuel Galvez as develOped in his treatment of the women in his novels. Many of his literary works and the female charac- ters portrayed in them were Of no value to me in Obtaining that objective. I have, therefore, carefully selected pes- seges in whhah it seemed that the author was expressing his own views. The characters discussed are those around whom Galvez has created a thought picture in which his philosophy is portrayed. The atheist will believe that the philOSOphy of Manuel Galvez is born of ignorance and a mental weakness which renders him unable to Obtain knowledge through his own senses. This is true because Galvez believes in a spiritual force which is superior to men and from which guidance must be received. Men must unite himself with this power or suffer an eternity of agony after death. The thought than an eter- nity of agony awaits the sinful man is the result Of Galvez' conception of the Justice which must characterize the source of right counsels and Just works, the Supreme Being. The nature of this Justice is such that there must be reward for those peOple who have sacrificed and inconvenienced themselves in the interest of good, and there must be punishment for those people who have lived without respect for their fellow -33- men and for those who have devoted their lives to e glorifi- cation of their animal instincts and carnal desires. Galvez believes, therefore, that there exists a life after death in which some peOple will enjoy an eternity of indescribable happiness, and for others there exists an eternal life of the most terrifying agony. Life is begun in a helpless condition, for at birth the child faces the world without physical or mental strength. The first step to be taken with a child to prevent him from falling into a life Of error is to have the sacrament of baptism administered. With the strength derived from this sacrament the human being will be able to practice restraint and do that which is proper. Galvez has a strong faith in the possibility of man at- taining great spiritual heights; however he feels that men alone is helpless to arrive at the prOper conclusions re- garding the eternal truths, right and wrong. He believes that the child is amoral by nature, and for the child to come to a perfect union with the originator of all truths he must first be given truth through instruction. Due to evil envi- ronmental factors and the inadequacy of the human mind, even after man has been armed with baptism, the erring part of his spirit will be the force which makes his decisions and ed- justments to life, unless he is guided into the proper chan- nels of reason. The basis of this instruction must be well founded in wisdom and experience. It cannot be an untried and, as Galvez says, illOgical philOSOphy such as that of -34- Freud. A child should be taught to have sympathy and compas- sion for the other members of society who are suffering dis- tress and misfortune. A person suffering the physical tor- ments of hunter or the lack of shelter is driven to actions which he would never commit if he could alleviate his mate- rial destitution in any other way. According to Galvez, the peOple who have the power to aid those who are in need must do so in partial fulfillment of their obligations to Prov- idence. If people did follow this rule, it would Obviously help immensely toward wiping out the breeding places Of evil, the slums and the dens of vice and corruption. Those of us who are able but do not lend support to the correction of existing malevolent conditions are guilty of a moral trans- gression. It is evident, therefore, that Gélvez believes that faith alone is not a sufficient means to earn a reward of eternal happiness. To follow the proper course in life one must both avoid evil and do good. It is possible that Galvez as a novelist hOpes to earn his reward by bringing to the mind Of each person who reads his works the purpose of the individual's existence, his reason for being on this earth, and his duty while here. The conclusion which I have drawn is that Manuel Galvez is very definitely Roman Catholic in his conception of right and wrong. Early in his literary career, even though he has ' always been a member of the Catholic Church, he did not be- lieve that the Church offered a solution to the problems of the society in his country. By the year 1935, however, with the appearance of his novel La Noche Toca a Su Fin, he greatly emphasized the value of his religion as a remedy for the evil part of man's nature. His latest biography, Fl Santito de la Tolderia, seems to indicate that he now firmly believes that by practicing the principles of Roman Catholicism society and the individual can do much toward removing the ills that af- flict them. -36- BIBLIOGRAPHY Manuel Gélvez, Los CaminOs de la Muerte, (Buenos Aires, 1928). ----- , E1 Cantico espiritual, (Buenos Aires, 1925). ----- , Cautiverio, (Buenos Aires, 1935). -----, La Ciudad Pinteda de joo, (Buenos Aires, 1948). ----- , E1 Gaucho de "LOs Gerrillos", (Buenos Aires, 1951). ----- , El General Quiroga, (Buenos Aires, 1952). -----, Historia de Arrabal, (Buenos Aires, 1922). ----- , Hombres en Soledad, (Buenos Aires, 1959). ..... , EEEELEE’ (Buenos Aires, 1929).) ..... , Jornadas de Agonia, (Buenos Aires, 1929). ----- , Luna de Miel v otras Narraciones, (Buenos Aires, 1920). ----- , Le Maestra normal, (Buenos Aires, 1914). ----- , E1 Mel metalfisico, (Buenos Aires, 1916). ---e—, Miércoles Santo, (Buenos Aires, 1950). -----, Una Mujer muy Moderna, (Buenos Aires, 1927). ----- , Nacha Regules, (Buenos Aires, 1919). ----- , La Noche Toca a su Fin, (Buenos Aires, 1955). ----- ,xLa Pampe y su PasiOn, (Buenos Aires, 1926). ----- , El Santito de le Tolderia, (Buenos Aires, 1947). ----- , E1 Solar de 1a~Reza, (Buenos Aires, 1915). ----- , La Sombra del Convento, (Buenos Aires, 1917). ----- , La Tregedia de un Hombre Fuerte, (Buenos Aires, 1922). ----- , Vida de Fray Namerto Esquiu, (Buenos Aires, 1955). ----- , Vida de Hipélito Yrigoyen, (Buenos Aires, 1959). -57- Critical References Arturo Torres-Rioseco, Grandes Novelistas de la America Hispana, (University of California Press, 1945). Jefferson Ree Spell, Contempgrary Spanish-American Fiction, (University of North Carolina Press, 1944). Historical References Mary Wilhelmina Williams, The PeOple and Politics of Latin America, (Ginn & CO., 1950). "I7|)11111171111111)“