Fando
and Lis (Fando et Lis) — 1955 by Fernando
Arrabal: Character Analysis
Fernando
Arrabal’s Fando and Lis is primarily built around the relationship
between its two central characters, Fando and Lis. Their journey toward
the mysterious city of Tar provides the basic framework of the play, while
their conversations, memories, conflicts, and dependence reveal their
personalities. The other figures encountered during their journey and the
characters appearing in Fando’s memories contribute to the unusual and
fragmented dramatic world. Fando and Lis, however, remain at the emotional
centre of the play.
Fando
Fando
is the principal male character and one of the most complicated figures in the
play. He is responsible for pushing Lis in her cart because she cannot walk.
This immediately places him in a position of physical responsibility and gives
him considerable power over her movement. He can decide when and where they
travel, while Lis must depend upon him.
Fando
is not presented as simply loving or simply cruel. His personality is deeply
contradictory. At times he shows affection toward Lis and appears to need her
companionship. At other times he becomes impatient, angry, possessive, and
violent. This rapid movement between tenderness and cruelty makes his character
unstable and unpredictable.
One
important aspect of Fando's character is his emotional dependence upon Lis.
Although he frequently becomes frustrated with her, he does not simply leave
her behind. He continues the journey with her and remains connected to her. His
relationship with Lis therefore involves both attachment and resentment. He
appears to want freedom from the responsibilities of the relationship while
simultaneously being unable to separate himself from it.
Fando
is also strongly influenced by his past. His memories of childhood and
his parents reveal painful experiences that continue to affect his behaviour.
These memories help explain why his personality is so troubled. He carries the
emotional consequences of the past into his present relationship with Lis. His
physical journey toward Tar therefore takes place alongside an internal journey
through memory.
Fando's
greatest weakness is his inability to control his destructive emotions. His
frustration gradually develops into cruelty, and his treatment of Lis
ultimately reaches a tragic point. His character demonstrates how dependence,
insecurity, anger, and emotional instability can destroy the very relationship
upon which a person depends.
Lis
Lis
is the central female character and Fando's companion throughout the journey.
Because she cannot walk, she depends upon Fando to push her in a cart. Her
physical condition immediately establishes her vulnerability, but she should
not be understood merely as a passive victim. She possesses emotional desires,
hopes, fears, and a strong attachment to Fando.
Lis
shares Fando's hope of reaching Tar. She participates in the journey and
continues to believe in the possibility of reaching their destination. Her hope
gives her a reason to continue despite the difficulties of their circumstances.
Her
relationship with Fando is marked by dependence and emotional attachment.
She needs him physically, but she also desires his companionship and affection.
Even when his behaviour becomes disturbing, she remains connected to him. This
makes her situation increasingly tragic because the person upon whom she
depends is also capable of causing her suffering.
Lis
represents vulnerability within the play, but her vulnerability is also what
makes the relationship with Fando so complicated. Her inability to move
independently places enormous responsibility upon Fando, while Fando's control
over her movement creates an unequal relationship. Their dependence therefore
becomes both a source of companionship and a source of conflict.
The
Relationship Between Fando and Lis
The
relationship between Fando and Lis is arguably the most important
"character" in the play because so much of the drama develops from
their interaction. They are companions, travellers, dependants, and sources of
both comfort and suffering to one another.
Their
relationship repeatedly moves between love and hostility. They may
express affection and then fall into argument. Fando may care for Lis and then
become cruel toward her. Lis may suffer because of him but still remain
attached to him. This instability prevents the relationship from becoming a
simple romantic partnership.
Their
journey toward Tar also reflects the condition of their relationship. They are
moving together toward a shared destination, yet they cannot overcome the
conflicts between them. The journey consequently becomes a test of their
ability to remain together, and ultimately their relationship fails that test.
Fando’s
Mother
Fando's
mother is primarily significant through memory. She belongs to the past
rather than functioning as a central participant in the present journey.
Through Fando's recollections, however, she becomes part of the psychological
background of the play.
Her
presence helps reveal that Fando's emotional difficulties did not begin with
Lis. His childhood experiences have left lasting impressions upon him. The
mother therefore contributes to the understanding of Fando as a character whose
present behaviour is connected to unresolved experiences from the past.
Fando’s
Father
Fando's
father is similarly connected with Fando's memories and childhood experiences.
His importance lies less in his direct participation in the action than in the
effect of his remembered presence upon Fando.
The
memories involving his parents contribute to the disturbing psychological
atmosphere surrounding Fando. They show that the character's present emotional
instability has a history behind it. His relationship with Lis cannot therefore
be separated completely from the experiences that have shaped him.
The
Three Travellers
The three
travellers whom Fando and Lis encounter during their journey occupy a
different position from the protagonists. They are mysterious figures who
contribute to the play's unusual atmosphere and interrupt the central couple's
private world.
They
do not possess the same psychological depth as Fando and Lis, but their
presence reinforces the sense that the world of the play is strange and
unpredictable. Their encounters with the protagonists add to the fragmented
quality of the journey.
Overall
Characterization
Arrabal's
characterization in Fando and Lis differs from conventional realistic
drama. The characters are not presented simply as psychologically complete
individuals whose actions follow a clear logical progression. Instead, they
exist within a strange dramatic world of repetition, memory, uncertainty, and
abrupt changes in mood.
Fando
represents a deeply troubled human being caught between attachment and
rejection, tenderness and cruelty. Lis represents vulnerability,
dependence, hope, and emotional attachment. Together, they create a
relationship in which love and suffering become inseparable.
Their
characterization ultimately reinforces the tragic nature of the play. Both
characters desire companionship and a better future, represented by their
journey toward Tar, but they remain trapped within their own limitations and
within the destructive patterns of their relationship. Their inability to
escape these patterns gives Fando and Lis its powerful sense of
frustration and tragedy.
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