The
Burial of the Sardine
(L’Enterrement de la sardine) by Fernando Arrabal - Character Analysis
.jpg)
Hieronymus
Hieronymus is the
central figure of The Burial of the Sardine, and the strange world of
the play is largely experienced through his situation. He is a dwarf who lives
in a confined room and is separated from ordinary social life. His physical
confinement is accompanied by a limited understanding of the world around him.
He watches life outside through his window, making him both an observer and an
outsider.
Despite his unusual
circumstances, Hieronymus possesses a certain innocence and curiosity. He is
interested in the world beyond his room and responds to the experiences brought
to him by Altagora and Lis. However, he does not completely understand the significance
of what happens around him. This limited understanding contributes to the
play's atmosphere of uncertainty.
Hieronymus is also a
character of dependence. Because of his isolation, the people who visit him
have considerable influence over his experiences. Yet he is not entirely
passive. His continuous observation of the outside world demonstrates his
desire to understand and participate in a larger existence. His final movement
out of the room is therefore an important development. He moves from being a
spectator behind the window to becoming part of the world he has previously
watched from a distance.
His character also
embodies the play's concern with the outsider. He occupies a position at the
edge of ordinary society, both physically and socially. Through him, the play
presents a world that appears strange and difficult to understand, while
simultaneously making the supposedly normal outside world appear equally
strange.
Altagora
Altagora is one of
the two women who dominate Hieronymus's isolated existence. She repeatedly
enters his confined world and becomes an important influence on his
experiences. Her relationship with him is not simple. She can appear as a
companion or teacher, but her behaviour can also become controlling and
disturbing.
Altagora's
importance lies partly in the power she possesses over Hieronymus. Because he
has little contact with the outside world, her presence becomes particularly
significant. She introduces experiences and ideas that would otherwise remain
beyond his restricted existence. At the same time, the nature of their
relationship prevents her from being understood simply as a benevolent figure.
Her character
contributes to the play's larger uncertainty about relationships and human
behaviour. Affection, authority, dependence, and cruelty can exist together in
her interactions with Hieronymus. She therefore belongs naturally to the play's
grotesque and unstable dramatic world.
Lis
Lis is the second
woman closely associated with Hieronymus. Like Altagora, she repeatedly enters
his isolated existence and participates in the unusual experiences that shape
his life. Her relationship with him is similarly complex, combining intimacy
with control and creating an atmosphere in which the boundaries between
companionship and domination become uncertain.
Lis helps to
maintain the repetitive pattern of Hieronymus's existence. Her visits become
part of the routine from which he struggles to move beyond. At the same time,
she is connected with the mysterious events of the procession, making her
significance extend beyond the private world of the room.
Her character
contributes to the play's exploration of uncertainty. She is not presented
through a conventional psychological portrait in which every action has a
clearly explained motivation. Instead, she remains part of the strange and
theatrical world surrounding Hieronymus.
The
Procession Figures
The people who
appear in the Burial of the Sardine procession function less as individually
developed characters and more as figures within a collective spectacle. Their
unusual appearance and behaviour contribute to the grotesque atmosphere of the
play.
They represent the
public world that Hieronymus observes from his room. Unlike him, they move
freely through the streets, yet their behaviour is so strange that the outside
world appears no more rational than his confined existence. Their presence
therefore challenges the distinction between the supposedly normal world
outside and the abnormal world inside.
The
Crowd
The crowd is an
important collective presence rather than a group of fully individualized
characters. It gives the procession its scale and theatrical energy. The
crowd's participation in the funeral spectacle creates a contrast with
Hieronymus's solitude.
For much of the
play, Hieronymus remains separated from this collective world. The crowd
therefore represents a form of social existence from which he is excluded. When
he finally leaves his room and enters the procession, this separation is
reduced, and he becomes part of the collective spectacle he had previously
observed.
Overall
Characterization
The characters in The
Burial of the Sardine are not developed according to the conventions of
realistic psychological drama. Arrabal presents them through unusual
situations, repeated actions, grotesque behaviour, and uncertain relationships.
Hieronymus is the emotional and dramatic centre, while Altagora and Lis shape
his confined existence and the remaining figures create the strange public
world surrounding him.
Together, the
characters form a theatrical universe in which identity, relationships,
reality, and behaviour remain unstable. Rather than providing conventional
heroes and villains, the play places its characters within an absurd and
unsettling environment where the distinction between victim and participant,
observer and performer, and reality and illusion is constantly shifting.
Comments