44 pages • 1 hour read
Marianela
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Chapters 10-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “Nobody’s Children”
With Nela on his shoulders, Teodoro continues his discussion with Sofía about poverty. He shares his and his brother’s personal struggles with poverty as young boys in Madrid. The two begged for work until they were given jobs at a barber’s shop. The brothers taught themselves how to handle razors. When Teodoro eventually left the barber’s shop to pursue his study of anatomy, he would sneak food from the house where he was staying to give to his hungry brother. When Cárlos asked him one day for bread, Teodoro replied, “Bread? Work at mathematics” (97). Cárlos took this to heart and found a Colonel to teach him mathematics, which led him to his career in engineering today.
One day, the brothers received tickets from Teodoro’s master to see a show at the Theatre de la Cruz. Cárlos got very sick from the show, which meant that Teodoro had to sell some of his clothes to pay for a physician to treat him. Thankfully, Teodoro’s master replaced his clothing. Cárlos’ health improved, and he eventually grew to be a gifted mathematician. Feeling secure about his younger brother’s wellbeing, Teodoro left for America.
Back in the present, Teodoro, Sofía and Cárlos arrive at Francisco’s house in Aldeacorba. Sofía invites Teodoro to extend the glory of his experience and skills that he has just shared to restoring Pablo’s sight.
Chapter 11 Summary: “The Patriarch of Aldeacorba”
Francisco greets Teodoro, Sofía and Cárlos, and is surprised to see Nela in their company. Teodoro insists that Nela sit with them as they drink milk together. As they are drinking, Francisco expresses concerns about Pablo. Francisco feels that the books he has been reading to Pablo have activated his imagination, so much so that he now believes in absurd things. For instance, Francisco says, Pablo believes that Nela is beautiful. At the mention of Nela’s beauty, everyone laughs. Teodoro kindly affirms that Nela is pretty. To spare her further embarrassment, they send her away to continue their discussion.
Teodoro instructs Francisco to not contradict Pablo when he insists on Nela’s beauty, as the time leading up to his surgery must be as tranquil as possible to ensure its success. Francisco shares his worries about the surgery’s outcome, revealing that he harbors a deep fear of leaving his son an orphan and without the proper faculties to live an independent life as a blind person. This fear is assuaged by the news that his cousin Faustino has passed away, leaving him and his brother, Manuel, as heirs. Manuel has offered to marry his daughter, Florentina to Pablo to ensure that they receive interest on their inheritance from Faustino through the marriage. Francisco hopes that this arrangement, along with the gift of sight, would give Pablo the rational intelligence and autonomy required to live his life in tranquility.
Teodoro reviews the details of the eye surgery for Francisco, explaining that there is a possibility that the surgery will not work. He asks for Francisco’s permission to proceed anyway, which the wealthy man agrees to. They set a date for the operation to take place in October.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Doctor Celipin”
At the Centeno house, the family readies for bed. Once it is dark, Nela wakes Celipin to give him the two duros that Teodoro has given her to buy new shoes. She says that she does not need new shoes but hopes to invest in Celipin’s dream to leave Socrates. She further narrates Teodoro and Cárlos’ rise from poverty, inspiring Celipin to believe that he too can become a success in Madrid. Nela cautions him to be pragmatic in his dreams of success, urging him to learn to write first before imagining himself pursuing more advanced work. Celipin brags that he will learn to write at accelerated speed and become an expert at all the sciences. Nela insists that this is not possible and presses Celipin to take up work in mining as it seems the most lucrative job of all. She reminds him to communicate his departure to his family and to send them gifts when he earns enough money. He tells her that he will send everyone extravagant gifts, including a pair of earrings for Nela. Nela finds such extravagance amusing, especially the thought of a luxury gift for her.
Celipin suggests that Nela leave with him so that they can earn money together. Nela refuses, as she believes herself to be a burden. Celipin reminds her that once Pablo regains his sight from the surgery, Nela will not be of any use to anyone at the mines, so she may as well leave with him. At the mention of this possibility, Nela grows silent and tells Celipin to go to sleep. Celipin does not register Nela’s hurt, and instead goes to sleep dreaming of becoming someone like Teodoro.
Chapters 10-12 Analysis
In these chapters, the novel establishes Teodoro as a self-made man whose history of hard work and struggle has helped shape his dignified character in the present. In response to Sofía’s notion of charity, which is estranged from any true understanding of poverty, Teodoro offers his own life story as a demonstration of what it means to know poverty and to become a better person from it. He compares his efforts to those of colonial explorers, stating, “I was a sort of Columbus, the Columbus of labor; a sort of Cortés; I discovered a New World for myself, and having discovered it, I conquered it” (98). In this statement, Teodoro links the taking of risks in the discovery of knowledge as a type of conquest. He compares the risks of his educational aspirations to that of colonial explorers in the New World.
While Teodoro’s story inspires Celipin to become a self-made man himself, Nela does not recognize this potential in herself. As a representation of the New World, Nela possesses a different history and perspective of the world from Celipin. Whereas the New World is colored by both the unknown and colonial violence, those who have never seen such woes possess a hope that others cannot muster. Despite growing up in a family that does not aspire to anything more than their current standing, Celipin at least possesses a base standard for a stable life that enables him to imagine other possibilities for himself. What he lacks is pragmatism, a quality that Nela surprisingly embodies as she counsels Celipin on setting more realistic standards for his self-improvement. In this way, Nela is not truly ignorant; rather, she does not see herself fit to be civilized in the same way that Celipin desires. While this may have been fine for Nela for some time, the possibility of Pablo gaining his sight will eliminate her role as his guide and companion. Thus, she is faced with a choice to civilize, as a native in the New World is compelled to do, or to refuse it and become obsolete.
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