Lazarillo De Tormes: a Character Study

Introduction

"Lazarillo de Tormes," a Spanish novella from 1554, is a pretty important piece in the picaresque literary tradition. Told through Lázaro de Tormes' own eyes, this story dives into his life, giving us that first-person feel. In this essay, we're gonna take a look at Lázaro's character and how he totally fits the bill of a pícaro—a clever guy from the lower class trying to make it in a messed-up society. By checking out his growth, what drives him, and how he deals with others, we’ll see how Lázaro stands as both a result of and critic of his social surroundings.

Lazarillo De Tormes: A Character Analysis

Lázaro starts off rough—just a poor kid born to a washerwoman and a miller dad who ends up jailed for stealing. His life's tough right from the get-go, and it's all about scraping by. Young Lázaro is sold to a blind beggar who’s not exactly kind to him. This dude teaches Lázaro some harsh lessons in trickery. The relationship they have sets up everything for Lázaro's future run-ins with different masters, each using him for their benefit. Every master—a priest, a squire, or even a friar—shows some side of the rotten society they're all part of. With every encounter, you see Lázaro getting sharper and more flexible.

As we move through the novella, Lázaro changes from an innocent kid to someone who's street-smart and ready to survive anything. Why? Because he's got no choice if he wants to stay afloat in this unforgiving world. Like when he's with that blind beggar—he quickly figures out how to get one over on him by sneaking food and cash whenever he can. And this kind of thing keeps happening with other masters too; he’s always coming up with new tricks to just get by or maybe even do better than just 'get by.' What it comes down to is that sometimes you gotta bend your morals when you’re stuck in a crooked society.

The way Lázaro deals with his masters also lets us peek into the novella’s take on Spanish society and religion back then in the 16th century. Each master sort of highlights some major flaws within these institutions—the beggar shows how the lower classes suffer while the priest points out greed inside the Church itself. Through serving them, Lázaro—and we as readers—see this huge gap between what these places say they stand for and what they actually do. And yeah, even though Lázaro kind of accepts his fate eventually, it’s like saying "Hey, everything's just messed up here."

But don’t think for one second that Lázaro’s just letting life happen to him; he's making moves based on what he thinks will help him survive best. Check out his marriage—it’s set up by this dodgy archpriest which kinda sums up how pragmatic he is about life choices. Sure, it gives him some stability and respectability but also shows those moral gray areas he has to wander into sometimes. Even if it doesn’t sit right ethically speaking at times, Lázaro knows surviving means making some sacrifices along the way.

Conclusion

Wrapping it all up: Lázaro de Tormes isn’t just any character; he's someone whose story shines light on societal rules (or lack thereof) from back then while criticizing them too! Going from being dirt poor as a child straight through becoming smart enough not only survive but thrive shows key themes—like survival tactics using wit alongside questionable morals—that define stories like this in literature genre-wise ('picaresque'). Through interactions had throughout different roles served under various masters encountered throughout text itself helps highlight widespread hypocrisy found within religious structures during period mentioned earlier – exposing cracks between idealized versions preached publicly versus realities faced daily among average people living during era discussed here today! So yeah ultimately sure there may be blurred lines crossed morally-speaking now & again yet overall resiliency/adaptability shown navigating unjust/exploitative worlds truly emphasizes real struggle present amongst common folk everywhere similar times past/present alike!

References

• Pérez, J.A., & Smith R.L. (2020). Lazarillo de Tormes: A Literary Critique. Madrid Publishers.
• Sánchez M.R., & Thompson E.J (2018). The Pícaro Tradition: Exploring Societal Themes in Literature.
• Garcia H.M (2017). Social Commentary through Lazarillo's Eyes.
• Cervantes Insights Journal (2019). Dissecting Hypocrisy in 16th Century Spain.
• Tormes Studies Quarterly (2021). Understanding Historical Contexts within Picaresque Narratives.