2 ?b90

148
phenomenon is to be found in the figures of the Great
Goddesses represengd in the myths and artistic crea-
tions
of mankind.
Lezama creates a mythical goddess of his own, in the shape of Rialta.
The image of the mother is especially suitable for expressing the nature
of the hidden anima, in fact it seems that: "In its individual manifesta-
tion., the character of a man's anima is as a rule shaped by his mother. "
65
As we have seen, Cemi is being urged to seek out the spiritual side of
life, thus cultivating his "female" aspect, and the burgeoning presence
of such mother-dominated figures as Don Demetrio and Alberto in the novel
seems to be a warning, since their lives are uncreative in any sense and
quite unsatisfactory. Von Franz confirms the dangers of over-emphasis
on one aspect of the psyche:
Worship of the anima as an officially recognised figure
brings the serious disadvantage that she loses her in-
dividual aspects. On the other hand, if she is regarded
as an exclusively personal being, there is the danger
that, if she is projected into the outer world, it is
only there that she can be found C ...
:3a man becomes
either the victim of his erotic fantggies or compulsi-
vely dependent on one actual woman.
There is no doubt that Ceml is totally dependent on Rialta for spiritual
guidance, but only until Oppiano Licario reappears on the scene. If he
represents Cemi's own capacity for an appreciation of lejania and the
Infinite, then it seems that the youth becomes autonomous at last. What
saves Cemi from being merely an extension of his mother may be the fact
that she is not demanding some sort of totally passive, dominated exi-
stence, rather, on the contrary, she demands a heroic attitude, the cou-
rage to risk all for the ideal of resurrection. This role is not for a
weakling, but for a seekerg a mystic who is what I would describe as
"actively contemplative. " Cemi is a hero who has a succession of tutors,
and achieves spiritual growth because: