2 ?b90

228
on unscrupulous older men,
thus introducing him to another type of causality
removed from purely bodily
needs. The solidity or permanence of the owner
of the Chinese artifact is
highlighted in the phrase: "El agua al bru5ir el
mech6n frontal, le dio una
contextura de 6bano pulimentadc, como m6rmol" (I,
389), but unfortunately fo
r the youth he does nor recognize the chance of
freedom from his old life.
He has rejected much, according to his would-
be saviour:
Pensar que yo le iba a propiciar que asomase su rostro
a un espejo de metal, estilo de los dltimos ptolomeos.
Y que le iba a regalar todos los cepillos chinos; pero
es un ni5o diablo, y ahora, sentado en el quicio de una
esquina, debe de estar dgndole vueltas al poliedro (1,389).
The metal mirror would have shown him the image of his soul, which is at pre-
sent lost in his body. The Egyptians are mentioned because as we have seen
when examining Alberto's first encounter with Oppiano Licario, Lezama consi-
ders them to be the first civilization to evolve a method of securing eter-
nal life. The object used to symbolize the gift of eternal life is not
important, except for the fact that it is Chinese and made of a substance
well suited by its natural qualities to signify permanence. We know that
Lezama regards the Chinese with great respect because of their Taoist philo-
sophy which extolls the powers of creativity out of the void. These are
the benefits which the youth has unwittingly rejected. He disappears from
the narrative while Foci6n relates Fronesis' family history but is connected
most intimately with Foci6n in his second appearance,
In a way the youth is a younger version of Foci6n but he is far from
being the equal of the latter's sophisticated cynicism. Instead he is an-
gry and bitter at his repeated exploitation and is filled with self-hatred,
enough to drive him to attempt to murder Foci6n. His failure to do so
(thanks to his victim's cunning) is inevitable, having been played out in,
and prefigured by, the episode with the owner of the Chinese ivory. The