THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

3.1 Shoes and Mirrors: Images of Doubling The Avatar in Panamathese cycles is lent support by the wearing of the shoes in the text. Z isshod throughout paragraphs one to three yet when he discovers thepair he recognises to be his in paragraph four, he is surprised that he isbarefoot. His ability to feel the sand confirms his being: “Existeentonces, pero está solo”. This confirmation could be the existentialsecurity for which he has been searching. 53Later in the story he is again wearing the shoes and as Zrecommences travelling in paragraph two. Z’s senses seem impairedwhich is reflected in the language: “ya no sienten los pies, se da cuentade que está descalzo, sólo ahora siente, la sensación, no recuerdahaberse despojado”. One could confidently conclude that his feet aredevoid of sensitivity because he is shod and can no longer feel the sandupon which he is walking; therefore his existence is brought intodoubt. 54 The effect of this non-linear structure of “Los zapatos” is tocreate a type of metaphysical malaise, an existential futility that Z willendlessly experience. It is this theme which, along with that of identity,forms the thematic foundation of “Los zapatos”.O Matador, “El vecino”, and now another of Jaramillo Levistories “Los zapatos”, apart from using shoes extensively, exploit theform of the star and the image of polvo. 55 “El vecino”’s SebastiánSantana, shares his surname with Máiquel's best friend in O Matador. 56In “El vecino”, the narrator discovers that Sebastián bears a large starshapedbirthmark on his chest: “¡Te reconocí por ese enorme lunar rojoen el pecho! Asimétrico, cruzado de estrías moradas, estasproyectaban sus puntas formando ángulos inusitados que contrastabancon pequeños segmentos circulares”. 57 As an irremovable blemish, itmay be considered a tattoo of sorts like that of the seven pointed star53 The symbolic meaning of sand lies in ‘la multitud de sus granos’, which canrepresent the womb or a similar type of mould. The pleasure that we experience inwalking or throwing ourselves onto the sand represents an unconscious desire toreturn to the womb and this was perceived by psychoanalysts as indicative of a searchfor rest, security or regeneration. Chevalier and Gheerbrandt 137.54 The significance of being barefooted was that feet represented the inner state anddeliberately going without shoes demonstrated self-exile or a spiritual poverty. Kippen.55Estrella: “Estrechamente ligado al cielo del que depende, la estrella evoca tambiénlos misterios del sueño y de la noche; por brillar con brillo propio, el hombre debesituarse en los grandes ritmos cósmicos y armonizarse con ellos”. Chevalier andGheerbrandt, 488; “Numerousness and fate or influence”, Ferber 201-2.Polvo: “Símbolo de la fuerza creadora y de la ceniza. Por lo contrario, el polvo es aveces signo de la muerte. “Sacudir el polvo de las sandalias es una fórmula quesimboliza el abandono total del pasado, una ruptura completa, una negación de todolo que representaba este polvo: patria, familia, amistad, etc.” Chevalier andGheerbrandt 847.56Jaramillo Levi, “El vecino” Luminoso tiempo gris, 85-93.57 See Appendix A2 question 1.159