THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

3.1 Shoes and Mirrors: Images of Doubling The Avatar in Panamathem covered”, 50 in Hernandez’s “Las hortensias”, Horacio’scatoptrophobia entails all mirrors in his house to be covered by curtainsalso: “corrieron las cortinas de los espejos --estaban tapados paraevitarle a Horacio la mala impresión de mirarse en ellos”, to prevent himcatching a glimpse of his reflection which seems to have an adverseeffect on him: “El hecho de habérsele presentado tantos espejos en unsolo día era un síntoma sospechoso. […] las imágenes se confundían,él no sabía donde dirigirse...” (35, 38-9).R. L. Stevenson’s lead character in “Markheim” recoils whenshown a mirror as a potential gift for purchase in an antique shop whichhe rejects out of hand as he is confronted with his own image: “Why,look here – look in it – look at yourself! Do you like to see it? No! nor I –nor any man.” For Markheim the mirror symbolises a “damned reminderof years, and sins and follies – this hand-conscience!” 51 Like OscarWilde’s most infamous personage he is unable to look at himself in themirror without facing his sins. In the shop’s surrounding mirrors, “he sawhis face repeated and repeated, as it were an army of spies”, and whenhe seeks refuge in the drawing room he discovers “several great pierglasses,in which he beheld himself at various angles, like an actor on astage” (122, 126). Stalked by his own reflections, his paranoia gets thebetter of him and he eventually opts for suicide as an out.This physical loathing of seeing one’s reflection in a mirror isalso matched in Melo’s novel O Matador. 52 While his footwear highlightshis social ascension, the catalyst of events that facilitate Máiquel’ssecond life begins in the first line where he declares “Tudo começouquando eu perdi uma aposta” (11). 53 The price paid for this lost wagerover a football match is a radical change of hair colour after which he isso impressed by his reflected image that it becomes a defining moment:Sempre me achei um homem feio [...] sempreevitei espelhos. Naquele dia foi diferente. Fiqueiadmirando a imagem daquele ser humano quenão era eu, um loiro, um desconhecido, umestranho [...] Foi a primeira vez, em vinte e doisanos, que olhei no espelho e não tive vontadede quebrá-lo com um murro...saí feliz,50 Hoffmann, “The Lost Reflection”, 121.51 Stevenson, “Markheim”, Jekyll and Hyde 120.52 Patricia Melo, O Matador, (Porto: Campo das letras) 1995.53 “It all started when I lost a bet”.179