THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

2.1 The North American Double The Avatar in Panamaa concept of Freud’s dream work which is particularly relevant as onestate might blend with the other and reality may well be contaminatedby the oneiric, or the drug induced.In “El olor”, the cat executes its stalking by fixating unwaveringlyon the man’s reflected face which seems more real than his actual face:“Es como si viera en el reflejo del rostro pálido que sobresale de entrelas sábanas, una realidad que su instinto le niega al verdadero rostrodel hombre” (27). The mirror casts back a different image from the oneseen by the cat. When the narrator looks at his reflection he sees, inplace of his eyes, the cat’s eyes in his face watching him as cats do. Hebegins a mental monologue in which he confesses to the murder of hiswife who was the cat’s “protectora” and “dueña”. From his sick bed,“alcanza a ver una mano crispada, y recuerda complacido el rostroamoratado de su mujer, la imposibilidad del grito” (28). She hasevidently been strangled. He somehow perceives the cat is seekingvengeance for this murder. The fantasy aspect of this story is thatdespite suffering dizzy spells when he moves, the protagonist does nothave to physically move in order to kill anything, as he informs the cat:“Temes que si pudiera moverme haría contigo lo que tuve que hacercon tu dueña, ¿verdad? Pero se te olvida que para eso no fuenecesario moverme” (27). Instead, he creates and doubles his ownspace and movement, and briefly becomes his own double which hecan project by concentrating all his efforts on the task: “Haciendo unpoderoso esfuerzo levantó un poco la cabeza. Concentró toda suatención en su escuálida imagen que reflejaba el espejo”. He turns tohis reflection in the mirror again and sees that it has returned to that ofthe cat, he is relieved and then actively begins to focus. Suddenly theman is behind the cat’s reflection (within the mirror) and breaks itsreflected neck: “La gata que lo miraba desde el espejo no vio que lafigura del inválido, creando allí su propio espacio, se había idocolocando detrás de ella. Tampoco supo que sus manos estaban apunto de rodearle el cuello” (28). He then sees the real twitching bodyof the animal in the corner of the room. 10The eponymous smell resulting from the two murders is onlymentioned in the last quarter of the story: “El olor que colma el cuartocerrado, ya sin ventilación, hiere atrozmente su olfato”. The irony is thatthe stench emanating from the corpses some time later prevents himfrom again concentrating his efforts on changing the smell in the room10Incidentally Julio Cortázar wrote a story using the same simile entitled “Cuello degatito negro”. Compare: “y ahora eran sus dedos los que iban cerrando lentamentesobre el guante como quien aprieta el cuello de un gatito negro, […] su otra mano secerró sobre la garganta de Dina como si apretara un guante o el cuello de un gatitonegro” (133, 141). The glove is a substitute for a hand and once again, the black cat isan omen of bad luck. The simile of the glove and the throat being compared to theneck of a black kitten is inherently evil. Julio Cortázar, “Cuello de gatito negro”,Octaedro, Edición castellana (Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 1974) 125-143.76