THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

2.1 The North American Double The Avatar in Panamadivided hence the third person narration, then the first, then a fusion ofthe two? Or is the mixed narration merely a device the characteremploys to disassociate and distance himself from the events takingplace? That this nine-lined story provokes such questions is atestament to the cleverly intricate narrative structure for which JaramilloLevi has become known.“Mientras dormía” plays on the confusion between semiconsciousstates, memories, dreams and nightmares, and utilisescorresponding language: “despertó con dificultad, semiconsciente aún,ya no podría despertar jamás, a la dimensión exacta del sueño, unsueño igualmente profundo, delicioso, quería dormir, las pesadillas notenían por qué repetírsele, no puede dormir, se va quedando dormidosobre el banco, el cuerpo que duerme, sin que lograra despertar”. 37Memories, dreams and nightmares are all blended together: “despertó,semiconsciente aun, la dimensión exacta del sueño, las pesadillas, seva quedando dormido, sin que lograra despertar”. The dream state iscontrasted with wakefulness, heat and light with the cold and dark. Timeand space are meaningless “la infinita extensión del cielo, interminablesin limitaciones de tiempo’’.In the story Carlos awakes from a nightmare in which he seesand feels himself on fire. He lights a cigarette and begins reminiscingabout a sexual incident in his youth. He remembers lighting a cigaretteback then too, in the visualisation of his memory, and then engages insexual self-gratification during which he presumably falls back to sleepand the nightmare recommences. However there is no clear delineationbetween the dream state and what is happening around the protagonistat this point: “Arde el cuarto, arde la casa toda, pero Carlos no puedeubicar aquel incendio real porque continúa creyéndose en el garajedonde hace ejercicio todos los días”. Carlos is unable to distinguishbetween the dreamt fire and the real one. “Ha despertado allá einterpreta aquel extraño sueño como un simple anticipo de la pasiónque habrá de alcanzar en sus futuras relaciones con Angélica (68). Theprotagonist’s smokey demise is clear: “todo cede ante el fuego: la casaahora, el cuarto antes, él mismo hace un segundo sin que lograradespertar” (68). This style of conclusion, which finds an unsuspectingperson in an altered state emerge from it only to find it has impingedupon their reality, has long been the domain of the modern fantastic:what worries the reader is more likely to be the intrusion of dreams orthe unconscious rather than the possible supernatural, occult, or theunknown. 3837 Jaramillo Levi, “Mientras dormía”, Duplicaciones.38 “Libro sin tapas” also creates a fiery end for its protagonist and reader. SeeDuplicaciones 52-54.85