THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

2.1 The North American Double The Avatar in Panamato doubt what she is observing: “Ella puede comprobar entonces,incrédula, que en realidad se trata de Li Peng, aunque no puede ser,pues éste no sale aún de la Embajada. Y sin embargo es él […], Laseñorita Corrales comienza a pensar que este hombre tiene que ser enrealidad el mismo Li Peng al que habia estado siguiendo”. Her evidentdeceptive senses result in rationalisation of her interpretation of events:“[q]uizá sólo se confundió al ver entrar otra persona. Su ángulo devisión no le permitía en aquel momento una certeza absoluta […], [t]alvez sus ojos se habian desviado del verdadero Li Peng la fracción desegundo […], sí ahora recordaba ese detalle”. Then Ms Corrales beginsdoubting her own sense of selfhood: “piensa que, de algún modo elladebe ser, efectivamente, la señora Torres” (38-39).Their doubles achieve independence at the point of theoriginals’ death: the doubles ultimately replace the real characterssuggesting a sense of immortality as one character fills the other’sspace or creates its own: “al caer ella sobre el espacio que el habíaocupado” (40). The original being questions their own identity andwonders whether they are in fact the other – leading to an interchangeof identity. 48 The depiction of doubling in “Duplicaciones” is confined tothe image of the face as representing identity as no other physicaldescription exists: “tienen facciones marcadamente semejantes, igualcalvicie, un idéntico tic nervioso en el ojo izquierdo, la misma piel […],[p]ero es usted idéntica a la mujer […], un rostro idéntico al del hombre48 In Mario Benedetti’s “El otro yo”, Armando feels suffocated by his otro yo who ishypersensitive, melancholy, and stifles his vulgar side. After reprimanding his double,his alter-ego commits suicide. Armando feels socially unshackled, so after theobligatory mourning he intends to wreak havoc. However, friends fail to acknowledgehim and he overhears their lamenting Armando’s passing. He is unable to feel any realgrief as the melancholy had been commandeered by his double. This story has all theelements of irony and inversion. Ostensibly, Armando’s double is a weak andanguished duplicate that embodies grief and depression. The original Armando has adarker malicious side but cannot manifest it in the presence of his double. When hisalter-ego disappears, true to its name, part of himself that is identifiable by others islost. Mario Benedetti, “El otro yo”, Cuentos completos (Santiago de Chile:Universitaria, 1970) 264-265.Virgilio Piñera’s “El otro yo” has protagonist Señor X creating a double; an exactreproduction indistinguishable from himself which he names el mecánico. When Xrealises that he will not outlive el mecánico, jealousy and vanity get the better of himand he decides to end his double’s existence. He visits el mecánico’s creators, whorefuse to terminate their creation instead informing X that he will live on through theircopy. After various generations no one will remember that el mecánico is a copy andtherefore no one will remember X who will be represented by their duplicate. He will ineffect be substituted, permanently replaced. While X lies dying he summons elmecánico and begs him to change places. In classic double style el mécanicoresponds in a mocking tone, “No solo morirás; harás también el ridículo” (304). Shortlyafter X’s death, el mecánico suffers an accident in which his skin is scarred making itappear similar to X’s. The irony of the consensus is that it is el mecánico who has diednot X. Virgilio Piñera, “El otro yo”, Muecas para escribientes (Madrid: AlfaguaraHispánica, c1990) 301-305.89