A Change of Skin: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Change of Skin" is a surrealistic novel that explores the complex dynamics among four main characters: Javier, Elizabeth, Franz, and Isabel. Javier, a middle-aged Mexican aspiring writer, grapples with his feelings for his American-born wife, Elizabeth, whom he loves yet finds increasingly unfulfilling. Elizabeth, feeling neglected and restless, yearns for Javier's success and emotional connection, while struggling with her own sense of inadequacy as she perceives him finding solace in the youth and charm of Isabel, a young Mexican woman.
Franz, a young Czechoslovakian friend of Javier, creates tension as he becomes romantically involved with both Elizabeth and Isabel, inciting Javier's envy. Isabel, the most naïve of the group, becomes an object of Javier's fleeting affections, highlighting his disillusionment with both women. The story is narrated by Freddy Lambert, an enigmatic figure who offers insight into the characters' inner thoughts and emotions, adding layers of complexity to their interactions. The novel delves into themes of desire, identity, and the often tumultuous nature of relationships, inviting readers to reflect on the characters' struggles and ambitions.
A Change of Skin: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Carlos Fuentes
First published: Cambio de piel, 1967 (English translation, 1968)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Mexico City, Xochicalco, and Cholula, Mexico
Plot: Experimental
Time: April 11, 1965, Palm Sunday
Javier (hah-VYEHR), a middle-aged Mexican harboring aspirations of being a writer. He takes a drive with his American-born wife, Elizabeth; a friend, Franz; and Franz's lover, Isabel, a young Mexican woman. Javier, who met Elizabeth when he was a student in New York City, is at once in love with and bored by her. Because of his ambivalence, he is taken in by the charms of Isabel, though in his imagination he sees her as a vacuous version of his wife. In this surrealistic novel, Javier may or may not have led Elizabeth and Franz to a terrible death inside an Aztec pyramid and may or may not have attempted to strangle Elizabeth and put Franz's body in his car trunk.
Elizabeth, the American-born wife of Javier. Elizabeth, growing restless, finds life with Javier increasingly unfulfilling, sensing as she does that Javier finds her too old for him. She wishes not only that Javier was more attuned to her needs but also that he would become a successful writer rather than an aimless, unproven one.
Franz, a young Czechoslovakian-born friend of Javier who becomes emotionally and sexually involved with Elizabeth while carrying on an affair with lovely Isabel. He incurs Javier's envy because of his youthful energy, wit, and good looks. That envy may have led Javier to murder him. In any event, Franz, at the very least, creates problems for Javier, and these problems create hostility.
Isabel (EE-sah-behl), the youngest and most naïve of the four principal characters. She lacks Elizabeth's worldliness, mental powers, and acerbic wit, but her sexual intensity draws Javier's attentions away from Elizabeth. Whether in fact or only in his imagination, Javier wins Isabel's affections, only to become disgusted by her lack of depth and maturity. For the most part, Isabel is a pawn caught up in the unhappiness of Javier, Elizabeth, and Franz.
Freddy Lambert, the all-knowing and all-seeing, yet thoroughly mysterious, narrator of the story. Lambert not only can overhear dialogue but also can peer deep into characters' minds, capturing their thoughts, dreams, and fantasies.