Hopscotch: Analysis of Major Characters
"Hopscotch" is a complex novel by Julio Cortázar that weaves together the lives of its major characters, primarily focusing on Horacio Oliveira, an Argentine intellectual navigating existential crises in Paris. Oliveira is characterized by his disdain for rationality and his relentless quest for authenticity, referred to as the "kibbutz of desire." He engages in philosophical discussions at the Serpent Club, where he becomes increasingly detached from his relationships with women, including La Maga and Pola, ultimately leading to a sense of profound loneliness.
La Maga, a young single mother from Uruguay, embodies intuition and a desire for acceptance within the intellectual milieu, but her tragic fate remains shrouded in uncertainty following the death of her son. Other significant characters include Traveler, Horacio's friend grappling with his own insecurities; Talita, Traveler's wife, who seeks to maintain her identity amidst Horacio's chaos; and Morelli, an avant-garde novelist whose writings inspire intense debate and whose imminent death prompts a reflection on literary purpose. The narrative explores themes of identity, despair, and the intricacies of human connections, making it a rich study of character dynamics and philosophical inquiry.
Hopscotch: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Julio Cortázar
First published: Rayuela, 1963 (English translation, 1966)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Paris and Buenos Aires
Plot: Parable
Time: The 1950's
Horacio Oliveira (oh-RAH-see-oh oh-lee-BA-rah), an Argentine bohemian living in Paris. An intellectual in his forties who distrusts rationality and the intellect, he is engaged in a never-ending search for self-authenticity, a unity in life that he calls the “kibbutz of desire.” Lacking purpose and motivation, his principal occupation is as philosopher-in-residence to the Serpent Club, a group dedicated to drinking, American jazz, and endless discussions of art and literature. Aloof and seemingly unable to give of himself, Horacio is condemned to a lonely physical and metaphysical wandering. He abandons the two women in his life, Pola and La Maga, when they need him most. On his return to Argentina, he moves in with a third for comfort's sake. In Argentina, he is employed first in a circus and then in an insane asylum whose atmosphere serves to deepen his despair and growing paranoia. At the end of the novel, his fate is uncertain. He may have committed suicide; he may have survived to become another patient in the asylum.
Morelli (moh-REH-yee), an old avant-garde novelist whose writings have long been debated and admired by the Serpent Club. He is struck down by a car in the streets of Paris and is taken to a hospital. Horacio witnesses the accident but is unaware of the victim's identity. When he visits the victim out of curiosity, Horacio is astonished to discover that this old man is Morelli, a famous author (at least to the Serpent Club) whose every word has been heatedly challenged or supported. Convinced of his imminent death, Morelli gives the key to his apartment to Horacio and asks him and his friends to arrange the material in his notebooks for publication in any way they see fit. These notes and commentaries form the basis of the second theme of the novel, the writing of the novel itself. Morelli's goal has been the creation of the new novel—or, rather, antinovel—fit for the age in which he lives, stripped of all literary conventions, even character and plot development.
La Maga (MAH-gah), Horacio's mistress in Paris, a single parent in her twenties from a typical Uruguayan middle-class background. After being deserted by her lover, she suddenly decides to change her life in one bold stroke. She moves to Paris, ostensibly to study singing, and she changes her name from Lucía to La Maga and that of her son from Carlos Francisco to Rocamandour. She sends her baby to live in the country so that she can concentrate on absorbing the intellectual atmosphere of the city. A member of the Club, she strives to win its members' acceptance but is ridiculed by the others, who laugh at her lack of education and pretensions. La Maga possesses an intuition, a sense of integration with her environment that they admire and that draws Horacio to her in his quest for identity. After the sudden death of her son in her presence, La Maga disappears. Her fate, like that of Horacio, is uncertain. Horacio is convinced that she has drowned herself in the Seine but imagines that he catches a glimpse of her in unexpected moments.
Traveler, Horacio's longtime friend and supposed double. Before Horacio's return to Argentina, Traveler had led a relatively comfortable and placid existence. Content with his unstrenuous job at the circus and secure and happy in his marriage to Talita, whom he loves deeply, Traveler's only quarrel with life seems to be the absurdity of his name: He has never traveled anywhere. His friend's presence, however, brings to the surface long-submerged feelings of anxiety and incompleteness. He also worries about Horacio's growing attachment to Talita. Although he is painfully aware of his friend's mental disintegration, he is still stunned when he realizes that Horacio believes that he, Traveler, will murder Horacio to rid himself of his “twin.”
Talita (tah-LEE-tah), Traveler's wife. About the same age as La Maga, but better educated, Talita is disturbed by Horacio's confused identification of her with the Uruguayan woman. She also realizes that somehow she has become a pawn in some obscure game silently being played by Horacio and her husband. Secure in the sense of her own identity, she refuses to let Horacio involve her in his fantasies and elects to remain in her husband's world.
Ossip Gregorovius (AH-sihp greh-gohr-OH-vee-ews), a member of the Serpent Club. Supported by a maiden aunt, Ossip does not have to work and devotes himself to his chief amusement of role-playing. He pretends to be a Russian émigré but is probably from a lower-class British family. He covers up his true origins by inventing incredible stories about his three mothers. Both attracted to and jealous of Horacio, he is in love with La Maga, and Horacio believes he is having an affair with her. He moves into her apartment after La Maga disappears.
Etienne (eh-TYEHN), a French member of the Serpent Club. A painter, Etienne is probably the only member of the group who could be called Horacio's friend. He accompanies Horacio in his visit to Morelli, and it is to him that Horacio entrusts the treasured key to the writer's apartment.
Ronald, an American member of the Serpent Club. A fanatical jazz fan devoted to his wife, Babs, Ronald cheerfully drowns thoughts of advancing age and utter lack of purpose in life in his music and in alcohol.
Babs, Ronald's wife. Equally devoted to her husband and equally drowning in liquor, Babs, in a drunken rage, is the first member of the Club to turn on Horacio after his abandonment of La Maga.
Pola, Horacio's lover in Paris. He does not try to hide their affair from La Maga. He deserts her even though he knows she is dying of breast cancer.
Wong, a Chinese member of the Serpent Club. His main interests are Oriental mysticism and his pornographic collection of torture scenes. He is deported by the French government.
Berthe Trepát (BEHR-teh treh-PAH), an aging pianist. Horacio, one of a handful of people to attend her recital, is struck by the audacity and atrociousness of her playing. He walks her home after the concert, and she mistakes his solicitude for amorous intentions.
Getkrepten, Horacio's former girlfriend in Argentina. He moves in with her to live closer to Traveler and Talita.
Guy Monod (gee moh-NOH), a French member of the Serpent Club who tries to commit suicide and fails, his failure becoming a topic of conversation.