The Nun by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
"The Nun" by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón is a poignant narrative set in 1768 Granada, revolving around the lives of Sister Isabel de los Angeles, her grandmother the Dowager Countess de Santos, and her nephew Carlos. The story begins with the complex dynamics of a noble family grappling with inheritance and familial duty, particularly highlighting how the countess disregarded her father-in-law's wishes by placing her second child, Isabel, in a convent at a young age. The tale unfolds with Isabel's return home to care for her nephew, who exhibits troubling behavior and is depicted as a spoiled child exerting control over the household.
As tensions rise, a pivotal moment occurs when Carlos, influenced by his surroundings, expresses a disturbing desire to see his aunt naked, resulting in a catatonic episode. This incident sparks further conflict within the family, culminating in Isabel's decision to leave her home once again and return to the convent, asserting her autonomy after a lifetime of decisions made for her. Ultimately, the narrative concludes with the deaths of Isabel, her mother, and Carlos, marking the end of their noble lineage.
Alarcón presents themes of power, control, and the constraints of societal and familial expectations, inviting readers to reflect on the roles assigned to women and the implications of choices made by powerful figures in their lives. The novella serves as a critical exploration of personal agency within the confines of tradition and authority.
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The Nun by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
First published: "La comendadora: Historia de una mujer que no tuvo amores," 1868 (English translation, 1962)
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: 1768
Locale: Granada, Spain
Principal Characters:
Sister Isabel de Los Angeles , a member of the Order of Saint JamesDowager Countess de Santos , her motherCarlos, Count de Santos , the six-year-old nephew of Sister Isabel
The Story
The story begins with a description of three people in a sitting room of a manorial house in Granada in March of 1768. A mature woman of noble bearing sits near one of the balconies, watching a pale, sickly child playing on the floor. The little boy is dressed as an elegant little gentleman. In one corner near a window, a beautiful nun of about thirty sits staring toward the sky. Next, the narrator identifies the characters and reveals their family history. The widowed Dowager Countess de Santos had not obeyed the spirit of her father-in-law's will, which stipulated that the family fortune be divided between the two oldest grandchildren in order to ensure the survival of the family name. Instead, the countess, who idolized her oldest child, a male, placed her second child, Isabel de Santos, in a convent when the girl was only eight years old.
When Sister Isabel de los Angeles later renounced all worldly property, her brother Alfonso inherited the entire estate. On the early death of both the brother and his wife, his three-year-old son, Carlos, the only remaining heir to the title, came to live at the family estate. Meanwhile, the ailing Sister Isabel, now a beautiful young woman, has been sent home to recuperate. She has received permission to live at home, as if it were a convent, in order to help rear her nephew. The spoiled young Carlos now tyrannizes the entire household.
When the story resumes, he busily destroys a book on heraldry until going in search of more stimulating activity. A few minutes later the boy bursts into the room, exclaiming that he overheard the sculptor who has been restoring the family emblem on the staircase) say that he would like to see the nun nude. The child then repeatedly demands and finally screams hysterically that he also wants to see his aunt naked. Sister Isabel believes that he is being used by Satan. As the nun is leaving the room, Carlos, seeing that he will be denied his wish, flies into such a rage that he lapses into a catatonic state. His grandmother calls him angel and cradles him in her arms. As the young count begins to recover and repeats the request, his grandmother orders her daughter to comply, stating that it is God's will. One-half hour later, Carlos declares his aunt to be fat and goes off in search of the sculptor. He discovers that the man will be tried for blasphemy by the Inquisition. When Dowager Countess de Santos goes to her daughter's room to comfort her, she finds, instead, a letter left by her daughter. In it Sister Isabel explains that she has made the only decision of her life in which her mother was not consulted: She has returned to the convent. The final brief section informs the reader of Sister Isabel's death four years later, her mother's demise shortly thereafter, and Count Carlos's death approximately fifteen years later during the siege of Menorca. With him the noble title vanishes as well.