The Seven Madmen: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Seven Madmen" is a novel that delves into the lives of a group of unconventional characters navigating the complexities of societal disillusionment in early 20th-century Argentina. The protagonist, Augusto Remo Erdosaín, experiences profound personal loss and humiliation, prompting him to engage in fantasy and join a subversive group led by the enigmatic Astrologer, who dreams of orchestrating a coup d'état. Each character reflects different facets of societal struggle and personal turmoil, such as Arturo Haffner, a cynical pimp, and Eduardo Ergueta, a deluded pharmacist caught in his own compulsions.
Elsa, Erdosaín's wife, embodies the tension between personal sacrifice and the human need for fulfillment, while Hipólita, a pragmatic prostitute, navigates her own complex relationship with control and vulnerability. Gregorio Barsut serves as a direct antagonist, embodying greed and malice, while the Gold Seeker offers a blend of charm and violence, drawing others into his adventurous exploits. The presence of The Major hints at the intertwining of revolutionary ideals and military ambitions. Together, these characters paint a vivid picture of a society ripe for upheaval, reflecting themes of desperation, ambition, and the search for meaning amidst chaos.
The Seven Madmen: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Roberto Arlt
First published: Los siete locos, 1929 (English translation, 1984)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Buenos Aires, Argentina, and its suburbs
Plot: Magical realism
Time: The 1920's
Augusto Remo Erdosaín (ow-GEWS-toh RREH-moh ehr-doh-sah-EEN), the protagonist, a hapless dreamer who, at the beginning of the novel, loses both his wife (to a virile military captain) and his low-paying job as a bill collector for a sugar company in Buenos Aires (because he has embezzled funds). Frustrated, humiliated, and emotionally overwrought, Remo surrenders himself to fantasies of amorous and financial success, as well as to the crackpot schemes of a subversive group that he joins. He fancies himself an inventor, and his desire to fortify his precarious existence is reflected in his project of coating roses with copper to preserve them. Out of resentment, he plans to kill his wife's obnoxious cousin, Barsut, who turned him in for embezzlement.
The Astrologer, a charismatic charlatan who leads a pseudorevolutionary cell of down-and-outers and plans to take over Argentina in a coup d'état. With his rhombus-shaped face and broken nose, his hulking frame, and his kinky, tangled hair, the Astrologer has looks that are as bizarre as his ideas. His plan for revolution is elitist in intention: the happy few will benefit from the labor of the masses, who will be regimented for maximum productivity. The Astrologer's subversive society meets at his house in a wooded suburb of Buenos Aires.
Arturo Haffner (ahr-TEW-roh), called the Melancholy Ruffian, a pimp and member of the Astrologer's activist cell. Haffner despises women, seeing only potential earnings in them. He befriends Erdosaín at the Astrologer's house and gives him the money he needs to pay back the funds he embezzled.
Elsa, Erdosaín's wife, a woman brought up in some luxury who has sacrificed herself to live with Erdosaín but reaches the end of her patience with the poverty and hopelessness of his life. She goes off with Captain Belaunde after a tense scene with Erdosaín at his apartment. Elsa still loves Erdosaín and promises to return to him. She leaves the Captain almost immediately, after he makes an offensive pass at her, and ends up in a nervous crisis at a hospital, unbeknown to Erdosaín.
Eduardo Ergueta (eh-DWAHR-doh ehr-GEH-tah), a corpulent pharmacist who is a compulsive gambler, religious fanatic, and member of the Astrologer's group. A deluded small-time prophet, Ergueta has married a prostitute, Hipólita, so that he can save her. He refuses, however, to save Erdosaín from his predicament by lending him money to pay back the sugar company. Ergueta's ravings eventually land him in a mental hospital.
Hipólita (ee-POHL-ee-tah), a redheaded prostitute married to Ergueta and befriended by Erdosaín. Hipólita is not physically impaired, but she is called the Lame Woman or Lame Whore by Ergueta because she has, as he says, gone astray. This sobriquet sticks to her. Formerly a domestic servant, Hipólita made a calculated decision to become a prostitute and thereby take greater control of her life. She has a prostitute's cynical view of men but seems to adopt an almost motherly attitude toward Erdosaín. She plans, however, to betray his confidence—Erdosaín has told her about the proposed murder of Barsut—by blackmailing his accomplice, the Astrologer.
Gregorio Barsut (greh-GOH-ree-oh bahr-SEWT), Elsa's cousin, who is locked into an ongoing contest of wills with Erdosaín. Barsut's rapacious personality is mirrored in his shaven head, his bony nose like the beak of a bird of prey, and his pointed wolf's ears. He punches Erdosaín upon learning of Elsa's departure and then confesses that it was he who denounced Erdosaín to the sugar company. Erdosaín resolves to have Barsut killed, and the revolutionaries kidnap Barsut on Erdosaín's suggestion. Barsut is saved from death by the Astrologer, who arranges with him to simulate the execution in front of Erdosaín.
The Gold Seeker, a young member of the activist group whose incongruous physical makeup combines aspects of a cardsharp, a boxer, and a jockey. He mesmerizes the group with (mainly fictional) tales of his expeditions in southern Argentina, and he suggests a southern region for the subversives' training camp. The Seeker makes friends with Erdosaín, whom he impresses with his cult of violence and adventure.
The Major, an army officer affiliated with the Astrologer's group who plans to use the revolutionary movement as a provocation for a military coup.