THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE AS

THE FALL INTO PESSIMISM:

THE AFFINITY OF BAROJA WITH SCHOPENHAUER

SUSAN J. JOLY
University of Kentucky

"What is this universe?"; "What makes it tick?" Andres Hurtado, the main char-
acter in Pio Baroja's El arbol de la ciencia, tragically and desperately searches for
answers to such ever-relevant questions. He is a character whose philosophy destines
him to lead a life of pessimism. The frequent mentioning of the German philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer and his works, and similarities in thinking between Andres and
Schopenhauer, all suggest Baroja's ·deep familiarity and identification with
Schopenhauer's ideas. E. Inman Fox finds proof in Baroja's memoirs, Familia, injancia
y juventud. Obras completas, in which Baroja divulges his affinity with Schopenhauer.
He not only read his works, but more importantly acknowledges the influence of
Schopenhauer's thinking upon him (Fox 351).
"What does Schopenhauer's philosophy purport and in what ways does Andres de-
pict this pessimistic mode of thinking? How does Baroja's familiarity with
Schopenhauer mold the novel's events and characters?
Andres is a medical student, anxious to enter the study of his discipline, only to dis-
cover that his classroom is one of near-animals, who disturb the class with their talking,
smoking, reading of novels during lectures, and mocking of the professor: "Gritaban,
rebuznaban, interrumpian al professor" (Baroja 10). The professor's earnest attempts
to impart to the students his world of science and rationality are, to Andres' chagrin,
soon defeated by the students' mockery and indifference, thus foreshadowing Andres'
gradual Schopenhaurian-like contempt for the scientific world.
Through his reading, Andres gradually forms an outlook that will ultimately have
momentous consequences. Although he initially tries to read scientific or medical text-
books, he is not interested and even rejects them, preferring the novel instead: •'Era im-
posible que con aquel texto y aquel profesor llegara nadie a sentir el deseo de penetrar
en la ciencia de la vida. La Fisiologia, cursindola asi, parecia una cosa est6lida y desla-
vazada, sin problemas de interes ni ningun atractivo" (30). Rejecting science, he be-
comes interested in exploring the problems of life and begins buying books by Kant,
Fichte, and Schopenhauer. Little by little, Andres takes on the same patterns of think-
ing as, in particular, Arthur Schopenhauer, the famous pessimist. This becomes
especially apparent with his visit to the hospital San Juan de Dios:

A los pocos dias de frecuentar el hospital, Andres se inclinaba a creer que el

173
 PFLC Selected Proceedings S//S(1I1J. JI
174

pesimismo de Schopenhauer era una verdad casi matematica. Ei mundo Ie InSd

parecia una mezcla de mani~o.mio y de ,hospi~al; ser i~teligen~e c~nstituia the struggl
una desgracia, y solo la fehcldad podIa vemr de la mconSCIenCla de la avarice, ill
locura, Lamela, [a character considered crazy for his quixotic idealism] sin sure, it cxii
pensario, vivien do con sus ilusiones, tomaba las proporciones de un sabio. awaiting 1'1
i\ndr(
(44)
fering tlntl
Andres is further characterized as given to feelings of loneliness, gloom, and isola-
tion, brought on by the death of his mother. Avoiding crowds and people, he prefers to i\Ill
wile away the hours reading or thinking in his room, which, independent from the other Palll
rooms of the house, is grimly described as having "un aspecto de celda" (19). This cell tedit
can be understood in the figurative as well as in the physical sense as representing a negll
psychological confinement unyielding to the protagonist's anguished attempts to trans-
cend. So great is his alienation from others that he must use a spy-glass to observe peo- When
ple from the window of his room. with hmctJ
In the fourth part of the novel entitled' 'Inquisciones," Andres once again explains spending I
the influence that his reading of philosophy, done in his frequent isolation, has had over he is once I
him, particularly that of Kant and Schopenhauer. Although his uncle, Iturri6z, de- dOIll. lie I
nounces these two for their tendency to isolate their followers from life, for Andres they pleases hill
are invaluable. He replies to Iturrioz's judgment in a passage which is key to the under- In nd'
standing of his personal philosophy: social injli
Scilopcnhll
l, Y que? - replica Andres-. Uno tiene la angustia, la desesperacion de no each othel'
saber que hacer con la vida, de no tener un plan, de encontrarse perdido. the will to
sin bnljula, sin luz adonde dirigirse. "Que se hace con la vida? I,Que direc- isul'fil'lllcd
cian se Ie da? Si la vida fuera tan fuerte que Ie arrastrara a uno, el pensar to devclop
. seria una maravilla, algo como para el caminante detenerse y sentarse a Ia This •
sombra de un arbol, algo como penetrar en un oasis de paz; pero la vida es SchopcnlHl
estupida, y creo que en todas partes, y el pensamiento se llena de terrores C~surcs, w
como compensacian a la esterilidad emocional de la vida. (125) Vcnancia (
ested in Ni
Schopenhauer similarly sees all existence as egotistic desire and idealism, the extinc- suits him •.
tion of which leads to the elimination of sorrow (Zimmern 173). For him, desire is, I<lntcl'las y
moreover, the root of all evil if we suppress desire, we suppress evil (Mann 156). He fur- (Bnroja 5H
ther asserts that intellect is a tool of the will, justifying and rationalizing the instincts. Barojl
Thus, life is a constant struggle between the will and the intellect. However, since the aeler or Vii
will is an unrestful, unceasing yearning for something, the world of the will is necessari- elms, la gCI
ly one of suffering (Mann 9).
10 que had
Schopenhauer, in his chief work, The World as Will and Idea, depicts a man with live alllll'al
on one hand a strong sexual urge, while on the other, a desire for attaining knowledge. C(H'cass (67
In short, the two poles cannot be reconciled (Mann 25). Man's propensity toward the
Like ~
instinctual, the erratic, or irrational behavior of nature, while in opposition, his tenden-
homhre. "
cy toward rationality, toward self-control, creates an ever-present duel of the spirit. In
guided hy
the chapter "Sexualidad y pornografia," a comparison is made between London and
ruined heel
the town of Alcolea. In London, despite its liberal customs, even books raising slight
Alcolca is
suspicion are prohibited, while in Alcolea the opposite is true: "Todo esto era 16gico.
(167).
En Londres, al agrandarse la vida sexual por la libertad de costumbres se achicaba la
Rcali~
pornografia; en Alcolea, al achicarse la vida sexual, se agrandaba la porn'ograffa" (170).
draws iner!
 Susan J. Joly 175

Ie In Schopenhauer's view, we are first concerned with self-preservation. Then come

lia the struggles of sexual urge, suffering of love, jealousy, envy, hatred, fear, ambition,
la avarice illness, etc. Even if these are not present and one is actually experiencing plea-
;in sure, it 'exists for only a short time since for every desire that is fulfilled, there are others
o. awaiting fulfillment. In short, fulfillment is temporal; boredom, inevitable (Mann 11).
Andres is a typical represe-ntation of this Schopenhaurian fluctuation between suf-
fering and boredom, as seen in the following passage of Schopenhauer:
tld iSola.
refers to All of the evils whose source is the inner conflict of the will come out of
he Other Pandora's box. And what is left at the bottom? Hope? Ah, no. Satiety,
This cell tedium ... The pain is positive, the pleasure merely the absence of pain - a
enting a negative, passing over at once into boredom. (Mann 11)
:0 trans-
rYe Pea- When Andres is not experiencing the hardships of a bad home life, he is distraught
with boredom. Rarely is he content with things the way they are. Looking forward to
eXplains spending the summer afternoons and evenings reading adventure and criminal novels,
lad over he is once again left bored. There is, in fact, a whole chapter dedicated to Andres' bore-
i6z, de. dom. He has no desire to go out or to meet people, considering it tiresome. Nothing
Ires they pleases him: neither the city streets nor the country's fertile gardens.
e Under. In addition to this oscillation of suffering and ennui Andres becomes anguished by
social injustices the rich exploiting the poor, the strong exploiting the weak. In
Schopenhauer's beliefs, the plant world serves to feed the animal, and each animal uses
LO each other for food and survival. Everything hinges upon the affirmation or negation of
), the will to live, the idea of self-preservation of the species. Concurrently, when the will
c- is affirmed, evil and corruption develop. When this individualilty is lost, man is allowed
lr to develop his virtuosity (Mann 163).
la This "homo homini lupus", (Man, the wolf of man), a Plautine term used by
!s Schopenhauer, is seen in many of the work's secondary characters, such as Antonito
~s Casares, who picks on women and "el Chafandfn", who lives off his mother-in-law
Venancia (Patt 117). As further illustration, the character Julio Aracil although inter-
ested in Nini does not plan marriage with her, instead planning to abandon her when it
: extine· suits him. When Andres rebukes this selfish action, Julio retorts: "Hay que dejarse de
esire is, tonterias y aprovecharse. Si tu puedes hacer 10 mismo, seras un tonto si no 10 haces"
He fur· (Baroja 58).
lstiDcts, Baroja further expresses his lack of faith in humanity through the exploitive char-
nee the acter of Victorio: "A pesar de su condicion de explotador y de conquistador de mucha-
cessari· chas, la gente del barrio no Ie odiaba a Victoria. A todos Ie parecia muy natural y logico
10 que hacia" (88). Similar examples include "EI Chuleta," who is described as vindic-
an with tive and rancorous (85) and dona Virginia, grotesquely compared to a merciless fly on a
wledge, carcass (67).
ard the Like Schopenhauer, Baroja states that what makes society bad is "el egoismo del
tenden· hombre." However, he continues, it is a natural and necessary part of man. We are all
)irit. In guided by our "voluntad de ser." The same town of Alcolea, for example, is being
on and ruined because of its lack of community, its egoism, envy, cruelty, and pride. And yet,
g sligbt Aicolea is for Baroja tragically, but intrinsically a corollary of the human condition
16gico, (167).
cabala Realizing the ineffectivity of idealism in combatting social injustice, Andres with-
, (170). draws increasingly from the surrounding dissonance, but not without psychical anguish
 PFLC Selected proceE
176

and despair. Although he visits his uncle lturri6z, Andres merely finds in l1i(l1 ace
nion with whom he can vent his philosophical beliefs. Both come to realize the fI
of contesting exploitation. Iturri6z says:

l,Hay que indignarse porque una arana mata a una mosca? . . . 13~leno.
Indignemonos. l,Que vamos a hacer? l,Matarla? Matemosla. Eso no )lnpe-
dini que sigan las aranas comiendose a las moscas. l,Vamos a quitMale al
hombre estos instintos fleros que te repugnan? l, Vamos a borrar esa senten-
cia del poeta latino: Homo homini lupus, el hombre es un lobo para el
hombre? (91)

Andres' sensitivity is, however, met only with cold indifference on the PI
others. During his time as a medical intern, he enters further into a world of corru
and immorality. The doctors, priests of las Hermanas de la Caridad, and tl1 e cha]
waste away their time gambling. Although seeking to find something respectable
Hermanas de la Caridad, Andres is once more left disillusioned: " ... no cran crie
idealistas, misticas que consideran el mundo como un valle de lagrimas, sino much
sin recursos, algunas viudas, que tomaban el cargo como un oficio, para ir vivie
(Baroja 51).
What is Baroja's answer to dealing with the anguish that life mercilesslY deals
kind? As seen earlier, the Schopenhaurian idea that life is more bearable when the
lect is not in control is a vital one in Et arbat de fa ciencia. Similarly, Iturri6z rer
about truth, "Estoy convencido de que la verdad en bloque es malo para la vida
anomalia de la Naturaleza que se llama la vida necesita estar basada en el capl
quiza en la mentira" (91).
Andres further exemplifies Schopenhauer's thought in explaining that whil
will is identical in both animals and humans, animals do not have to worry about 1
ing with all its burdensome consequences: "A mas comprender, corresponde mene
sear ... el hombre cuya necesidad es conocer, es como la mariposa, que rompe la I

lida para morir. El individuo sano, vivo, fuerte, no ve las cosas como son, porque
conviene" (131).
Although this correlation between suffering and knowledge stems back to Gel
an almost identical idea is found in Schopenhauer's fourth part of The World as
and Idea. Referring to man's suffering consequent with his rationality, Schopenl
says:

Thus, in proportion as knowledge attains to distinctness, as consciousness

ascends, pain also increases, and therefore reaches its highest degree in
man. And then again, the more distinctly a man knows, the more intelli-
gent he is, the more pain he has; the man who is gifted with genius suffers
most of all. (Fox 321-353)

Andres in like fashion discovers that ignorance is indeed bliss, during his timt
doctor in Alcolea and Madrid. The observant, sensitive person is destroyed in this v
of savagery and degradation. He becomes more and more pessimistic as he witn
cruelty and indifference, particularly in the medical profession, toward those whe
fer.
Near the opening of the book, the medical students demonstrate such indiffeJ
 "
Susan J. Joly 177 i I

COll1pa. and even joviality when faced with the issue of death: "En todos ellos se producia un
!fUtility alarde de indiferencia Y de jovialidad al encontrarse frente a la muerte, como si fuera
una cosa diver tid a y alegre destripar y cortar en pedazos los cuerpos de los infelices que
llegaban alia (22). There was said to be a great disdain towards sensitivity. Accordingly,
).
Andres withdraws from medicine with its direct encountering of life's injustice, for the
e~
less threatening vocation of medical translator.
al The final rejection of medicine comes in the novel's conclusion, with the deaths of
~­
his newborn daughter and wife. An unknown voice is discerned saying, "i, ••• quien
eJ sabe? Quiza esta mujer, en el campo, sin asistencia ninguna, se hubiera salvado. La Na-
turaleza tiene recursos que nosotros no conocemos" (251). Andres' eventual overdose
of aconitine should not surprise the reader, given his intense desire to escape the volatile
Part of world of thought.
TUPtion Thus, Baroja in his portrayal of the despondent Andres Hurtado, of the secondary
1nplains characters, and in the deeply philosophical content of the novel, displays a work
lie in las grounded in Schopenhauer's thought. The struggles between the will vs. the intellect,
riaturas the intermittent states of pain vs. absence of pain, the resulting despair from the inabili-
chachas ty to change mankind, and the consequential disdain for awareness and knowledge-all
dendo" are ideas linking Schopenhauer with Baroja's Andres.

lis man.
~e intel. WORKS CITED
remarks
da. Esa
IPricho, Baroja, Pio. El arbol de la ciencia. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1970.
Fox, E. Inman. "Baroja and Schopenhauer: Ef arbof de fa ciencia." Revue de Litterature Compa-
hile the ree, XXXVII (1963), 350-359.
t think·
:nos de·
In erisa·
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me asa
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