26

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this practical work is to make a literary analysis of the novel
“La llaga” by the novelist Gabriel Casaccia, an important Paraguayan writer, who
lived as an exile in Argentina, during the time of the General dictatorship. Alfredo
Stroessner. The literary value that this novel has, I can describe it using the words
of the writer of a Critical Review, Mr. Héctor Fariñ a, who says “… The value of
Casaccia's work is given by his accurate analysis of Paraguayan reality, by his deep
knowledge of the actions and reactions of his compatriots. By writing about them
in a stark way, without beautifying them and without mitigating their vulgarity, his
work becomes a call for attention, a cry of warning…” These words describe what
Casaccia wants to express to us, with this novel.
The literary analysis itself involved differentiating two interpretations, the
first, how I interpret the novel; and the second, how the author would like the
novel to be interpreted. The objective of this literary analysis is seen as trying to
establish a detailed understanding of the literary work.
In this way and by way of conclusion I can say that this practical work
invited me to know in detail and delve into this amazing and interesting novel.
26
 National University of the East – Faculty of Philosophy
Career: Letters 26
CASTELLIAN SEMANTIC – INDIVIDUAL PRACTICAL WORK – FIRST STAGE ANALYSIS OF A NOVEL
Professor: MSc. Tona Mendoza
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Title of the work: The wound

2. Justification of the reason for the title:

The sore is that wound that hurts, an externalized wound; I believe that Casaccia
precisely wanted to express with this title the pain of each character, expressing
concerns, resentments and fears of each one, also trying to demonstrate how the
Paraguayan citizen lived subject to and fearful of the dictatorship of those times.

3. Genus and Species:

“The wound” is a narrative genre and its species is a novel

4. Author. Biographical and literary data:

Biographical data:

His full name is Benigno Gabriel Casaccia Bibolini , he was born on April 20,
1907 in the City of Asunción, he studied secondary education in Argentina and
graduated in Law in Asunción in 1927. He enlisted as an auditor in the conflict with
Bolivia (Chaco War). Exiled from Paraguay in 1952, he settled in Buenos Aires,
where he developed his literary career. He died in Buenos Aires on November 24,
1980.-

Plays:

Novels:

Man, women and puppets (1930)

Mario Pareda (1939)
The Slug (1952)
The Wound (1964)
The Exiles (1966)
The Heirs (1975)
The Orchards (1980)
5. Issue: 26

“Atilio's family conflicts with his mother Constancia, and the democratic spirit of
Gilberto Torres against the dictatorial regime of General Raimundo Alcina”

6. Main and Secondary Actions.

Chapter I

The love affair between Constancia and Gilberto

The Oedipus complex of Attilius

Chapter II

The ill-fated meeting of Constancia and her lover Gilberto

The discussion between Constancia and her son Atilio

Chapter III

Constancia's desperation and concern to hear from Gilberto

Gilberto's telegram to his wife Rosalía.

Chapter IV

Gilberto's return to Areguá, with a mysterious guest

Rosalía's displeasure with Gilberto because of the guest

Chapter V

Col.'s stay Balbuena at Gilberto Torres' house.

Constancia's reunion with Gilberto and the revelation about the guest.

Discretion regarding the true identity and lodging of Colonel Balbuena.

Chapter VI

Colonel Balbuena and his deep appreciation for Paraguay and its people.
Chapter VII
26
Atilio's uncertainty around his mother Constancia and Gilberto Torres.

The distressing news about the frustrated revolution

Atilio's displeasure against his mother Constancia and Gilberto Torres, upon
learning the truth about the mysterious guest.

Atilio's obstinacy for everything that happened.

Chapter VIII

Atilio's sudden trip to Asunción.

Atilio's anger when discovering the truth about his father's succession.

Chapter IX

The talk between Constancia and Gilberto on the side of the stream

Chapter

Adelina's revelation to Atilio of Constancia and Gilberto's love affair

Chapter XI

The bewildered Atilio in search of answers about the story of his father's suicide.

Chapter XII

Atilio's spite towards his mother Constancia.

Atilio's sweet satisfaction in the arms of Cipriana Romero.

Chapter XIII

Atilio's anonymous complaint about the location of Colonel Balbuena.

The desperate escape of Colonel Balbuena.

Atilio's oppressive feeling of conscience.

Chapter XIV
 26
The capture of Gilberto Torres.

The search for Colonel Balbuena.

Chapter XV

The search for the release of Gilberto Torres.

Chapter XVI

The rusty feeling of connection between husband and wife, rediscovered in

hardship by
Gilberto and Rosalía.

Chapter XVII

The suicide of Atilio.

The disappearance of Gilberto Torres.

7. Formal structure of the work:

“The wound” consists of XVII chapters, and in these chapters, two social and
psychological currents are revealed. Its formal structure is introduction, middle and
end. The introduction begins in chapter I accentuating the characteristics of the
main characters, Mrs. Constancia Vda. de Cantero, his son Atilio Cantero and
Gilberto Torres, describing the story about the relationship that existed between
Constancia and Gilberto and the Oedipus complex that Atilio suffered around his
mother Constancia, also describing some secondary characters. Then from the end
of Chapter IV and the beginning of Chapter V and extends until Chapter Gilberto,
describing in these chapters the desire to reach a revolution, to free the people from
the dictatorship of General Raimundo Alsina. And from Chapter of the detainee
through influences in the government, the outcome culminates with the suicide of
Atilio Cantero.

8. Argument.

A woman named Constancia, approximately 45 years old, mother of a young man

named Atilio, who suffers from an Oedipus complex, obsessed with his mother, and
she in turn, suffers the loss of her husband Francisco, by suicide, and seeks comfort
in the arms of a young lover named Gilberto Torres, a man of about 30 years of
 age, married, a painter by profession, who takes advantage of this relationship to
26
lead an effortless life, receiving money from the widow Constancia; and with the
desire to carry out a revolution that frees the people from the dictatorial power of
General Alsina.

9. Socio-geographical and political-cultural environment:

The events take place in the City of Aregua, about 30 km away. of the City of
Asunción, in the 1960s, with a Paraguayan government that exercised dictatorship
as State power.

10. Main and secondary characters. Physical and psychological

characterization of each one.

Main characters:

a) Constancia Vda. de Cantero: an older woman of about 45 years old, of

medium height, neither thin nor thick, somewhat lazy when walking and
moving; with a sensual, inciting, voluptuous appearance. Rather ugly, with a
large, hard mouth and vulgar, graceless features, she made up for her lack of
beauty and her years with her makeup, her coquetry and her concern to please, to
attract the attention of men. There was always a provocative or insinuating
expression in his greenish-gray eyes. This is how the author describes it. For my
part, I imagine her to be a little insecure, jealous, afraid of being alone in her old
age, and always trying to please everyone, to hide her bad behavior.

b) Gilberto Torres: painting teacher, around 30 years old, short and rough, his
arms and legs short for his height, physically he has nothing attractive. A human
rights fighter, against the dictatorship that Paraguay was going through at that
time.

c) Atilio Cantero: a young man of 18 years, tall and thin, with a thin nose
like his mother, a face full of pimples, bulging eyes with a shy and shy look that
gave him a strange and unattractive appearance, his black hair, curly and
messy. , his cold voice without reflections, deaf, did not accompany him when
he spoke with any gesture or movement on his face. A victim of his own
complexes with a disturbed love for his mother.

Secondary characters:
 a) Rosalía Mazzei de Torres: wife of Gilberto Torres, she had an insignificant
26
appearance, with dark skin; thin, with hollow cheeks, with narrow, skinny
legs and varicose veins. His hair was unruly opaque black and quite frizzy. A
woman who felt angry with the mediocre life she had to live, proud in the
sense that she felt culturally superior, a failure in her professional life as a
painter who, according to her, could have become a great artist, blaming her
failure for that failure. marriage and their children.
b) Vitorino Mazzei: Rosalia's father, he was an old widower with a strange
character and sudden and inappropriate hatreds, which he blamed on
Gilberto's opportunism and the decision his daughter Rosalía made to marry.
c) Colonel Matías Balbuena: a former cavalry colonel, who was politically
persecuted and went into exile in Argentina, with a tall and thin physique
and quick and agile movements. With the desire to free the people from the
oppression of the Dictatorship.
d) Olinda Rojas: a former employee of Mrs. Constancia, owner of a small
ranch in the city of Asunción where Constancia and Gilberto were secretly
meeting a type of peasant woman, tall, emaciated and angular, with tendons
and veins in relief under her Dry Skin.
e) Hermenegilda: Gilberto and Rosalía's maid, a peasant girl with yellowish
skin and sad black hair.
f) Desiderio Agüero: he worked as a solicitor, he carried out the
documentation on the succession of the late Mr. Cantero, he was about 60
years old, with gray hair, rather short, bordering on obese, with a prominent
belly and a congested face, he was clearly visible. who was naturally
exuberant, talkative and mobile.
g) Mrs. Adelina Carranza: personal friend of Constancia, a usurer by
profession, she lived in Asunción, because of her profession she had many
political acquaintances. She was a fat woman, approaching 50 years old,
short, thick, heavy, very white and with beautiful blue-black hair, she had a
pronounced double chin and a small fleshiness on her lower lip. His belly
was flabby and wide, his legs short and fat with big, polished knees.
h) Cipriana Romero: a woman who lived in Asunción worked as a seamstress
and also as a companion. She could be between 30 and 35 years old, with
dark skin, medium height, wide hips, buttock, with high and firm breasts,
thin calves. and with dyed blonde hair. A kind person despite his condition,
he did not feel any sadness, he always tried to be happy.
i) Romualdo Cáceres: head of investigations of the National Police, he was
around 30 years old, a former boxer, strong, muscular, with shiny, abundant
and wavy black hair, dark-skinned, who took great care of himself.
j) Agustín Riquelme: police commissioner in Aregua, short, malicious,
reserved and of few words, with black hair and large drooping mustaches,
with Indian cheekbones, a shrewd and distrustful look.

11. Story line (linear or broken):

 26
The plot line of this novel is linear, because the narrative consists of an
introduction, middle and end.

12. Narrator position: Third person omniscient: because he knows the events
related to the characters, the development of the work and is an active element in
the narration of the work. The work is narrated in the third person.

13. Language. Levels: the narrator uses colloquial language.

14. Values and anti-values found in the work:

Values: the desire to improve, affection, charity, friendship, help.

Anti-values: distrust, betrayal, obsession, immorality, social intolerance, anguish,

pride, infidelity, laziness.

15. Situations and expressions that illustrate social problems .

Violence against women

“…You're going to hell, motherfucker! The only thing you know is to irritate and
exasperate me…”

“…One of these days I lose my patience and crush your head…”

Lack of professional ethics

“…Perhaps I could have followed law, which is an easy career. I have been told that it
is enough to be a supporter of General Alsina to be given the title.
Lawyer! It is preferable that they be chanchero.
In the entire country there is no place more stinking than the courts…”

Youth rebellion

"...I don't want to continue like this," Atilio exclaimed with a recriminatory accent.
"You treat me like a boy." You make me look sick in front of Rosalía to explain our
stay here… You don't want me to free myself from your guardianship…”
 26
16. Literary resources. Exemplification.

Full of shadows that moved like ghosts. (Comparison)

It would have been easier for him to kill himself with her. The two together, on
the same bed, as in police chronicles and novels . (Comparison)

As if the humidity of the earth reached his heart and refreshed it .

(Personification).

General Raimundo Alsina, who for ten years, arbitrarily and with an iron fist,
ruled the country. (Metaphor)

Colonel Balbuena spent the punishments of purgatory in Rome . (Hyperbole)

He says the conspiracy runs like clockwork . (Simile or comparison)

That man's gaze makes my skin crawl , as if he were passing his hand over my
body. He hugs me with his eyes ! (Synesthesia).

Here we are, all of us who cannot be anywhere else. (Athythesis)

Distracting himself by reading two newspapers from the capital, whose four
pages he spent and reviewed for hours and hours. (Paronomasia)

The sunset extended its shadows over the town. (Metaphor)

A dark unease squeezed his chest. (Metaphor)

The colonel gave him a strange look , as if asking him if he was serious or
joking. (Synaesthesia)

17. Personal criticism of the novel: What is your opinion?

- The characters: I believe that each of the characters is the author of their own
destiny, victims and perpetrators of their own decisions.
 - The description of the environments: I think that in the description of the
26
environments, the author describes the town of Areguá in a very real way,
showing the humility in which the inhabitants of the town lived at that time, and
describing the city of Asunción, as the capital. underdeveloped, with some other
amenities, such as the tram, vehicles, etc. I think it describes a tense and misery
environment.

- The outcome: I think the ending is very drastic, wanting to impress the reader,
or it can be seen as alerting the reader about being able to cope with the
sorrows.

- Moral and social value of the work:

I think Casaccia wanted to show us with this narrative that we must as citizens
fight to improve the country where we live, fight for our ideals. His work La
Laga gave us a silent cry to fight against the dictatorship. Now that we have
overthrown that strict dictatorship, we have to fight to ensure that this
democracy, still in development, achieves better well-being for everyone.

18. Ask ten questions in relation to the novel read and answer them.

a) What do you think of Casaccia's descriptions, of the characters, of the

cities?
They are very real, they describe people with their flaws and virtues, you
imagine each of the characters and places.

b) What do you think Gilberto felt about Constancia?

I think I didn't have a pure feeling, I just felt lust, nothing more, and with that I
managed to have money in an easy way.

c) What would happen to Atilio if he did not have that tragic end?
I would say that Atilio could start a relationship with Cipriana and they would
be happy together.

d) Could it be that Gilberto was released from the Argentine side?

I don't think so, Gilberto was murdered and his body was made to disappear, as
was often the case during the dictatorship.

e) What happened to Colonel Balbuena?

I say that he had a tragic end, trying to cross the river, the current dragged him
along and he died, that's why they couldn't find him.

f) What do you think happened to Rosalía after Gilberto disappeared?

 I think that Rosalía was finally able to give direction to her life, she asked her
26
father for forgiveness, she returned home, she managed to give her children a
good life, and above all, she managed to prosper in what she liked most: “Art.” .

g) What happened to Constancia when she found out about Atilio's death?
Constancia was devastated by losing everything; first her husband, her lover,
and her son. He did not recover psychologically from the trauma.

h) Who did Mrs. Adelina talk to about Gilberto's release?

With Dr. Celso López, who said he would take care of the matter.

i) What did the investigation department officers tell Atilio when he went to look
for Torres?
In the investigations department, no one could tell him anything about Torres,
because no one knew him, as if he had never been through his files and cells.

j) Do you think the political persecutions of that time were as violent as the novel
recounts?
Yes I believe, and they could have become even more violent. Whoever was not
in favor of the dictatorial form of government was persecuted until the end.
 26

3.1. Create a DIFFERENT ENDING for the novel, just how you would
have liked it to end.
Atilio left Areguá to look for Gilberto. Upon arriving in Asunción he went to look for Mrs.
26
Adelina Carranza; Together they went to Dr. Celso López's house, at that moment Atilio
took out an envelope from his pocket, which his mother Constancia had given him, so that
he could give it to Dr. Celso. When he received the envelope, they all went to meet the
boss. investigations, he received the envelope from Dr. Celso and ordered one of the
guards to bring the prisoner Gilberto Torres. After a few hours of waiting, they brought
Torres, took off his handcuffs and then made him sign a document, in front of everyone
present, as witnesses, which said that he would not return to the City of Asunción, nor
would he attend any meeting. of a political nature. Gilberto Torres and Atilio returned to
Areguá, the latter apologized for having caused so many problems; Gilberto, in turn,
returned home with his wife and children, and did not secretly see Mrs. Constancia again.
Atilio returned to Asunción after a while and married Cipriana Romero. He invested the
money that his mother gave him in brick manufacturing, and a few months later he
exported bricks abroad. Constancia stayed in Areguá and from time to time came to the
city of Asunción to visit her son Atilio and her grandson, Francisco. (END)

3.2. Address a LETTER to one of the characters in the novel for some
express reason related to the theme of the work.
 26

Ciudad del Este, July 1, 1965

Mrs. Rosalía Mazzei de Torres.

Mrs. Rosalía, I would like to introduce myself, I am Mrs. Raquel

Romero, from Ciudad del Este, I read about your husband's story and as I was informed,
you have no knowledge of your husband's whereabouts, I was also informed that your
husband is exiled in Argentina, exactly in the city of Puerto Iguazú, as I know that you
are in a somewhat difficult economic situation, I would like to be able to help you, if it
is to your liking, I have the possibility of helping you reunite with your husband, Mr.
Gilberto Torres in his exile where he is. I have everything you need to facilitate the
passage to the border and help you during your stay in Argentina, where you and your
husband will have the possibility of working, thus being able to give your children
better well-being in a foreign country. The only condition to which you will submit is
that you, your husband and your children renounce Paraguayan citizenship and adopt
Argentine citizenship as yours. If it is of interest to you, contact me as soon as possible
and I will be able to give you the coordinates to start the procedures.

Greetings,

Mrs. Raquel Romero.

3.3. He writes a LYRIC POETRY paying a posthumous tribute to Atilio.

 Atilio
26

Everyone already forgot it. Now it's gone,

But on the flowers of the recent grave,
the memory blossomed in his mother beyond oblivion...
He was the withdrawn one, the absent one...

What does everyday life matter, losing a life...

If the sea continues its course when it loses a wave
And the eyes of those who cry for Atilio are already dry...

He is already left alone...

Now he continues alone his journey towards oblivion,

Through the deep nights, without light and without sky,
Nobody blames him anymore...
He was the withdrawn one, the absent one...
 CONCLUSION 26

Concluding with this practical work of literary analysis of a novel, I can say
that I achieved a better understanding of the work read, extracting and better
understanding the ideas that the author wants to convey to me, imagining the
characters in a real way as well as the social and political environments. . All this
comparing the fictitious society with the real society.
It was a work of great importance, but not easy to prepare, however, it is
very helpful to me as a student of the Arts Degree in a very feasible way for
learning, interpreting and preparing a meticulous analysis of a literary work.
26
 26
ANNEXES and
QUOTES

Areguá – 1960

“…The main street covered in weeds, a street that Areguá in the not distant past
had had the luxury of paving, as if it were a street in the capital. On both sides and
in two or three blocks it was flanked by chalets, abandoned and dilapidated with
their iron fences broken and fallen. Not a soul was seen. The sun licked with its
tongues of fire, the doors and windows closed. The silence, the solitude and the
heat of the siesta spread throughout the town..."
 26

Residence of Constancia Vda. by Cantero and Atilio Cantero.

Some descriptions about the house where Constancia Vda lived. of

Cantero and his son Atilio Cantero:

- He thought he saw the patio of the house at night, covered by the shadows of the
mango trees...
- The house seemed quieter and emptier than ever.
- The maid Agustina washed at the back of the patio, in the shade of the trees.
- He heard his mother's footsteps in the next room...
- It cannot be said that we live in a sumptuous mansion, as he cast a pointed
glance at the decrepit walls…
- He went to the window and after looking for a few moments at the street where
the sun was shining...
- In front of the window, a mango tree raised its dense green crown, sending the
fresh rustle of its branches into the room.
 26

Residence of Gilberto Torres and family

“…The house in which Gilberto lived was an old construction, with a gallery
in the front and in the back. After crossing the gate and a small space of
land, which in another time must have been a garden, one went up to the
front gallery by a staircase worn and destroyed by time...
With plaster that fell off the walls, with windows that let the wind and rain
pass through their glassless shutters, and with rotten doors that, due to
humidity, did not close…”

“…The stream ran at the elevation of the land…

Approaching the stream and lying there on the mud like in your childhood,
on your back, facing the sky,... to feel the cold of the mud on your skin and
slowly letting yourself be invaded by that tranquility that penetrated your
body with the water...
…they saw a few meters from there on the mud, a man lying on his left
side… with clothes black with mud…”
 26
Assumption 1960
 26

Olinda Ranch.

 “…In the patio in the shade of a paradise tree. The patio was dirt, with that
paradise tree and a few stunted orange trees. In the background, the two
zinc sheets of the roof of the latrine shone in the sun, surrounded by a piece
of burlap that served as walls...
 Hot and uncomfortable…
 It had a single room, with a dirt floor and a zinc roof…”

Adelina Carranza's home

“…He entered the portal and climbed four white marble steps to a landing.
…The fresh atmosphere of the hallway. Placed in the shape of a fan on the lintel of
the gate door, glass of different colors filtered the light that passed through
them…”
 26
Travel tickets

Benigno Gabriel Casaccia Babolini

1.907 / 1.980
Asuncion, Paraguay
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Short story writer, novelist, playwright, journalist, and lawyer.

Considered the initiator of contemporary Paraguayan narrative.

 26

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book: Novel The Wound

Spanish dictionary

www.portalguaraní.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.buenastareas.com

www.abccolor.com.py
 26

Index

Introduction……………………………………………………… P. 1

Development of Literary Analysis …..……………………………… P. 2 to 12

- Title of the work P. 3
- Justification of why the title P. 3
- Genus and Species P. 3
- Author. Biographical data P. 3
- Issue P. 4
- Main and Secondary Actions P. 4.5 and 6
- Formal work structure P. 6
- Argument P. 7
- Socio-geographical and political-cultural environment P. 7
- Main and secondary characters.
Physical and psychological characterization of each one. P. 7, 8 and 9
- Story line (linear or broken) P. 9
- Narrator's position P. 9
- Language. Levels P. 9
- Values and anti-values found in the work P. 9
- Situations and expressions that
illustrate social problems P. 9 and 10
- Literary resources. Exemplification. P. 10
- Personal review of the novel P. 11
Characters
The description of the environments
Outcome
Moral and social value of the work
- Ask 10 questions in relation to the novel
read and answer them P. 11 and 12

Written production …………..………………………………………….. P. 13 to 16

- Create a different ending for the novel, as you
I would have liked it to end. P. 14
- Address a letter to one of the characters in the novel
for some express reason related to the subject of
the work. P. 15
- Write a lyrical poem paying tribute
posthumous to Atilio. P. 16

Conclusion …………….…………………………………………………….. P. 17

Complementary components ………….……………………… P. 18 to 24

- Annexes and citations P. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
- Bibliography P. 25