The Family of Pascual Duarte

by Camilo José Cela

Start Free Trial

Characters

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

The principal characters of The Family of Pascual Duarte are:

--Pascual. He is a man from the Spanish countryside, the province of Badajoz not far from the Portuguese border. The story unfolds as a confession Pascual has written while awaiting execution for his crimes. He tells us at the start that he "is not a bad person," and seems to attribute his criminal behavior to destiny.

--Esteban Duarte Diniz, Pascual's father. He is a cruel, ignorant man, abusive to both his wife and to Pascual.

--Pascual's mother. She is cold and abusive as well, and has few, if any, positive qualities.

--Señor Rafael, Pascual's mother's lover.

--Señora Engracia, the village midwife.

--Mario, Pascual's brother who dies as a child.

--Rosario, Pascual's sister, who becomes a sex worker.

--Paco Lopez, also known as El Estirao, or "Stretch" (in Anthony Kerrigan's translation.) He is Rosario's boyfriend and procurer.

--Lola, Pascual's wife. She miscarries Pascual's first child, and the second dies at the age of eleven months. Later, she is going to have a child by Paco Lopez, and when at the moment she confesses this to Pascual, she drops dead in his arms. Pascual then kills The Stretch in a knife fight.

--Don Conrado, governor of the prison, who is sympathetic to Pascual during his first incarceration.

--Don Joaquin Barrera, the man to whom Pascual has directed his confession or memoir.

--The Transcriber, who happened to find Pascual's memoir in a pharmacy in Almendralejo, the town which Pascual has described as located about two leagues from his home village.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Previous

Summary

Next

Themes

Loading...