The Characters
Alberto the Poet captures the sympathy of the reader at the beginning of the book. A thinker rather than a doer, he must survive through his intelligence and wit in the rough school environment. He nevertheless proves disappointing in the end. He reveals the Circle’s secrets presumably to avenge his friend Ricardo’s death; he then, however, withdraws all charges—making it possible for school officials to close the investigation—revealing a selfish and cowardly nature. Alberto also disenchants the reader when he befriends and romances Teresa, whom he visits to deliver a message from her boyfriend, the Slave, who is unable to make the rendezvous in person because he has been grounded. The role of the bourgeois intellectual, the novel suggests, is to take the easy way out even if it means, as in this case, to be a traitor.
Jaguar, a petty thief and delinquent, impresses the reader with his strength, and with his control and leadership over the other boys. When he kills the Slave, he does so to protect the honor code of the Circle; yet, ironically, he is punished in the end not by the system itself but by his fellow cadets. Jaguar emerges as the only cadet with a firm set of laudable values and a willingness to suffer for the sake of a principle. At the end of the novel he rehabilitates himself, marries, and begins a life of middle-class respectability.
Ricardo the Slave is the professional victim, serving as prey even to his best friend, Alberto. His reactions, and even his fate, are somewhat predictable, insofar as he serves as the scapegoat for all that is wrong or goes wrong within the school. He is not, however, without some redeeming nobility. He informs, not because he is a coward and wants revenge against his abusers but because he wants to be away from the school, even for a short time, to see Teresa, who has shown him tenderness and humanity.
Gamboa, the rigid disciplinarian and stoic good soldier is, deep down, a decent, just, and loving individual, devoted to his family and to the best ideals of a military life. The book reveals, nevertheless, that there is no room for such individuals in the army, except in some remote region of the country where they cannot threaten the system or, even inadvertently, expose the corruption within it.
Teresa, the only developed female character of the novel, has no distinct personality and is not a very believable human being. In fact, she seems to exist, in part, to join and perhaps equalize emotionally the three principal characters of the novel, Alberto, Jaguar, and the Slave, and to serve as the desirable “nice girl” counterpoint in the otherwise rather raunchy sexual fantasies of the adolescent boys.
Characters Discussed
Porfirio Cava
Porfirio Cava (pohr-FEE-ree-oh KAH-vah), a cadet in the Leoncio Prado Military Academy in Lima, Peru. A highlander with a peasant background, he has chosen to attend the academy because he plans a career in the military. He is one of four members of “the Circle,” a group of cadets formed for mutual protection and support. After a losing roll of the dice, he is obligated to steal a chemistry examination for the Circle. During the late-night theft, he accidentally breaks a window. This evidence, coupled with information supplied by the informant Arana, leads to his court-martial and expulsion, ending his chance for a career in the military and the concomitant improvement in economic and social status.
Alberto Fernández Temple
Alberto Fernández Temple (ahl-BEHR-toh fehr-NAHN-dehs TEHM -pleh), the Poet, the bourgeois intellectual...
(This entire section contains 835 words.)
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of the Circle, a cadet whose wit and skill at writing love letters and pornographic stories are admired by the other cadets. His father is a womanizer and his mother a complainer. Like his father, Alberto is preoccupied with women. First he was infatuated with Helena; after she broke off their relationship, his grades suffered and his father sent him to the academy to teach him discipline. Alberto has his first sexual experience with Golden Toes, the prostitute who has serviced half of his class. At the request of Ricardo, who cannot get a pass, he agrees to meet with Teresa. He takes her to see films, is smitten, and continues to date her. Sustaining a friendship with Ricardo and a relationship with Teresa troubles his conscience. When Ricardo is murdered, Alberto is so overwhelmed with guilt that he denounces the murderer before Lieutenant Gamboa. Academy officials ignore the facts, and nothing is done. As the novel ends, Alberto has finished the academy with high marks, has received a gift from his father as a reward, and will probably go to the United States to study engineering. Influenced by his circle of bourgeois friends outside the academy, he drops Teresa and begins dating Marcela. He probably will repeat his father’s philandering ways.
Jaguar
Jaguar (hah-GHWAHR), the leader of the Circle, a violent, fearless cadet who shows his class how to stand up to and beat the system. Before entering the academy, he fell in love with Teresa, but after an argument, they went their separate ways. Poor, his father dead, and his mother old, Jaguar was living with the criminal Skinny Higueras and was leading a life of crime until most of his cohorts were caught during a robbery attempt. After going without food and sleeping in the open, Jaguar finally turned to his godfather, who put him to work in exchange for room and board. With the help of his godfather’s wife (whom he had to satisfy sexually), Jaguar has entered the academy, where he has become a natural leader and fighter. He organizes the class and his followers to resist the upperclassmen. He teaches them that there are no moral limits to protecting the group. When Cava is betrayed, Jaguar murders the betrayer, Arana. Jaguar’s subsequent ostracism from the group, however, makes him aware of how lonely Arana must have been. Remorseful, Jaguar confesses his crime, but the academy is not interested. In the end, he marries Teresa.
Ricardo Arana
Ricardo Arana (rree-KAHR-doh ah-RAHN-ah), the Slave, a timid and shy cadet whom the other cadets ostracize. He has been reared by his mother and his Aunt Adelina in the regional town of Chiclayo; his father was absent during his early upbringing. Suddenly uprooted from this environment and brought to Lima, where his mother moved to live with his father again, Ricardo learned to avoid his father and most social interaction. His father concluded that Ricardo was a mama’s boy, ill-adapted to face the world, and saw the military academy as a remedy for these shortcomings in his son. Ricardo has willingly agreed to enroll, but he is not accepted by the other cadets. They make fun of him, abuse him, and exploit his unwillingness to fight back. He finds some solace in his friendship with Alberto and is infatuated with Teresa. Having been confined to the academy, he becomes so desperate for a pass to see his mother that he informs the authorities that Cava stole the examination. In revenge, Ricardo is murdered in an “accident” during a field exercise. The authorities cover up the incident and blame the death on the cadet himself.
Boa
Boa, a cadet who sexually molests chickens and his dog Skimpy. He is a member of the Circle and a loyal follower of its leader, Jaguar.
Lieutenant Gamboa
Lieutenant Gamboa (gahm-BOH-ah), a tough, no-nonsense, model officer who believes in a fair and consistent application of the rules and discipline. He reports the murder but finds his career threatened by superiors, who cover up the scandal.
Teresa
Teresa (teh-REH-sah), a young woman whose interest in Ricardo and Alberto probably results from their higher economic and social background. She finally marries Jaguar.
Characters
Mr. Arana
Mr. Arana bears only a slight resemblance to Alberto's father. He mistreats his
wife, often leaving her for extended periods and maintaining multiple affairs.
He is an absentee father to Ricardo, known as the Slave, and unfairly blames
his wife for Ricardo's shortcomings. When Ricardo is gravely injured and
hospitalized, Mr. Arana laments to Alberto about the difficulties he faced in
trying to make Ricardo a man: "It hasn't been easy to make a man out of him.
He's my only son." Mr. Arana convinces himself that the Academy benefited
Ricardo, reversing the supposed emasculation caused by his wife and Aunt
Adeline. He refuses to acknowledge his own failings in Ricardo's upbringing,
notably his lack of appreciation for his son. Mr. Arana frequently demeaned
Ricardo, saying things like, "he acts like a girl," as if Ricardo were
invisible. Mr. Arana epitomizes the worst kind of father.
Ricardo Arana
In the context of Peruvian machismo, Ricardo is considered weak. Confronted by
the bravest boy in grade school, "he was not afraid ... all he felt was a
complete discouragement and resignation." From that point, Ricardo adopted a
humble and compliant demeanor, using passive-aggressive tactics with his father
and other macho figures. This behavior earned him the nickname Slave from the
Jaguar, who exploited his natural submissiveness.
Ricardo's inability to engage in trivial games and his lack of fear towards others, coupled with his desire to shield his mother from his misogynistic father, marked him as someone fated to die. Ricardo exposed the weaknesses in machismo behavior, carrying significant symbolic weight and open to various interpretations. He can be seen as the existentialist outsider, akin to the truth-teller in Plato's cave, who must perish. Ricardo can also be viewed as a Christ-like figure, dying for the sins of the boys under the hands of their high priest. His death offers a potential path to salvation for those who choose to reflect. However, Ricardo's demise does not lead to salvation but allows the boys to continue their pretense of manhood.
Arrospide
Arrospide, a wealthy white boy from Miraflores like Alberto, aims to complete
his time at the Academy with good grades and the respect of his peers. To
achieve these goals, Arrospide willingly takes on the thankless position of
Brigadier of the first section for all three years. He grants The Circle
freedom and adapts to the prevailing currents. Ultimately, he enthusiastically
leads the coup against the Jaguar. By overthrowing the Jaguar, regardless of
the truth behind Curly's rumor, Arrospide becomes the leader of the first
section both in name and spirit just in time for graduation.
The Boa
See Valdivieso
Porfirio Cava
"Cava had been born and raised in the mountains, so cold weather was no
stranger to him; it was fear that gave him goosebumps." The fear that haunts
Cava is the fear of failing to please the Jaguar and to survive the academy; it
is the dread of being unable to manage a situation imposed upon him. If he
fails to survive the academy, he is destined to live as a peasant. If he
succeeds, he hopes to slightly ascend the social ladder through a military
career. Fate opposes him in the most iconic sense—he rolls the dice and lands a
"four." "Get going," the Jaguar commands. Cava must steal the answers to the
upcoming chemistry exam for the other three members of The Circle and anyone
else willing to buy them.
Cava, an Indian, gains respect by being part of The Circle. Thus, even a known racist like the Boa forgives him for being Indian and befriends him. In this section, Cava acts as The Circle's peddler. He arranges the sale of items stolen from other cadets to those who need to pass inspection. Cava harbors a particular hatred for the French teacher, Mr. Fontana. As a result, he makes French class a nightmare for Fontana. He believes Fontana is gay and continuously disrupts the class. The Boa and the other cadets both approve of and follow Cava's lead.
Curly
A member of The Circle, Curly participates in the gang bangs and acts of
bestiality described by the Boa. He witnesses the Jaguar's vow, "if I get
screwed, everybody gets screwed." Based on this, the section labels the Jaguar
a squealer when Gamboa ransacks the barracks for misdemeanors.
Albert Fernandez
One of the main characters, Alberto, earned his nickname "The Poet" by writing
letters and pornographic stories for money. The Poet shares his origins from a
comfortable white middle-class family in Miraflores with the brigadier,
Arrospide. However, within the academy, such a background holds little
significance. Only the respect of one's fellow cadets brings merit. Besides
narrating his own life and contemporary events, the Poet instigates a major
event in the novel by secretly pursuing his friend's girlfriend. While he does
not find Teresa beautiful, the Poet admires her intelligence and enjoys the
attention she gives him. It is the attention a poor girl gives to anyone who
appears to belong to a higher social class.
The Poet, being the most self-aware and expressive character, undergoes the most scrutiny due to his transparency. Despite this, the evidence never fully supports his claims of reliability and masculinity. This ambiguity starts from his introduction, where he tries to mislead and seek advice from Lt. Huarina, a man he doesn't respect. Repeatedly, the Poet acts in ways that contradict the honor and machismo he is expected to learn. For instance, while real men boast about actual sexual conquests, the Poet, through his pornographic writing and discussions about the prostitute Golden Toes, "no one suspected that he knew about [Golden Toes] because he repeated anecdotes he had been told and invented all kinds of lurid stories." Although the pressures of adolescence and military machismo might excuse such deceit, for the Poet, it becomes a habitual behavior that extends into his civilian life.
At his most deceitful, the Poet never corrects the Slave's belief that they are friends. Instead, he tries to mold the Slave into a man and conceals the truth about his relationship with Teresa. This act of cowardice haunts him when he has to comfort the Slave's father with lies about the Slave's greatness. Ultimately, with his compromised integrity and plagued by doubt, he cannot confront Jaguar with the truth. Jaguar easily deceives him with a story, just as the Colonel blackmailed him with his pornographic tales. The Poet embodies a theory of literature—stories shape and fabricate reality to the point where distinguishing the real from the fictional becomes challenging.
Like the Slave, the Poet is an existential outsider. He never fully conforms to The Circle's demands, and they punish him by withholding exam answers. Instead of yielding to those around him, the Poet deludes himself and others with his stories and letters. He becomes the fool in Jaguar's court or Cave, creating fantasies that entertain the cadets, ensuring his safety. He fulfills his role, but it is a role devoid of genuine purpose. When Alberto finally finds meaning—love, friendship, truth—it's too late because he has cried wolf too many times with his tales. In fact, Alberto isn't even certain if he believes that Jaguar killed Ricardo.
Lieutenant Gamboa
Lieutenant Gamboa epitomizes the ideal soldier. All the cadets admire him and
see him as a role model. His concept of justice and military conduct is rooted
in the regulations he has memorized. His effort to enforce these rules when the
Poet confesses results in his exile to Juliaca.
Flaco Higueras
Known as Skinny, Flaco is a thief who assists Jaguar in supporting his mother
with household expenses. Skinny also teaches Jaguar how to navigate the world
of machismo.
Lieutenant Remigio Huarina
Huarina garners little respect among the cadets and officers. ‘‘He was small
and weak, and his voice when giving commands made everyone laugh.''
Additionally, his punishments are arbitrary; Huarina invented ''the punishment
lottery,'' where cadets are randomly disciplined based on their position in
formation. In the rigid, black-and-white world of the military, arbitrary
decisions earn no respect.
When the Slave decides to confront the world, he reports Cava to Huarina. Seizing the information eagerly, Huarina hopes to gain some respect. This situation exemplifies the classic scenario where the undeserving triumph—Huarina gets a promotion while Gamboa, the man with the most integrity, faces exile.
The Jaguar
Central and South American ranchers mistakenly perceive the largest member of
the American cat family, the endangered jaguar (once revered as a deity by
pre-Columbian Peruvians), as a nuisance. They believe the jaguar preys on their
cattle, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. This forest and savanna
creature sports a coat that ranges from yellow to rust red, adorned with black
rosettes. The jaguar is an apt namesake for the story's most powerful and
enigmatic character.
The Jaguar operates in the shadows, as demonstrated by his stalking of Cava from the beginning. When Cava returns from his hunt, he sees ''a dark shape looming in front of him.'' The Jaguar, with ''big pale feet with long dirty toenails’’ and hands ‘‘like two white claws,’’ takes Cava's prize, the exam answers. Such actions lead Boa to declare, ‘‘the devil must have a face like the Jaguar's, the same kind of smile, the same sharp horns.’’ However, it is the Jaguar's laugh that truly unnerves people.
The Jaguar's efforts to toughen up his fellow cadets are driven by self-interest, as all malevolent intentions are. Thus, he symbolizes the man-making tool that parents believe exists within the academy. However, neither the Jaguar nor the parents realize that boys like Alberto and Ricardo must act independently to discover their own identities and manhood. The Jaguar's paternal impatience, more than anything else, led him to confess to being responsible for Ricardo's death. According to the Jaguar, ''we'' all killed him.
Marcela
Like Helena, the young woman who humiliates and abandons Alberto, Marcela
belongs to Alberto's social class. Reinforcing the notion that Alberto emulates
his Don Juan-esque father, Marcela's name is an anagram for Alberto's mother,
Carmela. Marcela symbolizes that Alberto will hold a significant position in
Peruvian society, following in the footsteps of his parents and
grandparents.
The Negro
See Vallano
The Poet
See Alberto Fernandez
Skinny
See Flaco Higueras
The Slave
See Ricardo Arana
Teresa
Within the male-dominated environment of the barracks, there are two archetypes
of women. The first, Golden Toes, represents the prostitute upon whom the
aspiring soldier can indulge his desires. The second is the virgin, embodied by
Teresa. Teresa symbolizes the pure woman who must be safeguarded during war and
cared for by a proper husband in peacetime. The Slave, the Jaguar, and the Poet
all vie for Teresa's affection. Although her daily life consists of going to
school, working, and doing household chores, Teresa is a significant driving
force in the novel and in the lives of the boys. She also provides a lens to
examine social class in Peruvian society; the Jaguar wins her hand in the end,
enabling him to ascend the social ladder and secure a job as a bank clerk.
Valdivieso
In South America, the anaconda, the largest of the boa species, can grow up to
twenty feet long. Myths have developed around boas, and the people of the
Amazon basin are cautious of these creatures. The character Boa is named after
this South American reptile. A snake can also be a symbol of the phallus. Boa,
described as having a "huge body, a deep voice, a shock of greasy hair over a
narrow face," embodies the primal nature of young males and their emerging
sexual fixations. He consistently triumphs in the juvenile physical contests
held in the novel's first section to pass the time, including masturbatory
races judged by Paulino. In the context of the novel, Boa epitomizes the
perfect cadet: his unwavering loyalty and physical prowess make him an
exemplary soldier; his limited intelligence allows him to follow orders without
question; and his genuine zest for life makes him enjoyable company. Although
he serves as a narrator, Boa does not advance the plot beyond reflecting on
life in the Academy. Instead, he narrates past actions orchestrated by The
Circle, of which he is a key member, and recounts the physical feats of other
cadets.
The Boa illustrates the racism prevalent in Peruvian society through his remarks about Indians and peasants. He recounts the difficulty he had in making an exception for Cava, an Indian from the mountains. Otherwise, Boa views blacks, Indians, and mixed breeds as inferior. True to his name, Boa is animalistic. He engages in sexual acts with chickens before roasting them. He cruelly manipulates a dog's affections and even injures the animal for disturbing him during an inspection. Like a snake, he never fully accepts the Jaguar as his leader and often fantasizes about killing him stealthily. However, the Jaguar has tamed him much like a snake charmer controls a snake, using the tune of violence. At his most articulate, Boa recalls the battles The Circle has fought under the Jaguar's leadership.
Vallano
Unlike Cava, Vallano, a black cadet, cannot avoid the blatant racism from the
lighter-skinned Peruvians. They refer to him as "The Negro" and describe him
using stereotypical language, saying things like, "like all Negroes, you can
tell it from his eyes, what eyes, what fear, what jumping around," or the
frequently repeated, "who can trust a Negro." Given such a derogatory label, it
is unsurprising that Vallano sympathizes with The Circle, even though he is not
an official member. Nevertheless, they acknowledge him as the only "real"
student. For this reason, the Poet interacts with him as much as possible.
After being turned down by the Jaguar, the Poet offers Vallano a few letters in
exchange for a certain number of points on the chemistry exam. During the exam,
Vallano is notably the only student described as diligently working through the
questions.
Vallano significantly contributes to the culture of the Fifth Section by bringing back a pornographic story from town. Eleodora's Pleasures quickly becomes the favorite read of every member in the section. Initially, Vallano's story gains popularity, but he soon finds himself out of business when the Poet starts selling his own stories. From that point forward, pornographic tales become a fundamental and sophisticated part of life in the barracks.