Miua by Pérez Galdós

 This novel presents the same humor we have already seen in others Galdós’ books, which makes the experience of reading very pleasant.

Like said in previous posts, Galdós’ writing is very approachable, and easily captures the reader’s attention. Ana Mª Vigara Tauste, in her paper “El lenguaje coloquial
(humano)
en Galdós”, explains that this author used this colloquial way to write as an aesthetic resource.  Once again, I want to point out that the apparent simplicity, the humor, and the rich historical background are a constant in this great Canarian author. This novel is not as extensive as “Fortunata y Jacinta”, which makes it a perfect reading for the weekend.

“Miau”, released in 1888, criticizes how the Spanish administration works by showing the inefficient State machinery and the corruption of government employees. The plot tells the story of the Villaamil family. Mr. Ramón Villaamil was the Pater familias, and used to work for the IRS. Though he was a good employee, his talent was not appreciated and eventually was let go. Sadly, to get a job in Spain, talent is less important than who you know. He was married to Mrs. Pura, and they had two daughters: Luisa and Abelarda. Luisa fell in love with Víctor, a corrupted government employee. They got married and had a son, Luisito. Because of Luisa’s death, Luisito was raised by Mr. Villaamil. After a while Víctor went back to Mr. Villaamil’s house because of his illegal activities in the IRS. Víctor showed his true colors when he played with Abelarda’s feelings. Unfairly he got a very good promotion. Later, close to the end of the book, it is revealed that Víctor was the responsible for Villaamil’s disgrace. He, been a member of the Villaamil family, did spread the rumor in the IRS that Mr. Ramón Villaamil was a crazy old man that was not capable of working anymore. Luisito had a vision of God, who told him that very soon he was going to take his grandpa, Mr. Villaamil, with him. It is very interesting how God is portrayed through Luisitos’ eyes. There is a very brief paper called “La visión de Dios por Luisito Cadalso en Miau” written by Geiffrey Ribbans, which focuses on the linguistic and narratological aspect of these mystical experiences. At the end, tired of the world, Mr. Villaamil killed himself.