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An Empty Plate: Chapter 8
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Shadow of the Wind, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Duality and Repetition
Possessive and Obsessive Love
Fathers, Sons, and Masculinity
Reality and the Written Word
Coincidence and Determinism
Summary
Analysis
Instead Daniel finds Clara naked in bed, having sex with Neri. He stands paralyzed for several seconds until Neri catches sight of him and, without telling Clara what’s wrong, gets up and drags Daniel out of the room. He throws Daniel out of the apartment and threatens to beat him up if he ever talks to Clara again. Then Neri punches him and takes away his keys to the apartment.
By refusing to tell Clara what he sees, Neri disempowers her and establishes his quarrel with Daniel as a conflict over ownership of a woman, rather than a competition for her attention or regard. Importantly, Neri wins this argument through brute force, rather than reason or appeal to the woman in question herself.
Active
Themes
Outside the building, Daniel encounters the same homeless man he met on the way in. The man gives Daniel some wine to help him compose himself and introduces himself as Fermín Romero de Torres. He immediately launches into a complicated story of his past career in Cuban “high espionage,” which was only derailed when Franco came to power. Deducing that Daniel is suffering “woman trouble,” he declares that all Spanish women are “a sanctimonious, frigid lot” and not worth the trouble. As he keeps talking, Daniel can tell that the man is longing for friendship and conversation even more than material comforts.
This is Daniel’s first encounter with the man who will become his most important father figure besides Mr. Sempere. With his flamboyant conversation and blatant anti-government attitude, Fermín is a contrast to the cautious and understated Mr. Sempere. It’s also important that while Daniel characterizes Fermín as lonely and naturally craving friendship, Fermín forges his connection with Daniel by making crass generalizations about women, a troubling brand of male bonding.
Active
Themes
Daniel takes his leave from Fermín and walks to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. While he waits for someone to answer his knock, he rereads The Shadow of the Wind’s first sentence, in which the protagonist’s mother exhorts him to search out his real father. He recalls the first time he read the book, feeling the same wonder and fascination now.
Active
Themes
When Isaac answers the door, Daniel confides that he needs to hide the book from someone who wants to burn it. Although he’s grouchy, Isaac takes Daniel into his office to warm up by the stove and clean off his cuts. He says if Daniel behaves, he’ll give him some information on Julian Carax.
Active
Themes
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