Post-Reading Discussion: “Camino Real

1. Post-Reading Discussion: “Camino Real (Or, what you most likely need to know in order to pass my test.)

2. Major symbols (objects) • The Fountain represents the “spring of humanity,” which has run dry. “Humanity”=kindness, brotherhood, etc. The only comfort in the Camino is comfort that can be purchased—comfort which is always determined to be false. The eventual revival of the fountain happens when people choose to be kind despite the harshness of the world and the seeming impossibility of success.

3. Siete Mares • The Siete Mares has the only water source outside of the fountain, and it is only available to the relatively wealthy. It represents the insulation of the rich from reality and the degree to which money can create the illusion of stability—and also has a few things to say about class consciousness.

4. The Ritz Men Only • “A little white ship to sail the dangerous night in”—but not really. This is a flophouse where the down-and-out reside—and sometimes die. It’s also the location for trysts that would be too inappropriate for the Siete Mares—like Baron de Charlus’s “punishments.” It is marginally better than sleeping in the plaza. A. Ratt is the proprietor.

5. Kilroy’s heart • It is “big as the head of a baby” and made of pure gold. It is the feature that made him champ and then prevented him from continuing as well as the feature that won Esmeralda’s heart and that he sold for shiny things with which to woo her. Symbolically– it is pure goodness, twisted and sold for prurient reasons and spoiled.

6. The Fugitivo • The only escape is unscheduled and the only window for that escape is tiny. The madness surrounding the Fugitivo’s arrival=the desperation of everyone to escape. Marguerite’s willingness to betray Jacques indicates that she does not deserve escape.

7. Symbolic people • Don Quixote and Sancho Panza—these figures from the novel by Miguel de Cervantes represent unrealistic idealism and unfailing practicality, respectively—and Sancho’s abandonment of Quixote represents the practical world’s rejection of idealism as useless. Kilroy’s assumption of Sancho’s role is in some ways a step towards purity after selling his heart.

8. Jacques Casanova • He is the greatest of lovers, and searches for ideal romance—somewhat ironic, considering that he was essentially a gigolo who took advantage of women as a means of financial support. He is always waiting for the next “remittance check”—which of course is yet more support from old lovers. His concept of high romance centers on Marguerite.

9. Marguerite Gautier • “Lady of the Camellias”—a literary figure who is the “courtesan who made the mistake of love.” Both she and Jacques have spent their adult lives selling their love to others—and both are desperately searching for meaning. Their relationship could be interpreted as a criticism of the emptiness created by a life lived for the pleasures of the flesh.

10. Baron de Charlus • Represents those who give themselves over entirely to sexual compulsion. He is only interested in his “pickups” and “punishments,” and ends up being killed by one of his conquests and taken away in the Streetcleaners’ barrel. He is destroyed by his vices.

11. Prudence Duvernoy • A prostitute like Marguerite—but she has never made the mistake of love. Like Panza, she represents a strictly practical view of the world.

12. The Survivor • He’s lived through the desert, but the Camino Real kills him—i.e., the lack of humanity can destroy what even the worst physical conditions can’t.

13. The Gypsy • Uses the mystical to trick people out of money, but is ruthlessly practical…as is made evident by her use of her children as moneymaking devices. Completely amoral.

14. Esmeralda • A reference to the gypsy dancer in Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda is an object of affection/obsession. They claim that the moonlight renews her virginity, which, of course, is false. She could be said to represent those who claim to start anew while planning to live in exactly the same way—though she is, of course, entirely controlled by the gypsy. Her attempts to escape are also significant—she doesn’t want to be a hypocrite.

15. Lord Byron • He only shows up briefly, but he symbolizes the Romantic. His speech about Shelley’s funeral pyre is about finding purification—since the search for an authentic life/love/purpose is one of the driving forces of the play.

16. The Streetcleaners • They pick up corpses…because dead people are just refuse. Any interesting bits—like Kilroy’s heart—tend to go to the museum that supports the military police.

17. Major themes • Totalitarianism—as a post WWII play, this deals with both a fascist governing body (Gutman, the generalissimo, etc) and McCarthy-era paranoia (Jacques and Kilroy colluding to escape)

18. Love/Tenderness/Humanity • Most of the “love” in this play is not love—it’s sex or commerce. The only love that is considered real is that which is unselfish and tender—the violets that can break the rocks (rocks=reality).

19. Heroism • Esmeralda calls at each festival for an anointed hero—but the only true hero is Kilroy, who is sincere. • Quixote is heroic because he never loses hope. He’s also mocked frequently, as is Kilroy—heroism makes you a patsy in the eyes of the regime.

20. Dreams/Ideals • Dreams and ideals prevent certain characters from being crushed by the Camino—and sometimes protect them after they’ve been defeated. La Madrecita and the Dreamer are “loved by the people” because they represent hope.

21. Overall • The play functions mostly on the symbolic level—and each set of symbols has its own plot/theme. These themes and symbols intersect, but also function idependently.