Summary Of The Novel The Carpenter's Pencil

Rivas contributes to the collective memory of how 21st Century Spain views the war in Galicia. He does this by writing The Carpenter's Pencil which takes place in the beginning of the Spanish Civil war and by using narrative techniques throughout his novel. Rivas is successfully able to achieve this by using first person narration and the haunting motif throughout his novel. These two narrative techniques then shed light on character’s development throughout the book and helps readers thoroughly understand the collective memory that is being presented.
Rivas used first person narrative as a strategic writing technique throughout his novel. Although readers should be cautious when encountering first person narration texts, in this case it worked well because it made the
The painter’s ghost convinces Herbal multiple times to help Da Barca and even save him from death. In chapter 9 of the novel, the narrator describes a conversation between the painter and Herbal in the prison of Coruña. The painter wakes Herbal up from his sleep and alerts him that guards are gathering prisoners to kill them off. Herbal then intervenes before they are able to kill Da Barca and uses his authoritative power to save Da Barca. Simultaneously, Herbal struggles to listen to the Iron man who represents the antithesis of the painter. This Iron man attempts to shape Herbal into something he does not wish to be. In chapter 13, the Iron Man firmly talks to Herbal and says “Learn to hold your gaze and use it to dominate...use words however imperious and rude…”(74). This Iron Man essentially represents aggression, dominance, and discipline that Herbal is supposed to demonstrate as a guard for the prison. Through these hauntings, Herbal’s internal conflicts become clearer and clearer. By using this, the author is trying to bring light to Herbal because he wanted to show how Galicians felt at the