Lazarillo de Tormes depicts 16th century Spain through a sour and ugly lens that leaves an impression that Spain bred nothing but misfortunes – poverty, starvation, deception – especially for the character Lazarillo. However, readers are aware of the author’s intentions to “distort reality downward” – as Lazarillo’s fictional perspective is indeed intended to depict a distorted description of the non-fictional reality – which explains the contradiction with history, as Spain was, in fact, a rich country at the peak of its prosperity (Lazarillo de Tormes). An exploration of the contrast between Lazarillo’s description and what is historically-accurate will certainly provide enlightenment regarding the author’s intentions.
Before Spain’s success is further discussed, let there be an acknowledgment towards the Spanish Inquisition: the consolidation of power by the Catholic monarchy of the Spanish kingdom that mounted to an infamously brutal occurrence. Indeed, the Spanish inquisition made happen the torturing and killing of countless people, in the name of religion, but Lazarillo himself was not particularly an advocate who was concerned in expressing devout …show more content…
Through its victories, Spain became abundant with resources, such as land, mountains, cultivation, silver, and gold. In addition, its capital at the time, Toledo – which is, in fact, a prominent city in the story of Lazarillo – offered the best of everything: silk, tiles, women, men. Moreover, the city of Salamanca – the city which bears the origins of Lazarillo himself – established itself as a notably large, growing renaissance city, as well as a powerful and influential center through its prestigious intellectual institutes, and possessed beautiful architectures that it inherited from previous Roman
Before Spain’s success is further discussed, let there be an acknowledgment towards the Spanish Inquisition: the consolidation of power by the Catholic monarchy of the Spanish kingdom that mounted to an infamously brutal occurrence. Indeed, the Spanish inquisition made happen the torturing and killing of countless people, in the name of religion, but Lazarillo himself was not particularly an advocate who was concerned in expressing devout …show more content…
Through its victories, Spain became abundant with resources, such as land, mountains, cultivation, silver, and gold. In addition, its capital at the time, Toledo – which is, in fact, a prominent city in the story of Lazarillo – offered the best of everything: silk, tiles, women, men. Moreover, the city of Salamanca – the city which bears the origins of Lazarillo himself – established itself as a notably large, growing renaissance city, as well as a powerful and influential center through its prestigious intellectual institutes, and possessed beautiful architectures that it inherited from previous Roman