Lazarillo De Tome Character Analysis

The main character in Lazarillo de Tormes is Lázaro de Tormes. The reader first meets Lázaro as a child with his family. However, although Lázaro’s parents are both presented with last names, he does not take on a family name and instead gives himself the surname de Tormes in reference to the river in which he was born. In doing this, Lázaro distances himself from his family and creates his own identity. The purpose of this paper is to explore the reason for Lázaro’s downfall in becoming a pícaro. Tomé Gonzales, Lázaro’s father, is exiled for his dishonest trading in the mill where he was working when Lázaro is only eight years-old. Therefore, Tomé has to leave his wife and son, only to die shortly after his exilement (Appelbaum 7). This is significant because this shows that Lázaro loses his father at a very young age, and therefore, does not have a father to love him and teach him.
Psychologists Jaffee, Moffitt, Caspi, and Taylor conducted a substantial study from which they conclude that “children who are raised from birth in two-parent families have better cognitive and behavior outcomes compared with children who have ever lived in single-parent families,” while also …show more content…
Therefore, Lázaro never gets the opportunity to experience true unconditional love. Unconditional love is the kind of love that never leaves or changes no matter what. When an individual experiences and knows that he is loved unconditionally, he generally acts in a reflective manner. There is a serious psychological effect on children, and has even other organisms such as primates, when love and tender touch is not accessible in the developmental years of life, which appears to be the case with Lázaro. Furthermore, there is a correlation between youth who grow up without a loving and attentive family and criminal