Rayuela by Julio Cortázar - A contemporary of Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Carricature of Julio Cortazar Rayuela

'Rayuela' is a novel by Argentine author Julio Cortázar. It was written in Paris and published in Spanish in 1963 and in English in 1966. Like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'Cien anos de soledad', the novel falls firmly into the category of a Boom novel. Rayuela means Hopscotch in English, which is very apt, given the structure of the novel.

Written in an episodic, snapshot manner, the novel has 155 chapters, the last 99 being designated as "expendable." The book can be read either in direct sequence from chapter 1 to 56, which, Cortázar writes, the reader can do "with a clean conscience", or by skipping randomly through the entire set of 155 chapters-except chapter 55-according to a table provided by the author that leaves the reader, finally, in an infinite loop between the last two chapters in the sequence. There are several other ways to read the novel, such as reading only the odd or even pages, or choosing chapters in completely random order. Some of the "expendable" chapters fill in gaps in the main story, while others add information about the characters or record the aesthetic and literary speculations of a writer named Morelli (arguably a stand-in for the author) who makes a brief appearance in the narrative. The novel is an example of multiple endings.

Narration is an important part of the structure of the book. Initially it seems clear that Horacio is the narrator and the 'writer' of the story, especially since it is repeatedly implied that La Maga is his muse and eventual literary salvation. However later the introduction of Morelli as a character seems to hint that he is the true writer of the story. Especially in the 'Morelliana' of the expendable chapters, Cortázar makes clear that Morelli is the talented writer and the one who could achieve success if only he could escape the cages of his life. Morelli as author also makes more sense since the chapters seem to randomly switch back and forth between first person for Horacio, third person limited for any number of characters and occasionally third person omniscient. This novel is often referred to as a counter-novel, even by Cortázar himself.

As the first book opens, Horacio Oliveira, the narrator, is wandering the bridges of Paris alone one afternoon. He observes the various happenings around him and considers how different Paris is from his native Argentina. That evening he meets up with his lover, Lucía (most often referred to as La Maga in the book), and the two of them wander Paris together. That evening they meet up with their friends, a group affectionately referred to as 'The Serpent Club,' as they do almost every night. The Club passes the time drinking heavily, dissecting literature and philosophy and listening to jazz records.

During their late-night discussions, they meander their way from subject to subject with ease. Though Horacio is the newest addition to the group, he is easily the most well-versed in literature and in philosophy, surpassing even the arrogant Gregorovius Ossip. All the members have their strengths and weaknesses, generally based on their nationalities. However, unlike Horacio and the other members of the Club, La Maga is neither well-read nor articulate and she often needs the others to explain concepts to her. Her insistence on staying in the realm of reality while the others deal primarily with abstracts distances her from the group and foreshadows her eventual disappearance.

The second book opens with an introduction to the life of Manolo Traveler, a great friend of Horacio, who lives in Buenos Aires with his wife Talita, a pharmaceutical assistant. Traveler is disappointed about his name because he almost didn't travel at all in is whole life. Horacio comes back to Buenos Aires only to find that Traveler is waiting for him at the docks with his wife, and after greeting him and having lunch, he decides to settle near Traveler. He slowly starts to observe his friend's lifestyle, and realizes that Talita subtly reminds him of La Maga. This forces a metaphysical triangle between the three of them, where Horacio and Traveler seem to be always brawling about Talita in their complicated and poetic way. During this time, Horacio realizes he is in love with La Maga.

One night Horacio is smoking at his window, when he sees Talita crossing the garden, going to sleep. She disappears, and suddenly La Maga comes out of nowhere and starts playing hopscotch in the institution's garden. Later, when Horacio is guarding the second floor, he starts to get obsessed with the idea of getting killed by Traveler. Talita appears then, with a glass of lemonade. They start talking and Horacio tells her about seeing La Maga/Talita playing in the garden, and she confesses to dislike hopscotch, and admits she felt suddenly interested in playing. Then the elevator starts working and they prepare to resist whoever comes, but it turns to be a lunatic that was taking his pigeon out for a walk. So they decide to go to the basement, where the lunatic came from, to verify that everything is alright. When they are there, Horacio starts to daydream about La Maga, confuses her with Talita and so he kisses his friend's wife. Later that night, Talita tells Traveler about that kiss but he doesn't seem to be angry. At the same time, Horacio is obsessed with the idea of Traveler killing him, so he starts building a "defense line" with water-filled basins and a huge skein of colorful threads.

When he finishes, he sits near the window and begins to smoke. Soon he sees Talita below the window, and feels the defense line he has set up stopping Traveler. The two begin to talk about their duality and relationship, about Horacio himself and about society. Eventually there is a wonderful harmony of the moment, and Horacio thinks that given the circumstances, it would be the best time to commit suicide. The ending is ambiguous as to whether he does or not if only reading the first 56 chapters. Reading the so-called expendable chapters then offer further insight.

The main character, Horacio Oliveira, is a well-read and loquacious bohemian. He is a spectator and spends most of his time philosophizing. He is always finding metaphysics in all of his speeches. At first it seems Horacio is content merely to exist but really he is desperately searching for a purpose to his life. He always is meditating about the so called 'centre', the real meaning and purpose of life. He explains it is not a geographical centre, because this would be absurd, but a metaphysical centre.

For lack of an alternative, La Maga becomes Horacio's life-purpose. She is a beguiling, profound, and improvisational woman. La Maga develops into a muse and a lens for Horacio-inspiring him to examine himself and Paris more thoroughly. She is a point of origin for Horacio and the novel itself.

Some of the main themes in the novel are:-

Order verses chaos: Horacio says of himself, "I imposed the false order that hides the chaos, pretending that I was dedicated to a profound existence while all the time it was the one that barely dipped its toe into the terrible waters". Horacio's life follows this description as he switches countries, jobs, and lovers. The novel also attempts to resemble order while ultimately consisting of chaos. Cortázar does the same by using a loose form of prose, rich in metaphor and slang to describe life.

Horacio verses society: Horacio drifts from city to city, job to job, love to love, life to life, yet even in his nomadic existence he tries to find a sense of order in the world's chaos. He is always isolated: when he is with La Maga, he cannot relate to her; when he is with the Club, he is superior. When he is with Traveler and Talita he fights their way of life. Even with Morelli, the character he relates to most, there are barriers of the patient and orderly. Order versus chaos also exists in the structure of the novel, as in Morelli's statement, "You can read my book any way you want to".

Isolation and loneliness: Cortázar uses a quick, succinct, vignette chapter style that paints brief images for the reader without relying too much on plot. At one point in the novel Horacio witnesses a car accident. It is said of the victim that "he doesn't have any family, he's a writer." Horacio is stunned by the way violence brings the community together. Medics rush to the scene in an ambulance and speak "friendly, comforting words to him." Violence and conflict continually bring characters together . For instance, Talita's crossing of the bridge and Horacio's stunt at the conclusion of the novel..

The definition of failure: Horacio's life seems hopeless because he has deemed himself a failure. The short chapters also express the idea that there is no penetrating purpose to the novel and life in general. For Horacio, life is a series of artistic flashes where he perceives the world in a profound way but still remains unable to create anything of value. Other major themes include obsession, madness, life-as-a-circus, the nature and meaning of sex and self-knowledge.

In my opinion Cortazar is one of the best writers of the late 60's Latin American Boom. He penned not only some of the most well-crafted short stories i have ever read but a novel that you can read from start to finish or in a pattern of suggested chapters which creates another novel. Brilliant? You should read it and decide.