La fuerza de la sangre
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Plot Summary
La fuerza de la sangre is the shortest novela (short story) in the collection of Cervantes' Exemplary Novels. Despite its brevity, the story is shockingly violent and one of the most controversial in the collection. The plot follows a young woman, Leocadia, who is abducted and raped when walking home with her family. Although Leocadia is able to work out who her attacker was, he is her social superior and therefore she has little hope of legal redress. Leocadia falls pregnant from the assault and gives birth to a baby boy. When he is still young, he is almost run over by a horse. By chance, those who help and look after the child, are the boy's biological grandparents – the parents of the man (Rodolfo) who raped Leocadia. The resemblance between the child and his father is uncanny and, when the facts are revealed, the family summons Leocadia's attacker from Italy under the guise of presenting him with a new match. When he arrives, Rodolfo falls in love with Leocadia and marries her.
Leocadia
Who is Leocadia?
Given the brevity of this short story, we are given very little information about Leocadia. We know that she is a young woman from a poor but noble family, a dutiful daughter, and a devout Catholic.
What actually happens to Leocadia?
When walking with her parents one evening, Leocadia is approached by a group of men when she faints and is abducted. Whilst she is unconscious, one man, Rodolfo, carries her to his parents' house and into his room where he rapes her. When Leocadia regains consciousness, she finds herself in an unknown room and puts together what has happened to her. When Rodolfo returns he once again tries to rape her. Although Leocadia is able to stop him this time, she makes him promise to tell no one about her dishonour. To protect his own identity, Rodolfo leads her out of the house blindfolded. When Lecoadia realises that she is pregnant, she gives birth in secret, and sends her child away to relatives where he lives for the first years of his life.
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes is best known for his composition of what is perhaps the first-ever modern novel, Don Quijote, published in 1605. Following this, Cervantes published a collection of short stories entitled Novelas ejemplares / Exemplary Novels. This collection, made up of 12 short stories, is where we find La fuerza de la sangre. Beyond this, Cervantes also composed numerous plays and poetry, though he never achieved the fame and celebrity of his rival theatre-maker, Lope de Vega.
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