Love’s Prerequisite of Freedom in “El revólver” by Emilia Pardo Bazán

Abstract

“El revolver” by Emilia Pardo Bazán tells the story of a couple that becomes distant after their first year of marriage. The husband threatens the life of the woman with his revolver to solve the distance between them. While the woman obeys her husband, living in constant fear, the husband dies from an accident and the woman becomes free. Even though her spouse is gone, the effects of the revolver, which was unloaded the whole time, has lasting impacts on her. In this regard, “El revolver” shows the relationship between love and freedom. According to Genesis 2:4-25 and Pope Benedict XVI’s “In the Beginning” Homilies, free will is necessary for love. They speak of the choice to enter love or to reject it, and if the choice isn’t there, then it isn’t love. Taking this into consideration, what does “El revolver” teach the reader about how love and freedom interact? What does it mean to remove the freedom and the ability to choose love? In this essay I argue that Genesis 2 contrasts “El revolver” by showing the difference between love with free will and “love” without free will, which is just slavery.