Resumen

Summary
Rafael is a poor fisherman, who, for some reason in the
past, has gone mad. All he can say is, ‘She gave me the
golden fish,’ or ‘She gave me the ring. I still have it. She
gave the ring back to me.’ Did he go mad for love of a girl,
or because he saw or committed some terrible deed?
Chapters 1–4: In Chapter 1, the narrator, who is a doctor
when the story starts, still remembersmeeting Crazy
Rafael when, as a twelve-year-old boy, he was visiting his
Uncle Miguel. Rafael was living in an abandoned boathouse
and kept mumbling the same words. Twelve years
later, mad Rafael is at the same place and still deluded.
The doctor determines to get treatment for Rafael to find
out what is wrong with him. In Chapter 2, the doctor tries
to learn the facts surrounding the strangecase. The people
of the village oblige. He assembles many facts. He learns
through his uncle that Rafael’s father was a fisherman who
was killed by a white shark. Rafael therefore devoted his
whole life to avenging his father’s death by killing sharks.
In Chapter 3, the doctor’s uncle retells the life story of
Anita, Crazy Rafael’s beloved. He also talks about their
unrequited love andAnita’s mysterious disappearance.
In Chapter 4, Miguel retells the story of the soldier who
came to the village on an engine boat and fell for Anita.
He made friends with Anita’s father and became a local
at his shop. One day, to everyone’s shock, Anita vanished
into thin air and the soldier was never seen again. It is
believed that they eloped. According to village gossip,
the soldier stoleAnita’s heart and eventually took her
away forever. That was also the night that Santiago’s
donkey went missing, but it is hard for anyone to see a
connection, since the donkey was too old to carry anyone.
Anita’s father was broken-hearted and furious and he never
mentioned his daughter again. To him, his daughter was
dead.
Chapters 5–7: In Chapter 5, Miguel tells the story behind
the ring.Rafael wants to propose to Anita. He and his
mother want to talk to Rodrigo to agree on a marriage.
However, they know he wants his daughter to marry a
businessman. Rafael leaves the village for six months and
works hard to save money to buy a golden ring in the
shape of a fish for Anita. Rafael and his mother eventually
talk to Anita’s father about allowing her to marry him.
But heopposes their marriage and Rafael has to keep the
ring to himself. In Chapter 6, Miguel retells the events
that took place the night that Rafael danced at the café
dressed in his best clothes. That very night the soldier,
who appears to be another suitor to Anita, is present
at the shop for a while and leaves. Soon after, Anita is
reported missing and the whole village, especially Rafael,
startssearching for her. It is also that night that the young
fisherman goes mad. In Chapter 7, the doctor and his
uncle visit Rodrigo, Anita’s father, after many years to
find out more about what actually happened. However,
he refuses to disclose any facts. Yet, Anita’s younger sister,
Marta, wants to tell them the story of Anita and Rafael to
help the mad fisherman.
Chapters 8–12: In Chapter 8,Marta talks about her
sister Anita’s selfish personality and her secret outings
with her prince, Rafael. Anita was very sad when he left
for six months but was happy again when he returned
and gave her a ring. In Chapter 9, Marta discloses what
she saw on the night Anita disappeared. She witnessed
her sister packing her things to leave with her true prince.
Marta assumed that this meantshe was eloping with the
soldier and that she would give the ring back to Rafael
first. Marta talks about the story her sister wrote. In
Chapter 10, the doctor reads out Anita’s story. The story is
not very revealing but it confirms many of his intuitions.
Yet it is difficult to understand how things turned out the
way they did. In Chapter 11, the doctor starts to believe
that something...