San Manuel Bueno Martir

San Manuel Bueno, mártir
written by Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo
[II] 438 - 487

Summary:
Told by Ángela Carballino. Raised in a religious household and town, a firm believer in the Catholicreligion. She lives in a village Valverde de Lucerna, situated between a beautiful lake and a solitary mountain.
 
Her brother Lazaro wants her to be educated in a big city, away from the crude town so sheis sent outside of the village to a larger city. Everyone here knows about Don Manuel. His presence draws her back to her village where she becomes a personal assistant of sort for him. He is allabout caring for his people, and they cling to him, and his magnificent voice, as an anchor, especially Blasillo, a mentally disabled man who hangs on his every word, representing the blind faith of thetown. Don Manuel greatly disliked being idle, alone with his own thoughts.
Lázaro returns from the Americas rich and with strong feelings of progressivism: he is dismissive of religion and anythingassociated with it. He is determined to move his family to a larger and more progressive city. However, when his mother dies, her greatest wish is for him to convert for her, and just before she dieshe promises to pray for her. This brings him into greater contact with Don Manuel and Lázaro realizes he is not like other priests. He eventually decides to convert to Christianity, or at least that iswhat he tells the town, and enters into the orbit of Don Manuel. He never misses a mass, and becomes a disciple of sorts to Don Manuel. The day of his baptizing however he confronts Angela with thefact that neither he nor Don Manuel believe in resurrection,and both are unsure as to what happens after death, although Don Manuel claims at times to believe that a person dies completely, he isfairly uncertain and vague at others. Don Manuel does know that his religion is the consoling of others, and nurturing the belief in an afterlife in his followers brings them consolation, which is why he...