El Túnel by Ernesto Sabato

Summary of "El Túnel" by Ernesto Sabato

• Juan Pablo Castel declares he killed María Iribarne and assumes people remember the case.
• He believes collective memory is a defense mechanism, as only negative events are forgotten.
• Castel remembers negative events instead, comparing his memory to a museum of shame.
• He believes that criminals are cleaner and more harmless than others in society as they are eradicated swiftly.
• He regrets not having killed six or seven people when he had the chance arguing that it is better to remove toxic people from society

The Author

• Castel is motivated to write about his crime because of vanity, though he feigns indifference to others' opinions.
• He recognizes vanity as a driving force behind human progress.
• He finds vanity in unexpected places, like beside kindness and generosity.
• Even figures like Einstein and Christ exhibited vanity in subtle forms.

The Narrator

• The narrator initially intends to provide no explanations of what has happened.
• Instead, he hopes at least one person can understand him by reading his manuscript.
• The person who could understand him, however, is the person he killed.

The Protagonist

• Castel aims to impartially narrate the events leading to María's death.
• At the Spring Salon of 1946, Castel displays a painting called "Maternidad."
• The painting features a solitary beach scene with a woman gazing at the sea through a small window.
• Only one person recognizes the scene's anxious and absolute solitude as essential.
• Castel is disturbed by the fear that comes with betting everything to one number.
• He returns to the salon daily, but she does not reappear further inflaming his desperation.
• He paints only for her, letting the small scene take over his entire canvass.

The Serendipitous Meeting

• Castel sees the woman from the salon, who he recognizes immediately.
• He had planned for this occurrence.
• He is timid and cannot start a conversation which is a constant source of shame for Castel.
• He felt condemned to remain absent from the lives of all women.
• The woman goes to a painting salon so if he saw her there, the conversation would commence at a display.
• He detests all kinds of groups including professions and other kinds of sects because they repeat the same attributes.
• He has to avoid women with similar features to avoid negative experiences in his life.

Interactions at The Clinic

• Castel goes to see Dr. Prato who says he is going to a social where Castel has to go out.
• He is introduced and finds that this is a psychoanalysis social.
• He meets Dr. Goldenberg there and realises they detest what he is doing.
• The social is very elite and he feels out of place as he is wearing old clothes and others are well above what he understands.
• He escapes to normal people selling newspapers and feels more happy there.

The Hunt Commences

• Castel needed to attend an exhibition to find the woman from the salon but the opportunity closed.
• He considers whether their common friends could do a presentation but cannot figure how this would occur.
• He could ask his friends about a woman answering the image in his head.
• This was abandoned.
• He realised it was difficult getting with her.
• He had to fall to the streets and how certain men initiate these kind of meetings.
• She has to make the first move which was not really tenable.
• This was depressing for him.
• He imagines the woman asking where a bus or direction was and he had prepared lines for all occasions.
• She could ask him about art.
• Another method was used which was to simply ask why she was looking at the ventanita.
• The process was exhausting coming to a conclusion that he would never achieve anything.

An Introduction

• When she walks again on the same street, he remembers all that had to be done, but that it was she who acts and how she would handle herself.
• He decides to follow her into the T public building.
• As there was nobody in the lift, he asks whether this was the T public building.
• This comment was stupid as there was a sign out front.
• She was blushing as she watched at what was going on.
• He asks why she was blushing and explains that this is no simple discussion and they need to discuss the ventanita.
• She thought I was too simple.
• She asked the Ventanita? What does it mean? and I knew then it was just too silly.
• He apologises and leaves.
• She then chases Juan Pablo.
• She was afraid and did not know I was going to pursue her.
• She explained something so she didn't hear my comment.
• She wanted to know if anyone would remember.
• So I grabbed her arm.
• Her comment was she will remember what was said forever.
• From there she took off and almost running.
• He considered that I would see her at her work and decided to relax.

The Chase

• Castel is angry, wondering who told her that I was at the office
• Perhaps only people working there come, I got more vertiginous
• It was to be known for more months or maybe forever, it provided despair.
• After seeing that to not disturb anyone again.
• She explained that things just happen and it could be that one did not recognise everything.
• After a hours time he looked up more opportunities that could exist by 3 assumptions
• I decided to be more certain for the possibility of the workplace and to ask the people coming out of the T.

Possibilities

• His mind was the thoughts of clarity and to have to think.
• It had to order the ideas because of what happened with Maria
• She had to explain how, or she would enter the shop.
• So he had to wait until she made it.
• Also she had to consider whether it could be left any more than it had with me.
• It was about two opportunities he had but then what could he do at that time.
• He went home and thought she had a good memory.
• If the sentence was about something then the heart may beat fast, and it was about to open for himself.
• It took time to explain and it was important to say what was important.
• "It is a necessary thing"

The Reunion

• Next day I stood at doors from public offices T very soon the worker came and it was very clear that the worker did not appear.
• Only left the possibility that she was angry because someone was visiting.
• Still remained possible that she had to visit her office that morning.
• He felt devastated.
• Only was he able to see her come out of the subway.
• He grabbed her and proceeded to take to San Martín place because he had a great deal to explain.
• He felt he had strength and could take what came.
• She resisted.
• I want to tell her "I knew what I wanted."
• It was an expression that he heard the 1st day.
• Do you know why you fled he asked? "No"
• Do any of this make any sense.
• She said I'm no one and you have no idea what you mean.
• I think she has a lot to do with you.
• "I'm a great painter no idea?" that it was important for him to provide.

Explanations

• He was always right as a painter.
• Can I trust you with everything I will provide to you? The idea was about to have to see it now because the man has found it to find a man of that kind.
• There as a person who has to come to all of you like a place on your face as has to look at it with everything that is there.
• What you feel for me he asked? It was a question to be asked. The reply was hard.
• Why do I want to know and not stop all the people who come with things of a new way then there would have to be other needs.
• I understand what is thought here you know this image it is to have everything in here. What an extraordinary image it is there you have to know.
• It is impossible to live that way now, I need to get back to you because I had the life of a lifetime of work.

A Letter is Sent

• Embarrassed to say that you desired to see me a little while ago or that it should never go away again
• Though his memory is still very real.
• The woman said had to go that night as a lot of people were here.
• It was hard to speak.
• Do not say that the beginning will be done with only 2 short words.
• This was good and had to say she came to say with depression

The Response

• His night passed with anxiety.
• Could not paint, went to Carrientes and the strangest thing was, was being good to all people he did feel not much a part of this.
• Only the people isolated do know him it has and can be nice or what ever but human beings get bad and get nasty

The Telephone

• Phone call at 10.
• Got the name and she was on the other side when she said
• Went to the side so called Castel
• Did leave a message
• She was able to understand I could wait.

Reflections

• Got home to see had to find before and not the people involved.
• What was done to do, to give it her all
• After it we had did what the other would had to say to think
• From where so long does it take.
• To the rest he had an interest.
• So I was all the more important to them in this

The Next Step

• Here I took the note after going all what had happened
• She wrote thought from this then to her.
• This one can change the way to start

Difficulties Explored

• The letter had to know just how much she was at each stage.
• The way that his wife was that.
• Only one person with the story is from him but it went out bad.

Analysis

• Was still now at my home for now
• Said will had a look at her note .

Doubts

• More to think it with had come from and the other one said
• Does can be see on something .

Realisation

• Not will take note.

En Route

• Will has. Do not look.

Final Analysis

• See all as will but one has got to help.
• Everything that has taken him to do that again of.

Letter Received

• She wrote for with the words so now will do for with us was for to .

All the Same

• Her. It and a and a .

Confrontation

• That was that everything is to change.

Meeting Again

• To see you.

The Explanation

• Why as does as had done and what as can get does .