The Edge of the Storm by Agustín Yáñez
"The Edge of the Storm" by Agustín Yáñez is a multifaceted narrative that explores themes of guilt, spirituality, and social dynamics within a small Mexican village. The story opens with Don Timoteo Limón, who is haunted by his past, including the tragic loss of his daughter and the memory of a man he killed in self-defense. This turmoil is compounded by a persistent dog’s howling that evokes his anxieties about his son Damián, who seeks a better life in the United States. As various characters grapple with their own emotional and moral dilemmas, including Mercedes Toledo and Micaela Rodríguez, the tension in the village rises, revealing conflicts around traditional values and modern aspirations.
The narrative also delves into the lives of local priests, like Father Dionisio Martínez, who struggle with their own doubts and the pressures of their roles in the community. As the characters engage in self-reflection and confront their relationships with sin and societal expectations, the story reflects broader themes of oppression and the quest for personal freedom. The arrival of Damián back home after a tumultuous time adds another layer of conflict, culminating in a tragic conclusion that intertwines personal failings with the socio-political landscape of Mexico during a time of revolution. Through rich characterization and emotional depth, "The Edge of the Storm" presents a poignant examination of life at the intersection of faith, morality, and change.
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The Edge of the Storm by Agustín Yáñez
First published:Al filo del agua, 1947 (English translation, 1963)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of plot: Spring, 1909, to spring, 1910
Locale: Near Guadalajara, Mexico
Principal characters
Don Dionisio , the parish priestMaría andMarta , his niecesPadre Islas andPadre Reyes , assistant priestsDamián Limón , a young manMicaela Rodríguez , a spoiled young womanVictoria , a young widow, visiting from GuadalajaraGabriel , a young man reared by Don DionisioLuis Gonzaga Pérez , a seminary studentMercedes Toledo , another young womanLucas Macías , a soothsayer
The Story:
Don Timoteo Limón is finishing his personal devotions when he becomes aware that a dog is howling continuously and that he forgot to pray to several saints. Terrorized by the plaintive sound of the dog, which recalls to him the tragedy of his young daughter Rosalía, Don Timoteo has visions of past events. One such event that makes him feel guilty is his killing a man in self-defense. The officials exonerated him, but the image of the dead man’s face still haunts him. He then links the dog’s howling to the fate of his son Damián, who went to the United States to seek his fortune. Soon after going to bed, Don Timoteo Limón is disturbed by his visualizations of desirable women and finally gets up to sprinkle holy water over his pillow, sheets, and windows. He concludes that his evil thoughts result from superstitions concerning the dog’s howling and decides to attend a religious retreat.
The same night Mercedes Toledo is unable to sleep after receiving Julián’s letter. As does Don Timoteo Limón, Mercedes wrestles with horrifying thoughts and contemplates taking refuge in a religious institution. Later that night upon her return from Mexico City, Micaela Rodríguez is restless because of visions of a happy, modern life away from her small hometown. She resolves to scandalize the Daughters of Mary, an organization for unmarried maidens with strict rules, in the following manner: first, arousing envy with her pretty clothes; second, conversing about the interesting life outside the village; and, third, stealing the attractive men away from the maidens. Her plan involves scandalous conduct, and Micaela thinks she will be hated and therefore will have to leave the stagnant, hypocritical people of the village. She is pleased.
At the men’s retreat, the principal parish priest, Dionisio Martínez, meets with Father Reyes and five other priests; they hear confessions and meditate on sin, death, judgment, hell, the Lord’s Passion, and the parable of the prodigal son. Although Don Timoteo Limón and other villagers feel uneasy because they find themselves standing next to their enemies, Father Reyes uses tact to quell the bitter feelings. The priests frighten the men by talking about the terrible assaults of the devil and end the retreat by depicting the impending days of sadness.
Don Dionisio is caring for his orphaned nieces, María and Marta, as well as for the bell ringer, Gabriel. The priest quits his subscription to a magazine because it stimulates María’s interest in travel; he forbids her to read geography books or to visit Micaela Rodríguez since she dresses indecently and converses inappropriately after her trip to Mexico City. Marta loves children and wants to adopt Leonardo’s child Martinita after the death of her mother. Marta shows her devotion to her religious beliefs and demonstrates her ability to give helpful advice, but she expresses thoughts and feelings that she cannot understand. Gabriel becomes infatuated with the widow Victoria. As a result of his confused emotions, he rings the church bells excessively and later leaves the village.
Luis Gonzaga Pérez returns from the seminary with strict moral standards and projects that must be implemented on a timetable. Holy Week brings him great joy. His change from a fearful to a happy personality is shown by his desire to create great harmonies, to paint impressive murals, or to compose a poem that will become recognized in world literature. He becomes angered when Father Martínez will not allow him to carry the canopy in the procession. Pérez flees to the mountains as he feels mystical rapture increasing on Good Friday. The hot sun beating down upon his head, he contorts his face to drive away evil thoughts but, overwhelmed with despair, loses consciousness. Shortly thereafter, Pérez’s mind becomes permanently impaired.
Father Islas is the chaplain of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate. He advocates the traditional beliefs of the Catholic Church, using the idea of the purity of the maidens in order to discourage the young women from marrying. In spite of his unhealthy appearance, Islas commands the maidens’ loyalty, gaining authority through various superstitious devices: amazing examples of prophecy and healing, levitation, trances, and the multiplication of food. The maidens esteem Father Islas as a saint beyond reproach. However, after collapsing from an attack of epilepsy, he leaves the priesthood, disillusioning his parishioners. The highly qualified Don Dionisio is then appointed head priest.
Damián Limón returns home and is castigated for having gone to such a sinful place where Mexicans are mistreated. After precipitating his father’s heart attack over a dispute about his inheritance, Damián murders Micaela after an illicit love affair. The light sentence given to him by a corrupt political boss enables him to join the revolutionaries at the end. After learning that Gabriel declared his love for her because of Victoria, who also encouraged him to study music, María chooses to seek love. Condemned by the villagers for protecting the killer Damián, she decides to join the revolutionary army. Lucas Macías, the chronicler, links the appearance of Halley’s Comet with the coming of Francisco Madero, the man who is to provide leadership against the tyranny of Porfirio Díaz.
Bibliography
Anderson, Mark D. “Agustín Yáñez’s Total Mexico and the Embodiment of the National Subject.” Bulletin of Spanish Studies 84, no. 1 (January, 2007): 79-99. Argues that The Edge of the Storm may be the first “total novel” in Mexico, a term used to describe a Spanish American novel that expresses universal literary values. Examines how in this novel Yáñez rewrites outmoded nineteenth century fiction from a twentieth century perspective.
Brushwood, John S. The Spanish American Novel: A Twentieth-Century Survey. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1975. Situates Yáñez’s novel in the nineteenth century by discussing the major characteristics and innovations of fiction. Analyzes the contribution of The Edge of the Storm to Spanish American literature.
Detjens, Wilma Else. Home as Creation: The Influence of Early Childhood Experience in the Literary Creation of Gabriel García Márquez, Agustín Yáñez, and Juan Rulfo. New York: Peter Lang, 1993. Describes how Yáñez’s childhood home, the people he knew as a child, and events in Mexican history influenced the geographic setting and other elements of The Edge of the Storm.
Harris, Christopher. The Novels of Agustín Yáñez: A Critical Portrait of Mexico in the Twentieth Century. Lewiston, N.Y.: E. Mellen Press, 2000. Argues that Yáñez was a social critic as well as an innovative novelist. Demonstrates how in his novels Yáñez denounces government corruption and restrictions on artistic freedom.
Langford, Walter M. The Mexican Novel Comes of Age. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1971. Explains why the publication of The Edge of the Storm marks a significant accomplishment in the development of the Mexican novel. Discusses the structure of Yáñez’s work.
Lindstrom, Naomi. Twentieth-Century Spanish American Fiction. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994. Defines the continuities that link the different periods in modern Spanish American literature. Discusses significant elements in The Edge of the Storm.
Sommers, Joseph. After the Storm: Landmarks of the Modern Mexican Novel. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1968. Evaluates the significance of Yáñez’s work in the history of the novel. Provides an informative commentary on the novelist’s epoch.
Williams, Raymond Leslie. “The Novels of Agustín Yáñez.” In The Modern Latin American Novel. New York: Twayne, 1998. Discusses Latin American novels that were published since the rise of modernist fiction in the region in the mid-1940’s, devoting a brief chapter to the works of Yáñez.