Free Existentialism In Saint Emmanuel The Good, Martyr Book Review Sample

Philosophy has been one of the most important disciplines in Western civilization. Many schools of thought have pondered over the great questions of human life. During the 19th and 20th century, the existential current questioned the nature and purpose of man, freedom and happiness. Miguel de Unamuno was a Spanish writer closely associated to this movement. His short story “Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr”, portrayed many aspects of this theory, such as: . Therefore, the present text will analyze the relations between existentialism and .
Defining existentialism is problematic, as it is used to conglomerate many different systems of thought that generally share similar problems. Even though Sartre is generally considered the maximum exponent of the movement, its roots go farther back to Kierkegaard, and even to Aristotle for some philosophers. As the word states, they are predominately focused on existence and believe in the need for human beings to decide what to do with this phenomenon. Therefore, decision-making is also very emphasized in this theory, where many authors believe that the meaning of life is to make life have meaning, for which they are responsible. This is due to existential angst, the worry and fret that life brings about because it does not have any meaning on its own. Ethics, happiness, time and death were also preoccupations for this movement.
The short story “San Manuel Bueno, mártir”, considered one of Unamuno’s masterpieces, reflects many of these ideals. Miguel de Unamuno was a Spanish philosopher and writer, whose productive period was virtually all in early twentieth century. Part of the generation of ’98, he played an influential role as a modernist writer, experimenting with genres and dissolving them. He was also a very important intellectual during a tumultuous and politically complicated era in Spain, even being exiled by the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera. He was influenced by early 20th century European ideals, which culminated in the international recognition of writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus as being the epitome of the existential movement.
The story is told through a document where a woman, Ángela Carballino, gives an almost Evangelical testimony of the eponymous priest. Emmanuel, the Biblical name for the son of God, is a very famous holy person that preaches in a small town. He is very revered and seems to keep the citizens living fraternally; they perceive him as a modern-day saint, with almost miraculous powers. However, when Lázaro, Angela’s brother, comes back from studying abroad, he notices that there is something off-kilter about this priest. After becoming confidants, the latter confesses to the former that he does not believe in the Church tenants and that he has suicidal tendencies; nevertheless, he still preaches the town because he believes that the inhabitants live a better life because he gives them something to believe in. He practically gives his life for the unity and welfare of the town, living there until his last moments, earning him the title of a saint and a martyr.
Immediately, one can see that the problematic of essence and existence are present in the story, as the ethical rigor of the priest is what drives the story. As he believes that man’s existence does not have an inherent purpose, he invents one of his own: giving the people of his town faith so that they may lead better lives. His lie is only caught after many years of preaching, by a person that has studied and lived outside of the town because the show he put on was so effective. While his life may not be exactly happy, it is defined by how father Emmanuel acts. Father Emmanuel understands that it is the Other who sanctions who one is which can be seen when he says that those who believe themselves to be envied sustain envy. Similarly, by positioning him as a person to be believed, he achieves that others have faith in him, dedicating his life to this.
The cause of this ethical prowess is existential angst, which one can see that he experiences from his emotional confessions to both Lázaro and Ángela. In these desperate passages, one can see that behind all of these religious acts lies an anguished core that leads him to reject the narrator when she is starting to doubt her faith and to have suicidal tendencies. To avoid the idle thoughts that loneliness brings, he occupies himself doing whatever charity he can. In that sense, his whole life is devoted to the town, not for its own well-being, but so that the priest does not have to face the anxiety that loneliness puts him through.
This spiritual anguish sets him off on a quest for faith, which he believes that is what saves humanity from horrifying truth. His faith in faith is what keeps him alive, as his diligence to work for the faith of his parish keeps him happy. Believing in something, even in belief itself, can mend God’s silence and the sin that being born entails. This is taken up afterwards by Lázaro, who at first is extremely skeptic but starts believing in faith due to father Emmanuel.
Finally, one must differentiate the message of this story from nihilistic and absurdist currents, like that of Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus”. While Unamuno’s story does show that life does not have inherent meaning, he believes that a life can be well led by inventing meaning, to the point where one can even become a saint and a martyr. On the other hand, some believe that, no matter what one does, life is pointless, even justifying suicide because it is a way to end the ridiculousness of life. While tempted with this option, father Emmanuel does not consummate the act in part because he has found faith in his life; while it is not religious in nature, he believes that believing can save someone from existential angst and, by professing faith, protects himself and others.
In conclusion, Miguel de Unamuno’s short story “Emmanuel the Good, Martyr” presents the main characteristics of existentialist thought. While existentialism is difficult to define, the story depicts the problematic of essence and existence, existential angst as an ethical motor and faith in faith; however, because of this last point, it is not nihilistic in nature. Miguel de Unamuno was an influential Spanish writer and intellectual during the beginning of the 20th century. In this story, a revered priest that holds the town together is found to not have faith in the Church tenants. Thus, it evidences that existence does not have an essential, intrinsic meaning, but that the purpose of life should be constructed, as one can see the father doing throughout the story. The existential angst that Emmanuel feels when he is lonely serves as a motor for his actions, trying to make people believe so that they may be saved from this anguish. Therefore, this faith in faith separates Unamuno’s story from nihilism and absurdist currents, as he believes that the purpose of life is to find meaning.