Essay on Humor in the novel Lazarillo de Tormes

Any novel brings out various forms of themes that play an essential role in developing the message and ideas aimed at the poem. Lazarrillo de Tormes is a comic novel published in the year 1554 in various editions, each in a different city. The author is unknown but highly contributed to the development of literature to modern trends. The story involves the life of Lazarillo, who came from a poor background, given almost no chances for social advancement but make it through such a society through lying, wit and cunning behavior. This essay aims at discussing humor as presented in the novel Lazarillo de Tormes.

Types of humor in the novel

The novel exhibits humor where the mother of Lazarillo decides that leaving the poor kids in the hand of a poor blind beggar was way better than staying with her. Considering that the mother was in a better physical state to work, then it is funny that she trusted a beggar more than herself with her child. The blind beggar is at a lower level compared to the mother of Lazarillo. However, the mother knew that the beggar together with a little baby besides would never lack a daily mean, which was clever but humorous at the same time ("Lazarillo De Tormes: Summary").

Lazarillo used his cleverness against the stupidity of the church masters to gain an understanding of their work which was interesting. Through conning and taking an apprenticeship, he moved from being a beggar to an archpriest. For instance, he uses the fact that the priest would blame rats for taking bread from the chest, but Lazarillo steals it through a key he got from convincing a tinker and paying him with bread from the chest. The ways he got food was just humorous and led him to greatness as a joke (Rodriguez, 217-224).

The fact that Lazaro made it in life through the tricks learned from the blind beggar is itself humorous. People look up to the successful people in life for tips and guidelines to make their lives better. However, Lazarillo looked up to a poor blind beggar for survival techniques that he employed for most of his life for survival. He learned to be mischievous, a good liar and good at making up quick false stories to bribe someone for money, food or to learn something ("Lazarillo De Tormes: Summary").

Lazarillo's thoughts that God had concern for his prayer for the sick displayed humor. He believed in praying for the sick to die instead of recovering. It contradicted the fact that people ha believe in God believe in healing and not death. The belief that God would be interested in his prayers for the sick to die as revenge was comic. Lazaro's primary aim was never to lack something to eat but made other things looks more critical to gain food (Rodriguez, 217-224).

The person that gets the last laugh is the archpriest who advises Lazaro not to listen to other people's opinions but to what concerned them. Lazaro did that for all his life and hence readily agreed to marry a servant girl despite knowing their relationship with the archpriest for his greater benefit ("Lazarillo De Tormes: Summary").

In conclusion, although Lazarillo used wrong ways to attain his success, he achieved much more than what some person brought up in a rich and knowledgeable person would achieve.Work Cited

"Lazarillo De Tormes: Summary." Spainthenandnow.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 6 Feb. 2018. Retrieved from http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/lazarillo-de-tormes-summary/default_101.aspx

Rodriguez, B. M. R. (2017). Humor y juegos de palabras en las traducciones de El Lazarillo de Tormes a la lengua inglesa. TRANS. Revista de Traductologia, (13), 217-224.