La traición como una síntesis dialéctica negativa en El apando de José Revueltas y Felipe Cazals

Abstract

The short novel El Apando by Mexican writer José Revueltas, and its film adaptation by Felipe Cazals, very closely share aesthetic and ethical stances. The former serves as the plot basis for the latter, while the latter is the visual and explosive representation of the former. Both works communicate with each other naturally, expressing the anxiety of human existence. In this paper, I analyze two symbolic elements –strongly visual– that, through the plot, grow hand in hand along with the profound contradictions between the characters. A dialectical tension is present in these human relationships, and the result is a negative synthesis as a consequence of disloyalty and treason.

Keywords

• cinema and literature
• alienation
• josé revueltas
• dialectic synthesis
• prison tragedy