UNINTERLINGUA 2015

U N I N T E R L I N G U A 102 selflessness in the face of adversity. Surely it is not a coincidence that Ruiz Zafón chose a Greek name for Ismael’s treasured boat, Kyaneos, the word that Homer used to des- cribe the dark wine color of the sea. Ismael’s heroism is primarily shown in the two battles that he and Irene have against the inhuman and monstrous shadow, which fully intends to kill them. The first en- counter came when the teens sneaked into Cravenmoore, looking for clues to Hannah’s death. Once the shadow became aware of their presence in the mansion, it took over the body of the toymaker’s gigantic mecha- nical angel with its razor-sharp talons. To cover more ground, the teens had split up, so Ismael was not close to Irene when he heard her desperate screams. Following the sound at a dead run, he located the room and “Sin pensarlo un segundo, el muchacho se lanzó al interior, desconocedor de lo que le esperaba allí dentro” (174). Ismael’s only thought was to save Irene from the shadow, which he managed to do while enduring se- veral physical wounds in the process. To make their escape, the couple had plunged into a sea cave, only to find they were trapped by the rising tide and strong currents. Again, Ismael was focused on Ire- ne’s welfare, giving her both verbal and phy- sical support. “Mientras esperaba paciente- mente que la marea les dejase el paso libre, Ismael comprendió que, de no haber esta- do él allí, Irene habría muerto hacía horas” (200). When the waters receded enough, he literally dragged Irene out of the cave, across the lagoon, and onto the beach whe- re they both collapsed. The second encounter with the shadow came shortly after Ismael and Irene found out from Dorian that the black demon had taken Simone to Cravenmoore, so they im- mediately set out to save her. The two na- rrowly escaped the shadow’s first attack on them, thanks to Lazarus, who tried to con- vince them to leave: “Si os queda una gota de sentido común, corred hasta allí y ale- jaos de esta casa para siempre” (263). Is- Pierina Beckman