Lesbian Desire and Related Matters in Carmen Laforet's Nada

Abstract

Sexual repression is a constant theme in Nada (1945), and in the absence of any sort of traditional plot, Carmen Laforet's characters seem to be searching to define themselves socially and sexually in an atmosphere characterized by disorder. While scholars have emphasized both Laforet's use of an ambiguously constructed discourse and the overall tone of sexual repression in the novel's characters, aside from the obvious heterosexual tensions of the novel, there exists in Nada a series of exceptionally suggestive homoerotic undercurrents that have remained largely unexamined. An important question has remained unanswered: What is the function of the undeniably homoerotic undercurrents of the novel, particularly insofar as Andrea's physical obsession with Gloria and her complex, deeply affectionate relationship with her friend Ena? Through an analysis of both the highly charged female relationships and episodes of homoerotic desire and the contrasting instances of Andrea's indifference, repulsion, and fear of heterosexual relationships with men, it is the purpose of the present study to attempt to show that homosocial desire is encoded in the social structures detailed in the novel, and that same-sex friendship serves as a socially acceptable device through which Andrea can derive emotional fulfillment independent of traditional heterosexual social constructs.