El cuerpo, el amor y el pecado en la sombra de Dios

Abstract

Saramago is immersed in a period influenced by the existencialism philosophical theory. His work embodies an ironic and shameless dialogue with the reader of a society that is turning away from Church, and feels that Almighty God inhibits men with fear of punishment, not allowing a choice in free will. In the novel Baltasar and Blimunda, suffering stands out because of the unfair and cruel judgement of Holy Inquisition made up of men that commit even more sins than others. This causes the reader to wonder about his relationship with the (im)possible divine. The novel demonstrates the corruptible human nature, which cannot be separated from the sin of the flesh. It also shows the absurd of a God that creates man with a sinful body. It is revealed a God that punishes true love when love should be the protagonist of the Christian religion.