Social Commentary
Reading and Technology
Throughout the novel it seems that the author is commenting on certain aspects of society. He uses the characters in his novel to make statements on various things including technology. Fermin comments on how television will only dumb down society (106) and how it isn't going to help better society but instead will do the opposite. It appears that Zafon is emphasizing that television is not as beneficial to society as much as it is detrimental.
Zafon also highlights how the amount of individuals who read are becoming less and how people are choosing to watch TV instead of reading. It seems as though he is emphasizing that the decrease in individuals who read is a huge loss, and he is probably right because ignorance will only increase as less people educate themselves. He maintains that there are less readers, when Beatrice states that, "The art of reading is slowly dying...and great readers are becoming scarcer by the day."(484) Essentially, Zafon makes a point throughout the novel to emphasize the importance of books and reading.
Zafon also highlights how the amount of individuals who read are becoming less and how people are choosing to watch TV instead of reading. It seems as though he is emphasizing that the decrease in individuals who read is a huge loss, and he is probably right because ignorance will only increase as less people educate themselves. He maintains that there are less readers, when Beatrice states that, "The art of reading is slowly dying...and great readers are becoming scarcer by the day."(484) Essentially, Zafon makes a point throughout the novel to emphasize the importance of books and reading.
Anarchism
Carlos Ruiz Zafon displays his views on some political ideologies in The Shadow of the Wind. He focuses on Anarchism, which is the political philosophy that considers government to be undesirable and unnecessary. In this novel, Zafon creates characters who display specific anarchist beliefs and use them very effectively in their individual lives. Some examples include Fermin and Miquel. He also demonstrates how the ideology does not work as a collective political philosophy, by showing how even an anarchist group can contain corrupt individuals. He does so through Inspector Fumero, a corrupt officer, who worked alongside various groups including anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. Basically, Zafon is implying that anarchism works more efficiently as an individual philosophy as opposed to a political one.