Theoretical Framework

Framework: Parables/Parabolas

Art, architecture, and writing all function as forms of ideology by imagining, constructing, and detailing a set of societal values. By their scale, form, style, type, location, and themes, these pieces all work in conjunction to visually, spatially, or intellectually define a system of beliefs for the public.

To demonstrate how the ideology of the exiled Repubican community took shape in Mexico, I examine a variety of manifestations of parábolas—a word in Spanish that means both parable and parabola. I identify the recurring use of stories in the creative works of the exiled community in order to relate moral lessons (parables) that aligned with their pan-Hispanic worldview. In addition to telling these moral stories through narrative, I also discuss the manifestation of moral lessons in acted and visual parables. Like narrative parables, visual parables relate a set of principles, albeit through imagery rather than words. Acted parables, as used in this study, includes the creators themselves demonstrating the values for which they advocate, most specifically in their willingness to collaborate with the Mexican community.

I also identify the recurring use of parabolas in physical places and literary spaces. Although seemingly unrelated terms, with this study I also draw a key connection between both parables and parabolas based on their shared formal elements: namely peaks and valleys. Parábolas, when used in the mathematic sense, refers to a curved shape with mirror symmetry centered on the vertex point. The parabolic shape offers a new perspective for studying both individual and community exile identities. In my research, I suggest that, for the Spanish Civil War exiles, the parabola provides a reflective frame through which to consider concepts of home and host, the past and present, and presence and void. This non-linear and open shape provides a compelling physical manifestation of the movement away from the home culture and the absence that shift creates.