Summary of Jose Saramago's "The Cave".
by
kmasto (student)
The Cave – Jose Saramago – 2002 – Portugal
- Summary
Cipriano Algor is a potter that makes earthenware with his daughter and sells it to The Center in the city. When they stop buying and make him take back his stuff, his life changes. He works on clay figurines to sell to The Center instead and they order hundreds, he meets an elderly widow who he likes, adopts a stray dog, and moves to The Center with his daughter and son-in-law, a security guard there. The widow comes to live with them and he buries the old earthenware in a cave.
- Setting
This story takes place in the country, as well as the city. The potters make pottery and live in the country. They have to take their handy work to the city, however, to sell it. They like the country, but realize the convenience of living in the city. That is one of the reasons they move into the city when an opportunity comes. They don’t always agree with The Center’s decisions, something that makes Cipriano’s pottery contract with The Center very stressful. The juxtaposition between city and country in this book are important to convey morals about the threat of industrialization.
