I think Fornes’
use of the character of Olimpia in The
Conduct of Life is an excellent way to provide the voice of reason in the
play. She contrasts Orlando, who is violent and cruel, and Leticia, who chooses
to ignore the tragedy that’s right in front of her. She calls Orlando out on
his cruelty and tries to take care of Nena, and she tries to bring things to
attention (ie the fact she needs a new pot or the fact that Nena is ill). What
makes her an interesting character to choose for this position in the play, is
that she is the servant which means she is going to notice everything but
because of her position there is no chance for her words to fall on anything
but deaf ears. Perhaps if Olimpia was a character with a higher position in
this world she would have been able to stop everything that happened but then
again if she was she probably wouldn’t have seen what was going on
I completely agree with your feelings on Olympia. She is definitely the ears of the play but has almost no voice because she is ignored. It is basically a catch 22. I think that she is the character that holds the whole show together and without her the audience would be completely lost. She is indeed the one who directs an audience to the foundational issues that are brought up in the show. She is great at pinpointing the characters’ flaws and frankly calling them out on the spot.
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