The Structure, Irony, and Character of Ñor Cornelio in El Clis de Sol by Manuel González Zeledón

Introduction

Manuel González Zeledón (“Magón”) presents in El Clis de Sol a deceptively simple rural anecdote that conceals a deeper social critique in Costa Rica. The story, told through the voice of the narrator who recounts what his friend ñor Cornelio Cacheda told him, uses irony, folk beliefs, and character contrast to explore themes of superstition, innocence, and social stratification. Using The Arrangement of Events in a Story framework created by Prof. Acuña-Solano (n.d.) for the sequencing of event in stories, the narrative structure will be analyzed focusing on Cornelio as a central figure whose personality and worldview embody the story’s social commentary and criticism.

Sequence of Events and Use of Quotation

The narrative of Magón’s short story begins with an explicit framing:

“No es cuento, es una historia que sale de mi pluma como ha ido brotando de los labios de ñor Cornelio Cacheda” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 1).

      This opening establishes that what follows is not pure fiction but a retelling of Cornelio’s own testimony and life experience, lending a sense of authenticity while immediately introducing the character. The subsequent events unfold linearly: Cornelio comes to the narrator with his twin daughters. Cornelio explains (in his own colorful voice) the strange circumstances of their birth, links them to a past solar eclipse (“clis de sol”), and offers his reasoning involving his wife’s behavior, divine power, and the explanation given to him by an Italian maestro.

The chronological structure is deliberate: the explanation builds gradually, as Cornelio unpacks his story with humor, pride, and conviction. There is no flashback or complex rearrangement, which keeps the focus on Cornelio’s account and highlights how his worldview emerges naturally from his day-to-day life.

Plot Actions, Conflict, and Irony

The core of the action found in the short story’s plot revolves around Cornelio’s recounting of his twin daughters’ birth, his interpretation of the eclipse, and what this solar phenomenon caused in his wife, Lina. One of the most telling moments found in his recounting of the story is when Cornelio says:

“Usté sabe que hora en marzo hizo tre años que hubo un clis de sol … como unos veinte días antes Lina, mi mujer, salió habelitada de esas chiquillas … siempre ispiando pal cielo” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 2).

Here, Cornelio connects his wife’s strange restlessness, her constant watching of the sky, and the solar eclipse. In his way of making sense of what has happened to Lina, he believes, and he sincerely argues, that the eclipse had a supernatural influence on the birth of the twins, which, to modern scientific eyes, is obviously misguided, and to 19^th century eyes, is suspicious and not credible. But Magón does not merely mock Cornelio while listening to his tale; instead, he stages this logic with affectionate irony, something Cornelio, in his “simplified” mind is not able to comprehend.

What the reader witnesses through his reading of the Magón’s story is that there is a Society vs. Individual conflict (Cornelio’s beliefs vs. scientific / educated perspectives) but also an Individual vs. Self dimension: Cornelio is proud of his explanation, yet he seems aware that others might think him ignorant. He laughs when he says:

“¿Pos no había de rirme, don Magón, cuando veo que un probe inorante como yo … sabe más que un hombre como usté que todos dicen que es tan sabido …?” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 1).

This line in the story reveals his self-deprecating humor and also his challenge to social hierarchies: the “ignorant” campesino claims a kind of epistemic authority over the learned narrator. Cornelio Cacheda has “the explanation” as to why his twin daughters are very different from what he looks.

Character Analysis: Ñor Cornelio Cacheda

Personality and Social Position

Ñor Cornelio Cacheda is portrayed by Magón as a rustic, uneducated campesino, but one with a strong sense of dignity, family pride, and religious faith. The narrator describes his daughters:

“ambas rubias como una espiga, blancas y rosadas como durazno maduro … lindas como si fueran ‘imágenes’” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 1).

At the same time, Cornelio is described in stark contrast:

“feo si los hay, moreno subido y tosco hasta lo sucio de las uñas y lo rajado de los talones.” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 1).

This contrast amplifies the absurdity of Cornelio being the father of these two blonde, white-skinned girls (and humor) and of his pride for having fathered these cute kids around the solar eclipse despite his rough appearance, he is the “tata” (dad) of two extraordinarily beautiful daughters.

Beliefs and Worldview

Cornelio’s belief in the eclipse’s supernatural power demonstrates his deeply held religious and folk worldview. He attributes the girls’ unique features not to genetics (as now understood scientifically) but to a miraculous influence of God:

“pal gran poder de mi Dios no hay nada imposible” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 1).

He also invokes a foreign “mestro italiano,” a learned man in the idea of Cornelio, who supposedly explained the phenomenon to him:

“él jue el que m'explicó la cosa del clis de sol” (González Zeledón, Magón, 1896/ n.d., p. 3).

This combination of local faith and a supposedly authoritative outsider gives Cornelio’s reasoning both credibility (in his own eyes) and a touch of comic irony.

Function in the Story

Cornelio is more than just a narrator’s source: he is the story. His personality and way of understanding his surrounding world drive the narrative; his beliefs and way of speaking define the tone in the story. He embodies the tension Magón wants to highlight: rural simplicity vs. intellectual pretension, tradition vs. modern knowledge. Through Cornelio, Magón critiques social hierarchies (educational, cultural) without condemning the person; Cornelio is sympathetic, proud, humorous, and convinced in his own truth or what he understands as the truth coming from facts he is not able to analyze.

Irony and Social Commentary.

Magón’s portrayal of Cornelio is layered: he uses irony to show that Cornelio’s logic is flawed, but he also respects Cornelio’s sincerity and his status as a storyteller. Critical scholarship supports this reading: Garita Hernández and Quesada Guzmán (1987) argue that in El Clis de Sol, Magón uses irony, parody, and satire to show how social “truths” (superstition, tradition) can be accepted uncritically. Furthermore, Corrales Arias (2009) asserts that Magón’s humor “installs a lie as social truth” to expose cultural tensions. And for the Costa Rican Spanish reader, who understands the irony behind ñor Cornelio’s last name, Cacheda, derived from the word “cacho” (horn in English) and linked to the Spanish expression “poner los cachos” (to cheat on someone in English), it is quite evident that Lina, Cornelio’s wife, cheated on him with the Italian maestro.

Conclusion

By integrating quotations from the SINABI edition of El Clis de Sol and applying your structural framework, we see how Magón constructs a simple but deeply ironic narrative. The chronological, straightforward sequence allows Cornelio’s worldview to be presented fully. Cornelio himself emerges as a central character: his pride, humility, faith, and “ignorance” all contribute to the story’s humor, but also to its critique of social and cultural divides. Through him, Magón invites readers to reflect on how “knowledge” is socially constructed and how humility and humanity persist even in flawed reasoning.

📚 References

Acuña-Solano, J. (n.d.). The arrangement of events in a story. Unpublished instructional document.

Corrales Arias, A. (2009). Magón: La insoportable sospecha de la tradición. Comunicación, 18(2), 40–44. revistas.tec.ac.cr

Garita Hernández, F. M., & Quesada Guzmán, M. (1987). “Los indicios de la ironía en el cuento ‘El clis de sol’.” LETRAS, 15–17, 337–350. Revistas UNA

González Zeledón, M. [Magón]. (1896). El clis de sol. In El clis de sol (edición PDF). Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas, Costa Rica. Sinabi+1 

Handout A: Reader Interaction Guide for blog post

Reader Interaction Guide for Blog Post by Jonathan Acuña