
In the novel Pereira Declares, author Antonio Tabucchi creates a complex and interesting character in Pereira. Throughout the novel we are repeatedly told about Pereira’s thoughts on death and his loneliness. The most obvious reasons for these thoughts is the fact that his wife passed away a few years before the novel takes place. However, I would argue that another reason for these dark thoughts is the state of Europe in 1938. During this time Europe was filled with tension and was on the brink of war. Throughout the opening of the novel it can seen that the cause of Pereira’s depressing thoughts and fear is the political state of Portugal and Europe in 1938 rather than the death of his wife as shown by his conversations with friends and his reactions to mention of politics.

At this point in history the European continent was in a very complex and fragile state. In February of 1938, Hitler had abolished the War Ministry and created a new entity that gave him full control of the German military. Hitler had many people that were in opposition of his opinions fired from their governmental positions. Shortly after, in March, the German military occupied and annexed Austria. Italy was also in a growing state of aggression. Benito Mussolini started to gain more and more power at the very same time as Hitler. To add to the chaos, a civil war was raging in Spain as different parties fought for power. All of Europe was feeling the tension and many countries feared that the fascism and conflict coming out of Germany, Italy, and Spain would come to their country, and this certainly included Portugal, which is where Pereira resides in Pereira Declares. The civil war in Spain, the growing threat of war throughout Europe as a whole, and the growing oppression from governments in the region had taken a clear toll on many people’s mental health, including Pereira’s.

The first instance where we find Pereira thinking about dying after mention of society in 1938 is in chapter two “meanwhile people were dying and the police had things all their own way. Pereira broke out in sweat, he was thinking of death again. And he thought: this City reeks of death, the whole of Europe reeks of death” (Tabucchi 6). Clearly the war, oppression, and increased police presence is causing Pereira to have these depressing thoughts. Pereira’s fear, shown by his sweating, is caused by aggression that Portuguese state is showing towards its people. He tells us how the police are killing socialist in the streets and the increased military presence in the city. Here, Tabbuchi is saying that it is not only the death of Pereira’s wife that causes him these thoughts, but also political and social issues.Things are much more complex for Pereira than most people see. There is much more going on in his mind than than just the longing for his wife.

The excerpt from the previous paragraph is not the only place in the novel where  political issues and Pereira’s thoughts are interconnected. Again, in chapter five we see Pereira get worked up “I don’t know whether you are aware of it, my dear Monteiro Rossi, but at this moment there’s a civil war raging in Spain” (Tabucchi 23). While talking to Monteiro about an obituary that he has written, Pereira gets very upset about the mention of the politically controversial topics taking place in Spain, such as the ones in Monteiro’s obituary. He is scared that publishing something talking about politically controversial topics could get him killed by the police like the socialist mentioned before. It gets to the point where Pereira begins to sweat, which is a sign of his fear. Although at the beginning of the novel Pereira did not pay attention to information outside of his own small world, we gradually see him grow into a more mindful character. In chapter three Pereira meets with Monteiro Rossi and at first the place they decide to meet is extremely peaceful. He then notices that he is at a festival for people that support the political regime “He hung back in terror, and several different things flashed into his mind at once. It occurred to him that perhaps Monteiro Rossi was one of them, he thought of the Alentejan carter who had shed his blood all over his melons” (Tabucchi 10).  With this mindfulness we see him think of the sad things that come along with the outside world which is having a negative impact on his mental health and wellbeing.

Lastly, towards the end of the sixth chapter, Pereira thinks of saying something 
about the world around him that I find quite depressing “The problem is that the whole world is a problem and it certainly won’t be solved by you or me” (Tabucchi 27). Here, Pereira is stating that he has a problem with the world, but what is more depressing is what he says during the second half of the sentence when he says “and it certainly won’t be solved you or me” (Tabucchi 27). With this, it seems as if Pereira has given up all hope for Europe and society. He is constantly talking about sad the world is around him and the narrator makes constant mention of how the government makes him uncomfortable. This is the tipping point where it becomes clear that it is not only the death of Pereira’s wife that is making him lonely, sad, depressed, and fearful but also, and more importantly, the political climate of Europe at this time in history. It is clear that the constant talk of war and politics has sent Pereira to a dark place.

This theme of fear and depression is overlooked and put in the shadow of other sad events in Pereira’s life. Although sometimes subtle, these examples prove that the European political climate of the late 30’s contribute a large amount to Pereira’s poor mental health. It will be interesting to see how or if this changes in the chapters to come.
