La gitanilla facts for kids

La gitanilla (which means "The Little Gypsy Girl") is a famous short story. It's the first one in a collection called Novelas ejemplares (The Exemplary Novels). This collection was written by the well-known Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.

The story is about a 15-year-old girl named Preciosa. She is a gypsy and is known for being very talented, beautiful, and smart. Preciosa travels to Madrid with her adoptive grandmother and other members of her gypsy group. There, she meets a charming nobleman named Juan de Carcome. Juan wants to marry Preciosa. But she challenges him to live as a gypsy for two years, using the name Andres Caballero. During these exciting years, both Preciosa and Juan learn a lot about themselves and each other. The story has a surprising and happy ending. It explores ideas like breaking stereotypes, the strength of women, and the true meaning of gypsy life.

What Happens in the Story?

Preciosa is a 15-year-old gypsy girl. She was raised by an old gypsy woman she calls her grandmother. Preciosa grew up with her gypsy family group in Sevilla, Spain.

Preciosa's Performances

The gypsies travel to Madrid. Preciosa performs for the first time at a festival for the city's patron saint, Saint Anna. She sings and dances for everyone to see. People quickly notice her. They see she is a wonderful performer, very beautiful, and kind.

On her second visit to Madrid, a city official stops to listen to Preciosa perform. He sends a message asking the gypsies to come to his house that night. He wants them to perform for his wife, Doña Clara. Preciosa's grandmother agrees.

After their performance at the official's house, another person approaches Preciosa. He is a page (a young servant). He asks her to perform his poems. He gives her a folded paper with one of his poems. Preciosa agrees. She makes a deal to be paid for his poems by the dozen. The page is very happy with this.

Meeting the Gentlemen

On their way to the official's house, the gypsies are called over by a gentleman from a window. They are invited to perform for a group of gentlemen. Cristina, another gypsy girl, is worried about being with so many men. But Preciosa convinces her there's nothing to fear. The gypsies decide to perform.

One of the gentlemen sees the paper in Preciosa's hand. He takes it and finds a coin for Preciosa inside. Preciosa asks him to read the poem aloud. After he reads it, Preciosa shares her thoughts on the poem. When asked how she knows so much, she says she doesn't need a teacher. She explains that gypsy life teaches them to be wise about the world from a young age.

Fortune-Telling for Doña Clara

The gypsy group then goes to the official's home to perform for Doña Clara. Doña Clara is very excited. She invites other ladies to watch the performance with her. All the ladies admire Preciosa. They ask her to tell their fortunes. But none of them have money to pay. Only one lady has a silver thimble as payment. Preciosa only has time to tell Doña Clara's fortune before the official comes home. She promises to return the next Friday.

Andrés Caballero's Challenge

The next morning, on their way back to Madrid, the gypsies meet a handsome young gentleman. He asks to speak with Preciosa and her grandmother privately. The young man reveals he is a knight. He explains that he is in love with Preciosa's beauty and talent. He wants to serve her and make her a lady of the court. He gives them a large sum of money. This is to show what he can offer as Preciosa's future husband.

Preciosa insists on answering him herself. She states that her good character cannot be bought with money or promises. She agrees to marry him only if he meets her conditions. First, he must prove who he says he is. Second, he must leave his comfortable home. Third, he must live as a gypsy for two years. This time will help him see if his love is real and learn about her.

The young man agrees to these conditions. He had already promised to give Preciosa what she wanted. However, he makes a condition of his own. He asks Preciosa not to return to Madrid. He fears harm might come to her there. Preciosa refuses this condition. She stands up for her independence and asks him to trust her. They agree to meet in the same place in eight days. This gives Preciosa time to check his identity. It also gives the gentleman time to get his affairs in order.

The grandmother accepts the young man's money. She gives Preciosa many reasons why they should keep it. The gentleman then pays the other gypsies for their time. The gypsies decide the young man's gypsy name will be Andrés Caballero. They all continue their travels to Madrid.

Jealousy and New Friendships

Once in Madrid, Preciosa is again approached by the page who wrote the poem for her. He is ready to offer another poem. They talk about poets and poetry. They decide the page is not a poet but loves poetry. They also agree he is not rich or poor, but comfortable enough to spare a coin. Preciosa refuses to keep the poem until the page takes back his money, which he does. They part ways. Preciosa continues to find the house of Andrés and his father.

She finds the house and is invited in by Andrés's father. It is revealed that Don Juan (or Don Juanico) is Andrés's real name. The gypsies perform for the men, including Andrés. A paper falls, and the poem is read aloud. This makes Andrés jealous. Preciosa gently teases him for being bothered by a piece of paper.

The agreed-upon day arrives. Andrés meets the gypsies at the special spot. The gypsies take him to their camp outside the city. There, he learns his first lessons about gypsy life. Preciosa again shows her independence. The group quickly leaves Madrid. This is to prevent people from recognizing Andrés as Don Juan de Cárcamo.

After several days with the gypsies, Andrés learns about stealing. But he still refuses to steal. Instead, he pays for each item he claims to have taken. Despite this, Andrés helps the gypsy group earn money. He becomes as famous for his skills as Preciosa is for her beauty and talent. Over time, Andrés and Preciosa get to know each other much better.

One night, the page-poet accidentally finds the gypsy camp while traveling. He is injured. The gypsies take him in, care for his injury, and offer him a safe place. Preciosa recognizes him. Andrés becomes jealous, thinking the page is in love with Preciosa. Andrés talks to the page and learns the truth. The page is not in love with Preciosa but needs help. The gypsies agree to help Don Sancho, which is his name until the gypsies rename him Clemente. Andrés remains suspicious of Clemente until they become close friends.

A Surprising End

After some time, the gypsies travel to Murcia. They stop at an inn along the way. The innkeeper’s daughter, Carducha, falls in love with Andrés. She proposes marriage to him. Andrés politely says no. This makes Carducha very angry. As the gypsies are about to leave, she secretly puts some of her belongings in Andrés’s bag. Then she calls the authorities.

The mayor’s son is among the officials. He finds the belongings in Andrés’s bag. He insults Andrés and hits him. Andrés remembers he is actually Don Juan. He defends himself, and sadly, the mayor's son is killed. Some of the gypsies are arrested and taken to Murcia. Andrés, Preciosa, and her grandmother are among them.

Andrés is held in the dungeons. Preciosa and her grandmother are called by the magistrate’s wife. It is then revealed that both Preciosa and Andrés are of noble birth. This leads to their freedom and a happy marriage.

Meet the Main Characters

• Preciosa (Doña Constanza de Azevedo y de Meneses)

Preciosa is a 15-year-old gypsy girl. She is described as a unique dancer, beautiful, polite, sensible, and honest. Her close friend, Cristina, says Preciosa is wiser than a wise man. The story says Preciosa is amazing at everything she does. Everyone would run to see her. Preciosa is shown as a good person in her community. She is different from the common ideas about gypsies at the time. However, there's a twist: the best gypsy (the most beautiful, talented, and good) turns out not to be a gypsy at all. Preciosa is actually Doña Constanza, the noble daughter of Don Fernando de Acevedo and Doña Guiomar de Meneses.

• Andrés Caballero (Don Juan de Cárcamo)

Don Juan is a young gentleman and nobleman who loves Preciosa. He is willing to do anything for her. Don Juan gives up his title, becomes a gypsy, and risks his life to be with Preciosa. To marry her, he must live as a gypsy for two years as Andrés Caballero. He is an honest person. He refuses to steal, even when his new gypsy life expects it. He also tells small lies to keep up his gypsy appearance. He gets jealous easily, especially when it comes to Clemente.

• Clemente (Page, Alonso Hurtado, Don Sancho)

Clemente loves poetry. Andrés becomes jealous of Clemente because he sees how much Clemente admires Preciosa, first through his poems and then in person. However, Clemente tells Andrés that he only wants safe passage out of the country. Clemente and Andrés eventually become good friends.

Other Important People

• Preciosa's Grandmother

She is an old gypsy woman who loves the gypsy way of life, both the good and the bad parts. She is always ready to make a deal and accept payment. She handles the money for the performers.

• Don Francisco de Cárcamo

He is a nobleman who enjoys Preciosa's performances. He is impressed by her intelligence and wisdom. Don Francisco is also Don Juan's father.

• Preciosa's Biological Family

Preciosa's real father is the magistrate, Don Fernando de Acevedo. He is a knight. Her real mother is Doña Guiomar de Menesis. They are in charge in Murcia. They are able to show mercy to Don Juan during his trial and allow him to marry their daughter.

Big Ideas in the Story

Truth and Lies

La gitanilla shows a contrast between truth and lies. This is clearest with the three main characters: Preciosa, Andrés, and Clemente. Preciosa knows how to use tricks in her performances. But in her personal life, she is dedicated to the truth. She can convince customers about their fake fortunes. Yet, she is also committed to being honest and expects it from others. She won't talk to Clemente until he promises to be honest with her.

At the same time, Andrés refuses to steal because it goes against his morals. But he seems to have no problem with the lies he tells to keep his true identity a secret. Clemente can lie, but he quickly tells the truth when Andrés and Preciosa press him.

Another example of truth and lies is Preciosa's grandmother. She has made a living from tricking people. But she chooses to tell Don Fernando de Acevedo and Doña Guiomar de Meneses the truth. She admits she kidnapped their daughter, Preciosa. In an ironic twist, Don Fernando and Doña Guiomar don't believe the old gypsy woman until they see proof. Everyone believed her when she was lying. But as soon as she tells the truth, she is not trusted.

We also see truth versus lies in the real identities of Preciosa (Doña Constanza), Andrés (Don Juan), and Clemente (Don Sancho). All of them live under false gypsy names. Preciosa lives a life of lies because of her situation; she didn't choose it. Andrés, however, chooses this life of lies because he loves Preciosa. Clemente is forced to live a lie to save his life. Each character has a hidden truth, even though Preciosa doesn't know hers until the end of the story.

Life as a Gypsy

La gitanilla shows two different ideas of what gypsy life is like. The first idea is the common stereotype of what it means to be a gypsy. This is introduced at the very beginning of the story. It suggests that gypsies are born and raised to be thieves. Cervantes supports this idea when Preciosa refuses money from Don Juan. Her grandmother scolds her, saying it would hurt the gypsies' reputation for being greedy. Andrés sees this side of gypsy life when an old gypsy man tries to teach him to steal. Andrés refuses to do it.

The second idea of gypsy life is shown through Preciosa. She is an "exceptional" gypsy. Michael Gerli explains that Preciosa's actions are witty and lively like a gypsy's. But they don't fit the idea that all gypsies are thieves. Preciosa is shown as beautiful, talented, smart, wise, honest, and trustworthy. It seems Cervantes wants to show a side of gypsy life that is completely different from the stereotypes.

The problem comes at the end of the story. It is revealed that Preciosa is not a true gypsy girl. She is a young woman born into a noble family. Can readers still believe in this "exceptional" gypsy life when the main example is based on a lie? Another idea is that even though Preciosa was born noble, she was raised as a gypsy. This brings up the question of nature versus nurture. Is it more important that she was born noble or that she was raised as a gypsy? Cervantes leaves us with this irony. Perhaps he wants his audience to wonder if it really matters that the best gypsy was not a gypsy at all.

Besides these two different views, the story also shows some gypsy culture. Readers see how important music, poetry, dance, and storytelling are to the gypsy people. Through songs, poems, dances, and fortune-telling, Cervantes shows the art of a group often treated badly. The moral rules of the gypsy people are also discussed. Andrés learns about a moral code where marriage, love, and loyalty are very important. Throughout the story, readers also see how important community is in gypsy culture. Gypsies work, live, and travel together as a group. So, while some negative stereotypes might be supported, the story also shows many positive parts of the community.

See also

In Spanish: La gitanilla para niños

• La gitanilla, a film made in 1924 based on the story.
• La gitanilla, another film made in 1940 based on the story.