The wolf as a symbol of freedom in the poem “Los motivos del lobo,” by Rubén Darío

Abstract

The project explores the symbolic configuration of the wolf in the wolf motifs by Rubén Darío, traditionally associated in Western literature with violence and evil. In contrast to this negative representation, Darius reworks the wolf as a symbol of freedom, strength and passion. the research part of the episode collected in I fioretti di san francesco, where Saint Francis of Assisi meets the wolf of gubbio, medieval hagiographic text that the modernist poet transforms into a lyrical composition of deep philosophical sense. the objective of the study is to identify the stylistic and rhetorical resources that make this symbolic resignification possible in contrast with human cruelty. the methodology is based on a textual comparative analysis between the original narrative version and its poetic reinterpretation. it is concluded that Darío gives the character an unprecedented complexity, challenging its traditional load and offering an implicit critique of the dominant values of modernity.