Juan José Millás explores memory in ‘Trampantojos’

In the literary piece ‘Trampantojos’, Juan José Millás explores themes of time, memory, and identity through a metaphorical comparison between a man traveling in a subway and his younger self walking the streets above.

The narrator, traveling through underground tunnels, observes his past self moving through the city with a sense of freedom and unpredictability. While the subway follows a fixed, predetermined itinerary, the younger version of the narrator is free to wander, make mistakes, and encounter unexpected moments. The text reflects on how hindsight provides a clarity that is ultimately useless, as the narrator cannot warn his younger self about the life-altering decisions and ‘ghost stations’ that await him.