Let us remember that the shrinking of Esteban is actually
the result of Ferula's curse, but also, you are right in suggesting that his reduced
stature is symbolic of something else. Let us remember that from our first introduction
to Esteban in the novel, he is presented as a cruel, violent and very ambitious
character, as is shown by the way that he beats women and takes lovers. He is
successfull in achieving money and power, growing in stature. However, the novel makes
clear that this success is only limited to his public life, and in fact his private life
is definitely not a success. We are told that his relationships with his children only
became worse with time and after his wife's death, he is left alone with only two
friends to try and make him happy. We can therefore see that the physical shrinking that
Esteban endures is actually a symbol of the way that, as he grows older, he "shrinks" in
terms of his importance in society.
The shrinking can
perhaps also symbolise the way that Esteban mellows with age and becomes very tolerant
and understanding of things that he would never have been tolerant of in his youth. His
relationship with Alba, his granddaughter, is a prime example of this, as he agrees to
her marriage to a boy of low public position.
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