Thoughts on Vargas Llosa

ACTUAL Reading Blog 10

I just realized that I missed labelled my blogs as early as reading blog 3, which means I actually have another one to write. Sorry for the confusion Jon and Daniel! 

I am writing on “Death in the Andes,” and would like to start by speaking on the violence depicted in the chapter, right out of the gate. The tourists being carjacked and separated out from the rest of the bus due to their French passports was a bit freaky to read, you know, as a female Canadian tourist in the Andes. It was just a little too real. Something else that was also very real was the violence inflicted on Mercedes, who is repeatedly described by the male characters as a whore, followed by the murder of the perpetrator, by a child. Again, it was just a lot. Vargas Llosa wasn’t holding back. I am still finishing the book, but I am curious about his portrayals of violence in other novels, and about those novel’s success, because honestly, his writing is not to my taste so far. It’s very jumpy; he jumps from one story to the next, he doesn’t always make the narrator clear, and he describes women in a way that makes me extremely uncomfortable. For example, on page 49 Commander Lituma states: 

“What a life.” Lituma sighed. “Five at the same time! A change of woman every day, every night, like underwear or shirts. And here we are, Tomasito, starving to death.”

This is honestly one of the tame quotes, I just didn’t really want to analyze one of the many quotes using misogynistic language or depicting violence against women. The implication of ‘changing women’ everyday “like underwear or shirts” is very misogynistic; it essentially objectifies women, seeing them and their bodies as an item to be owned, ‘worn’ and changed each day after ‘dirtying’ it. This is one of many examples of Vargas Llosa speaking on women in a way that is just problematic. One would hope that he is trying to imitate the dialogue of the time, how he imagines these two characters, holed up alone in the Andes in fear and anticipation, would speak and think. But I don’t know.

One positive thing I will say, is that Vargas Llosa certainly achieves an ominous and dark tone, which fits the title and the time period. As well, despite the content and jumping narrative, I find the way the book is written interesting. I like the narrative device of the characters doing the storytelling within their own story; it adds depth to the characters to hear them narrate another story in their voice. Vargas Llosa is employing this device through his character Deputy Tomás Carreno, who tells Corporal Lituma stories by candlelight each night to keep the boredom and fear away. There is something intimate about that setting that does draw you into the character’s stories. I am curious about Vargas Llosa’s other books, after Jon said this one wasn’t one of his best. I’ll have to give another one a read and let him know what I think.

Ciao for the last time!

Becks.