Gabriel García Márquez writes in the tradition of Realismo Magico along with other famous Latin American authors such as Luís Borges. García Márquez’s work discusses social issues, which affect his region, Argentina. Usually, his writing protests against the injustices the people of his country suffer under the hand of an oppressive government as well as poor economic conditions brought about by colonizing and industrial nations, such as the United States. The story, “La siesta del martes,” follows this tradition. This story details the hardship of a mother and her daughter who loose one of their beloved relatives who dies in the process of committing a robbery. Through the use of symbols and symbolic characters, García Márquez presents the difficulties the impoverished and other marginalized peoples must face when dealing with an oppressive patriarchal society.
The opening scene of the story provides a symbol of stark contrast between the two worlds existing in the society of the mother and child. As they speed along in the train toward their destination, they look out the window to examine the scenery. At one point, the mother notes the difference in scenery between one side of the train and the other.
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Despite the spectacle they are causing, the travelers take no interest in the onlookers – they are absorbed in their mourning. Yet, the mother stands up to the priest’s unjust denouncement of her child, stating that she taught her son that it was only wrong to steal what others were going to eat. Throughout the entire story, the little girl has carried these flowers in hopes of leaving them as an offering at her brother’s grave; yet, the church or privileged society robs of her of her humble possession. García Márquez emphasizes the total deprivation of the poor in this moment, painting them as people who not only lack material possessions, but important sentimental things because they are too poor to speak against the existing powers. The author shows the institutionalized church’s lack of compassion toward the poor with this scene. The mother must plead for the woman to retrieve the priest, insisting that she has important business to conduct prior to the train’s return at 3:30 p. This represents the rural world of Latin America, where poor families must subsist on the little they make from the production of crops – primarily for exportation. This is characteristic of writers of the Realismo Magico period, who attempt to incorporate real and supernatural or strange occurrences in their works, at the same time. The priest’s defense of the colonel represents the church’s ability to overlook or condone the unnecessarily violent actions of the military in Latin American countries. Yet, the author withholds the information at this point. Her son was killed one week ago for attempting to rob the home of one of their residents, Colonel Aureliano Buendía. After this momentary allusion to one of the unjust social situations of his country, García Márquez proceeds with the main action of the story. Finally, the woman relents and goes to seek the priest. The siblings note that the entire town watches from their windows and the children of the town have gathered in front of the house in order to ascertain what the strangers are doing in their town.
Approximate Word count =
1454
Approximate Pages =
6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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