This was an interesting book. When I was choosing which books to read, the synopsis of this one seemed intriguing and it ended up being exactly that. The way the book was written was quite interesting, the comedic dialogue had an underlying layer of seriousness that made the overall book, satirical.
The character of Pantoja was so different and interesting to me, he isn’t like any character I’ve ever read. I found it so funny and ironic how at the start of the novel he wanted to uphold his principles and not take part in something he found to be ethically wrong. Yet, as time progressed he ended up becoming so committed to the job, like he sent out formal questionnaires to the soldiers to know who wanted the “service”. He took his role so seriously, that he even ended up taking part in the service by getting involved with Olga. Pantoja’s character was like those in movies and TV shows who don’t want to get involved in something, and then when they do, they’re too involved. It kind of reminded me of Narcos and the character Javier Peña, who in season 2 doesn’t want to get involved with the Cali Cartel but ends up working with them, and gets in too deep.
Furthermore, the whole concept and plot of the novel is interesting. Like the entire purpose of the Special Service is to satisfy the sexual desire of men, at a regularly appointed time. Just thinking about that is so humours. This desire that men, particularly the army men, have is kind of seen as a “weakness” that needs to be fulfilled in order for them to do their job correctly. I dunno, writing about this makes me laugh. I’m thinking about how I have a regular skin care routine that I need to do, to stop my acne from growing and for the army men they have this regular service that is supposed to stop there desire from growing. Moreover, it is interesting how this bureaucratic system was meant to control the desires of the men, but instead it ends up growing because of special “project” becomes popular.
Overall, this book was an interesting read and if it wasn’t so long I would read it again. I’m curious about the Llosa’s other works and might do a bit of research to see what other books he has written.
Question to think about: In the start Pantoja rejects carrying out the special project, and then ironically, he ends up taking part in it himself. Why do you think the author chose to have his character end up like that? Did having Pantoja give up his principles add something more to the overall story?
Hi Alizey! Interesting questin for us.
Of course, part of the story’s plot is based around Pantoja’s insane commitment to his work. I suppose otherwise, if he denied this job at the outset, there wouldn’t be much more for Llosa to write.
To answer the question though, I find it necessary to identify both a) why he accepted, and b) why he eventually took on such a “hands on” role, literally. I believe that most honest men who are as “level headed” as Pantoja is presented as an army captain – would be inclined to deny a job when it does not align with their values. I suppose it was a secret though, but my point would be that he stuck around after day one. However, once he had started, because we know how committed he is to his work, and how eager he is to “do well” and follow orders to a tee, as well as failing to have the integrity to stand up for what he believes in – it could be guessed that he would adopt whichever traits were necessary to carry out this mission successfully. In this case, that meant becoming the monster of all monsters.
But in all reality, the question can still be exclaimed “how could anyone in our honest world ever do that?!” And perhaps that is an entirely different discussion!
I’m glad you found this book interesting. The truth is that most of Vargas Llosa’s books, or at least the most famous ones, are much longer than this one. “It is interesting how this bureaucratic system was meant to control the desires of the men, but instead it ends up growing because of special “project” becomes popular.” It seems to me that it is one of the themes with which a novel is built: appetites and desires are hardly bureaucratizable. Both the established Churches (Catholic or not) and the armed forces are incapable of controlling the crowds, whether due to carnal or spiritual desires. Excess goes beyond what is foreseeable. But back to what you wrote: Why do some seek to bureaucratize affections in the first place?
Hi Alizey,
I found your comparison of the army men’s needs being taken care of to your skin care routine funny. To answer your discussion question; I think having the special project take Pantoja over in a way, makes the story a lot more interesting. By doing this the author pushes the reader contemplate questions about the corrupting influence of power and the importance of not veering from ethical and moral boundaries. Seeing Pantoja give up his principles allowed us to witness the struggle between his desire for success and his sense of morality.