When we were discussing Andean Lives together as a class, I remember someone, can’t remember who, saying that the people who’s lives are detailed in andean lives had essentially adopted a stoic philosophy. I found this to be a fascinating take, I was thinking a similar thing when I was initially reading the text but as I have thought about it more, I feel that this is not quite accurate. 

The logic behind this person making this argument was essentially that, despite the miserable experiences these individuals had to endure, they seemed to accept their fates as part of a divine rational order. I would agree that these are the fundamentals of stoic philosophy, However Gregorio and Asunta’s narratives are embedded in the specific socio-cultural context of indigenous Andean life. Their actions are driven by immediate survival needs rather than philosophical contemplation of their situation. Generally, stoic philosophy would involve an active, rational process of accepting fate. Gregorio’s endurance, however, seems more like resignation out of necessity. When gregorio says, “No, Papa, please! I’m an orphan and on my own—my godmother doesn’t want to support me anymore,” it shows a plea for survival rather than a stoic acceptance of circumstances. His hardships are faced because he has no other choice, not as a deliberate philosophical stance,  he describes the brutality of his employer: “He’d flog me for those things, hanging me by a rope from the rafter and making me drink fermented urine mixed with soot,”… a dire struggle for survival rather than a philosophical acceptance of hardship. Stoicism moreso focuses on enduring imagined suffering and breaking free of said suffering. Based primarily on these reasons, I would reject applying the label of stoic to Gregorio or Asunta. However I wouldn’t say that this argument is completely without merit. Epictetus writes, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” Gregorio’s reaction to his godmother’s urging to work “So from that day on I felt a yearning, lodged like a needle deep in my heart, to leave my godmother’s house and look for work” shows a proactive approach to hardship, how very stoic. I would say that while this book does regularly echo stoic sentiments, given the specific context and specific situations of these characters, it is difficult to say that there is a fundamental basis in stoic philosophy. But also…what do I know, I’m no philosopher, I could be dead wrong. Please let me know, godspeed, friends.