Week 10 – Money to Burn
Piglia, Ricardo’s “Money to Burn” was a book that was quite interesting to read for me. In comparison to the other books in this course I felt the central plot and story reflected something different. This story follows the life of thieves who rob a central bank, town, which results in a standoff between the gang and police officers, it is one of violence and crime. I found this book easy to read and follow along which made it much easier to understand. As the story continued I felt drawn in and wanting to continue to read more to see what happens next. It definitely had a fast-paced plot filled with complex situations and characters. The fact that it was based on a real story was even more of a shock.
This story follows the lives of gangsters who are involved in grand theft. The gangsters involved go through certain events that are found to be fictional as mentioned in the lecture. However, one thing I found interesting was the investment in reading. Both Bignone and Malito are avid readers. Whether it be reading in prison or simply reading crime pages these “semieducated hoodlums” are complex characters.
Another thing that stood out to me was the event in which the money was burned. This almost hurt to see, to be honest. After all they go through to steal this money they end up burning it. Despite engaging in armed robbery, they essentially sacrifice the core motivation. Money is a powerful structure as mentioned in the lecture. It holds value and significance. To burn this amount of money that could potentially change the lives of many in society is harsh. Even though it could be seen as a way of freeing themselves it is betrayal. It betrays society in a way as it mocks those who work away their life for so little as there is literally money flying around in the sky on flames. On the other hand, they send a message. Our society is centrally involved around money and as criminals, they are attacking the core. By stealing the money and then lighting it on fire they attack capitalism and the widely held beliefs of society that are so deeply ingrained. This depiction of crime and what it really means was something left me in my thoughts.
My question for this week is what did you think when the money was burned? What do you think it symbolized?
Was there anything that caught your attention about those “gangsters”? They all have very particular characteristics and the novel talks about their living conditions, and we can interpret that some of them led them to that end. What actions of the characters did you find most shocking?
I believe the money was burnt as a response to the mafia of these cops when they told the gang to surrender themselves. The robbery of money itself was an act to let out the rage pent up in all of the gang members without a true alter motivation.
Hi Jasmeent, to answer your question, I noticed how other people got even more frustrated at the gang when they burned the money than the crimes and killings they had committed. I find this slightly disturbing because it seems to me that societal values are twisted here – it also shows their desperation for money. It also made me think about who is the real perpetrator here, societal values that centralize money as the unquestioned figure, the corrupt police, or the violent gang.
– Janae