Last week I remember including in my blog that as the books got more modern, they were getting easier to understand. I think I have to take back that statement for this week’s book. Although the actual language used in the book is more like the action/adventure novels I used to binge, the jumps in time and the narration style does offer to be confusing at times, often requiring a double back.
Although none of the main characters exactly make it out “well” or make it out at all in the story, this work still served to differ from the depressing tone and lives of the books we’ve read in past weeks. I got a sense of adventure, and I could feel the pressure of being on the run. Each main character had something they were dealing with, whether that be drug abuse or mental health issues. With the use of drugs and the cops nearing the desperados towards the end of the book, you can tell as a reader how these characters devolve and change knowing that their lives may end soon. This impacts the way they interact with each other and it is interesting to see inside the minds of criminals, people who can murder without thought.
After doing some light research on the actual events that the book is based upon, I wonder how many of the events were present and which were embellished by Ricardo Piglia. The robbery occurred in 1965 while the book was published in 2003, so many of the actual details could be lost to time. The author has also been sued three times for the depictions of certain people in this book, however without much success. But I am especially curious about the dynamics between characters, of course between the twins Dorda and Brignone, who were definitely real people but I’m not sure if the level of “more than friendsness” of their relationship is exclusive to the book or not. It’s interesting to me that Piglia includes elements of homosexuality in a time that I believe people did not accept it, referring to both the time of the events in the book and the time it was actually written. I feel that perhaps this inclusion could give the sense of sexual perversion, that these people are criminals of all calibers.
For this week’s question, if you could commit a crime but if you do then no one in the world can commit it anymore, what crime would that be?
Hello Jonathan, I really enjoyed reading your blog this week! I think the question you raise about the parts of the books that are embellished and the parts that are true is actually a really significant question considering the broader I guess ideas Piglia was trying to get across, such as deciding to add sexuality to it like you mentioned. To answer your question, I feel like there 2 possible things- I can either commit a genuinely foul, horrible crime so that it never happens again (ex. war, genocide, sexual assault), or I can do something purely for self gain and get away with it (ex. rob Jeff Besos which in this case I wouldn’t even feel bad about tbh)…this question is practically a moral dilemma question and tbh I dont know how to answer that. I guess ill try to do a really bad crime that isn’t going make me want to die.
Hello Jonathan!I agree that the tone was different from past books, I align with the feeling of adventure/adrenaline. Your question is kinda tough because no one could do it again, it could be like a sacrifice, so something that makes me feel bad but benefits future generations… or same as the previous comment something for my own benefit.
Hi Jonathan, great blog post! I agree with your statement on modern books not being all that easy to understand. I felt like with this book there were so many added elements that went deeper than the surface, but they went over my head (at least the lecture provided some clarification). To answer your question, I’ve always wanted to commit arson (this not a statement saying I’ll do it). I just think it would be really fun to set something on fire….but hopefully it doesn’t harm anyone or anything.
Hello Jonathan, I enjoyed reading your blog post! I think you bring a good point about the extent to which Piglia embellished the true events, especially in regards to the complexity and relationships between the characters. Your question is an extremely difficult one to answer, but I would say I would want to do a horrible crime (like sexual assault etc) just to stop it, basically sacrifice myself, but in reality, I would probably do something far less brutal for my own sake. Like fraud. Great discussion post!!