This reading was probably the second hardest for me, after Combray. At times it felt very slow, but I understand that this pace was maybe intentional, to guide us through Ernesto’s perceptions, memories, and reactions to the world around him. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the novel as of now, but maybe writing this blog and taking some time to reflect will help me make sense of it more.
What stood out to me most in this reading was how deeply Ernesto feels everything, even when he doesn’t act on it. I think this is part of what made the pacing feel so slow. From the beginning, as he travels through the Andes with his father (which I really liked and found surprisingly wholesome), it’s clear that he experiences the world through sound, landscape, and emotion. Rivers, mountains, and songs feel alive to him, almost as if they carry history and memory within them. To me, this felt like the author’s way of connecting Ernesto to the Indigenous identity.
When he is later placed in the boarding school at Abancay, that same sensitivity becomes a burden. The school is rigid, violent, and deeply hierarchical, and Ernesto doesn’t fit easily. He watches cruelty unfold between students and from priests, but he rarely fights back. Instead, he absorbs it, which honestly reminded me a lot of Andrea in Nada.
Just like with Andrea I found myself wanting Ernesto to fight back or speak up. As the novel went on i started understanding that this silence of his wasn’t weakness it was awareness, he sees the injustice even when he lacks the power to confront it. I think this makes it more realistic as alot of the time we are aware of the injustice around of the world but all we can do is watch. A very powerful moment during this novel was the conflict involving the chicheras. Watching Indigenous women collectively resist exploitation feels like a direct contrast to the silence enforced within the school. That moment seemed to awaken something in Ernesto. It’s not that he suddenly becomes brave or outspoken, but his understanding of injustice develops and deepens.
By the end of Deep Rivers, just like with Nada there’s no clear resolution. Ernesto doesn’t escape his circumstances or win in any traditional sense. But he isn’t the same boy he was at the beginning either. He has gained some sort of moral clarity, even if it comes at the cost of innocence. To me, that felt like the heart of the novel, that growth is always a clear change on the outside. Sometimes it’s just learning how to see the world clearly without losing your capacity to feel.
My discussion question for this novel is, Just like Nada the novel doesn’t end with a clear resolution, do you find that frustrating or do you think its better that way.
Overall was a good novel but i kind of liked the previous readings more, 7/10.
8 replies on “Deep Rivers”
Hi! I honestly found it frustrating that it was open-ended and would have rather wanted a concrete ending for Ernesto and his story. Perhaps the author did this, so it shows that Ernesto has the autonomy to choose his path in life
Hi Muhtadi
Definitely, the slow pace is a literary strategy and is also related with the Andean identity. We can discuss it on class.
See you tomorrow!
Julián
great points! i love you connected it to indigenous roots, and to the indigenous rebel women awakening his identity. To answer your question, I think there was a definite ending and conclusion – Ernesto has picked the indigenous nature loving side, and is off to live happily with the colonos at his rich uncle’s haciendas.
hi. I also thought the pace was really slow and it was kind of a hard read! I also think it is really frustrating not only that there is not AN ending but many things are left unresolved. Not my style but I liked your ideas on the novel!
I do also think that Arguedas purposely chose for Ernesto’s sense of belonging and emotion towards the environment is his way of explaining the character’s Indigenous identity within, great point! As for your question, I wasn’t frustrated by the ending as much as I was left thinking about it. I actually think the lack of resolution makes sense, because the problems Nada is dealing with don’t have easy endings. It feels more honest to leave things open rather than forcing closure where none really exists.
I agree, the book felt like a bit of a slow read. But I like that you brought up how deeply Ernesto feels everything. I think that plays a big role in the book moving a bit slowly.
I really like your point about Ernesto’s silence being awareness rather than weakness, that shift in perspective makes his character feel much more intentional. To your question, I actually think the lack of resolution works because it mirrors real life; injustice doesn’t neatly resolve, and moral growth is often internal and unfinished. It’s frustrating, but in a way that feels honest rather than unsatisfying.
I really like how honest your reflection is, especially your uncertainty about how you feel, that actually mirrors Deep rivers, since Ernesto himself exists in a kind of emotional and cultural in-between. Your comparison to Nada is very strong since both Ernesto and Andrea observe injustice quietly, and their silence can feel frustrating. But as you point out, that silence reflects awareness rather than weakness.