I think the historical background of this novel is a bit difficult to understand for readers who do not know the history of the United States and Mexico, so I also read the events of that period while reading the book. Carlos Fuentes’ depiction of the desert is almost treasured, as if I, too, am referring to the place where no grass grows, watching vultures circle, flying sand, and a dying old man travelling alone to his death.
Old Gringo doesn’t even have a name. In the eyes of those commenters, “old gringos” are a group of people who cross the border with indistinguishable faces. “I’m afraid that each of us carries the real frontier inside.” In the first part of the article, I thought that the core vocabulary was still the frontier. In order not to cause too much trouble, the old man went to Mexico with a simple heart and a Don Quixote novel. And he himself, like Don Quixote, is a contradiction, just like his pursuit of death is a very absurd behavior, so that he has a very good performance after joining the army because he is not afraid of death.
From the old man’s conversation with General Tomas Arroyo, we know that the old man fought in the Civil War fifty years ago. And when this old man shows up in Mexico, it’s rotten, just like in Chapter 5. He complains that Mexico makes him sick and his diet is full of rotting worms, just like the people of Mexico are going through.
Ironically, the protagonist’s identity is not revealed until the end of the novel, which is by the American writer Bierce. His end is sad, but it can still be told by Harriet Winslow’s recollection of his experience. I like the author’s description of the experiences of different characters; as if General Arroyo is like a newspaper and the old man is history, they exist in different ways. It’s like the diverse methods of thinking about sensitivity and love in different places and nations, notably the United States and Mexico, when combined with the position of female instructor Harriet Winslow. For this general in Mexico, his relationship with the old man is a bit like competition. He may have some inferiority complex towards this old gringo from a country that creates nightmares for Mexicans, and the old man regards him as a son.
This novel’s tale is enthralling, full of voices and time. Flashbacks are included in the story’s structure as well.
So my question is, in the end, the old man died, and how do we, as viewers, see his death, and what did his death bring?
I am intrigued by the parallel’s you draw between the old Gringo and Don Quixote. I wonder if you could say more on this…
In my view, Don Quixote and Old Gringo have same similar parts and some different parts. like the death of Don Quixote is when he back to his hometown, however Old Gringo dead in anther country, but his body was later returned to his country.But they are all people in fantasy, doing ridiculous things. The pursuit of death is unreasonable in the eyes of normal people, and the fact that Don Quixote wants to be a knight is also unreasonable in the eyes of everyone. I don’t know if this is the right understanding.
“I think the historical background of this novel is a bit difficult to understand for readers who do not know the history of the United States and Mexico, so I also read the events of that period while reading the book.”
Do you think you needed it? How did it help? You don’t mention it in what follows…
Honestly, I think the book provides all the context necessary. I add a little in my lecture. But any more would be complication and distraction.
Maybe I can’t understand the emotion that Old gringo chose to die in Mexico, I just feel very sad. His relatives died in the war, and his daughter ignored him. These experiences led him to choose a person to go to a foreign country to seek death.This kind of plot, whether conceived or real, is inseparable from the background of the era in which the book was written. The relationship between the countries on both sides of the border and the relationship between the people may not be my experience.