This week I read The Old Gringo and cannot say that I cared for it too much. I found the plot and the storyline flowed well, however, cannot say that I was completely engaged with the content itself. I think that it was fairly easy to understand but the most interesting part of the plot was in the end when readers find out that the old man’s story is actually a theory of the disappearance of American writer, Ambrose Bierce. Overall I’m not exactly sure that I gathered the main message of the writing.
With that being said, I did find the characters to be intriguing and the differences they brought to the story. I think that Harriet’s place in the story was almost as if she was “along for the ride” but then became a pretty instrumental character that Fuentes touched on a lot. I was pretty disturbed at the objectification of her when Arroyo threatened the old man’s life and coerced her to have sex with him, as I think almost all readers would be. Her individual story in the text gives her the most “grounded” or “normal” feeling.
The old man or Bierce, I felt was an interesting character that I couldn’t completely comprehend. I think that in the description of his previous life, it seemed as though he lived a pretty full and eventful life, which made me wonder why he chose for it to end by joining the civil war in Mexico with the sole purpose of dying, that was a little strange to me in itself. Moreover, it was also very weird that he was sexually attracted to someone he later said was like a daughter to him.
Arroyo was my least favorite part or character of the novel and I think he was a pretty objectively bad person. However, without him, I don’t think that the realness of the Mexican revolution plot would have been present. I found it to be good for the plot when he was killed at the end and was definitely done to please readers, as I said, I think he was widely and consistently disliked.
My question this week is: Is there any circumstances in which you can imagine yourself doing what the old man did, in terms of going to Mexico to die in a “blaze of glory” or does that seem like something you would just hear of in a book or movie?
Hi Brianna,
your question (which I’ve added to our list… https://rmst202.arts.ubc.ca/fuentes-questions/) is interesting, especially as Fuentes uses his fictional tale (his book, turned movie) to speculate on a factual quest towards death…that of Ambrose Bierce as we read on the back cover…
But the irony is that yes, this does seem like something that we would just read about in fiction, or watch in a movie…
Hi, great blog post! To answer your question, I think if I lost both sons and have a daughter who wouldn’t talk to me, it is likely that I may seek the end of my life in a dramatic way. Instead of dying lonely in the States, I believe Bierce actually found love at the end stage of his life and thus made his shattered life a bit more meaningful.
Hi Brianna, I really enjoyed reading your blog! I like your question! I think this is something more common in movies as it presents a character as a more heroic figure but I definitely could not imagine it for myself. However, I guess it did happen for someone like Ambrose Bierce. Looking forward to what others have to say on this!
Hello! I also found the relationships in the novel quite disturbing, though the characters and their roles they played were interesting. To answer your question, I think it’s definitely something we see a lot in books and movies. I’m not too sure about real life, but it really sounds like a concept taken straight out from a story.
Hi Brianna,
To answer your question, I don’t see myself doing what the old man did, though it is sort of a dramatic way to die. If I went through what he did, then maybe I would consider it. But in reality, I think that just seems like something we would more see in movies or books.
Hey Brianna,
I loved your blog post! Your insight on Harriet’s role in the novel is very interesting. Although she is the one whose memories we are being told about, she is quite instrumental and objectified throughout the narration. She seems to be important in the unraveling of the story but also treated as an accessory in a way. Arroyo is my least favorite character. His inability to change – unlike other characters in the novel – makes him very static and kind of dangerous.
To answer your question, I don’t think I could ever do what the old gringo was trying to accomplish. Glory is overrated in my opinion and – as we can see from the old gringo’s story – planning you death almost never works out.