Monthly Archives: November 2021

11/6/21

Journalistic Integrity & its Consequences

Ricardo Piglia’s “Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime” is a short story interested in untouchable higher-ups and those who wish to expose them. I found this story both difficult to comprehend and extremely captivating. Piglia’s decision to have the titular “Crazy Woman” be the key to the solving of the crime is very interesting. In a sense, this decision sets the fictional detectives up for failure. The Crazy Woman proves to be somewhat of an unreliable narrator- her speech occurs in a sort of stream of consciousness rant, and we are predisposed to distrust her based on the fact the she is seemingly homeless and literally described as crazy. Unfortunately, it is keeping up appearances that society holds most dear, and this poor possibly unbalanced woman is no match for Almada’s arrogance and elevated societal position. Even once Anahi is proven to be onto something with her information- that Almada really is the murderer- the journalist Renzi is forcefully encouraged to look the other way. The understanding is that if he isn’t killed for reporting on this issue, he will be fired, and having no job will be the least of his worries.

This story is a tragic reminder of the casualties that occur in the search for the truth. Many journalists are killed or imprisoned for getting too close to the truth of what is really happening. We see this occur all over the world, and many individuals are forced to make a choice: are they willing to die for their pursuit of truth? This is too big of a price to pay, and it should not ever have to be asked, but the reality is, just like in Piglia’s story, criminals are protected by powerful people with many resources. It is a bleak reminder of the state of our present, and of our future if corruption and bribery are not dealt with swiftly and severely.

11/5/21

A Broken Watch, Broken Trust, and Police Corruption

Maria Elvira Bermudez’ short story “The Puzzle of the Broken Watch” is a reflection on corruption within the police and government states. I’m not sure if this was me being too much of an armchair detective, but I found myself ruminating over the title of this story. A police force is supposed to watch over the general population in which they preside. Is Bermudez embarking on her story by telling her readers that the police watch is broken and not functioning properly? If we are to run with this explanation, the duplicate watch in the story becomes even more interesting. The watch in the story is the clue that allows the crime to be solved, and the two watches seem to imply that there are two sides to the police force as well. There is the public side, which seems to function as intended, but really was manipulated to look as if it was effective. We can see this reflected in Ismael, a trusted family friend and respected police officer who turns out to be the murderer. Not only did he murder Rosa, but he also did it in an incredibly calculated manner. If you cannot trust the police, who can you trust? In a real world setting, I see this mirrored in the tragic murder of George Floyd in the United States. George Floyd was murdered by the very individuals who were supposed to protect him. If corruption is rampant within a government body, mistrust will permeate citizens of that country. If those who are seemingly trained to uphold the law only persist in breaking it for their own personal gain, there can be no trust.

11/5/21

Colonial Serpents

Humberto Ak’abal’s poem “Paradise” references the Biblical book of Genesis and the story of the garden of Eden. When I read this poem, I interpreted the serpents as colonizers and colonial entities. Ak’abal writes that “there was no forbidden fruit/the snakes were mute” (3-4). Before the colonizers, life was paradise. The “fruit” could be interpreted as traditional indigenous cultural practices. Therefore, once the serpents spoke, they “forbade the fruit and divided paradise among themselves” (10-12) can be understood as the banning of indigenous culture in favour of assimilation. No longer does the land belong to the indigenous people, it was forcefully taken by colonial forces who gave little thought to the rightful owners of the land. This reminded me of the Canadian government and Catholic Church’s program of residential schools in Canada. The purpose was to “kill the Indian within the child”, and to assimilate into so-called “civilized” white society. Ak’abal seems to be lamenting the interventionist practices of colonial settlers, and reminiscing over times when the land belonged to the Indigenous peoples, who treated it with respect. Land is more than just a “resource”, it is also a family member in many Indigenous cultures. Paradise can only last as long as it is not infected by colonial greed.

11/5/21

The bodies

What struck me most from Garza’s introduction to the book “Grieving” was one specific paragraph on the second page that starts with “What we Mexicans…”. The repetition of bodies was so impactful to me because she described all the different ways that these people’s bodies had been violently assaulted. They were burned, tossed, disappeared, unclaimed, persecuted, airless, and missing many of their parts. I found this paragraph to do two things:

Firstly, it described in detail just how they were found. There is no filter to the violence, instead, it is honest and direct about it. Normally when acts of violence are talked or written about, the gory details are left out or downplayed as they might be too much for the audience, but the author makes a point of putting their point across: these people were violently assaulted and it should be spoken about. There is a modern version of mass murders happening, which she likens to that of Auschwitz and Armenia, and its time that people accept this. The repetition of “bodies” is impactful and sets a tone for the rest of the book.

Secondly, the consistent repetition of “bodies” demonstrates just how many there are. This reminded me of a concept I’ve heard of which is that humans find it very hard to grasp very large numbers. Not only that, but we also tend to become desensitized to death when it’s published in these large numbers. It is a reaction our brain has when it’s exposed to situations that might cause grief or trigger strong emotions. These tragedies have been happening in Mexico for so long that the author could be trying to bring awareness to the problem and individualize these people and what has happened to them. Rather than saying that there were 20 bodies found, she describes each and every one of them to emphasize that they are not just a number, but that they were murdered and that they deserve justice.

11/5/21

Viscera & Violence

In reading excerpts of Cristina Rivera Garza’s Grieving, I was drawn to the essay entitled “The Visceraless State”. Admittedly, I had to look up the word “visceraless” or “viscera” to ensure I was understanding Rivera Garza’s commentary properly. Viscera, by definition, refers to the internal organs in the main cavities of the body, like the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines. This got me thinking more critically about the content of “The Visceraless State”. In titling her essay in this manner, Rivera Garza is alluding to the fact that Mexico is a body, but it lacks the necessary parts to allow it to function properly. Mexico is operating without heart, without lungs, without its liver. Anatomically, the heart pumps blood throughout the body, allowing your body to function as intended. Your lungs provide oxygen to your brain, allowing it to work properly, and your liver helps filter toxins from your body and keep you healthy. If Mexico is a visceraless state, it lacks everything it needs to function properly, and therefore doesn’t.

Senorita Signatory’s medical distress being unanswered and unassisted is an allegory for the function of the country of Mexico. The government cannot function properly due to its corruption and it being overwhelmed by the so-called war on drugs, that it lacks its ability to care for its population properly- its human body population. Without heart, a government which believes in its ability to solve this crisis, without lungs, the tools which can combat the guerilla warfare that is endemic to the country, and without liver, the dismantling of toxic and dangerous entities that prevent the body of Mexico from governing as it should, the body is doomed to be a visceraless state. This analogy is so profound, and I have to wonder if I was the only one who didn’t catch the full effect of the title at first. Like her other excerpts, Rivera Garza’s masterful choice of words leads her to comment on not only a single entity, but a collective state. Rivera Garza’s sister’s femicide is deeply personal to her, but is also widespread and relatable. Senorita Signatory’s medical wishes for her organs is intimately her own, but also a symptom is a more widely-spread issue.

11/4/21

The Pointlessness of Intervention

The pointlessness of intervention is referred to on multiple occasions by Regan, the narrator. Despite knowing about her mother’s scheme to trick Cleis’ father, she “[doesn’t] say anything” due to her belief that she wouldn’t be listened to (pg. 1). Regan feels skeptical about the multimillionaire wanting to marry a small-town girl, but once again, “[doesn’t] say anything” because all the single girls are already excited over the announcement (pg. 2-3). Notably, when Cleis tells her stepmother that the multimillionaire is “not the gentleman he pretends to be,” Regan does not back up her statement (pg. 5). Rather, she mentions the stepmother’s stubborn certainty in believing that “the girl had brought it on herself,” implying that she would be impossible to convince otherwise (pg. 5). The pointlessness Regan refers to is indicative of a feeling that she is unable to change outcomes and opinions; rather, the opinions of the townspeople appear to Regan to be set in stone. The current social dynamics in the town (i.e., abuse, gendered violence) give the impression that they cannot be easily changed with words and that it is perhaps hopeless for someone like her to try to change them. To Regan, it takes a special kind of person (such as Cleis) to overcome these dynamics. This sort of exceptionalism serves to provide a glimmer of hope yet also causes Regan to put herself down. At the end of the story, Regan is still “observing life with [her] owl eyes,” implying that she has chosen to continue her lack of intervention (pg. 5).

11/4/21

A Twisted Tale

“Cinderella’s Secret Dream” by Ena Lucia Portela is based on the famous fairy tale, “Cinderella.” There are many twists and differences from the original fairy tale. Where the original fairy tale is set in the medieval period, this version is set in more modern times (maybe the 1990’s). Cleis (Cinderella) does not want to marry that multimillionaire (Prince Charming) due to him being more abusive. Cleis also dreams of being an actress in a soap opera instead. As a result of that and her taking one of her step-sisters’, Lotta’s shoes, Lotta gets the prince. Cleis’ step-sister, Lotta, is murdered by the multimillionaire. The step-mother then goes insane after the loss of her daughter. The prince dies in a helicopter crash after getting away with murder, thanks to his many lawyers. The overall story is more shocking than the original.

How do the twists affect the story? Everyone and their moms have already heard some form of the classic fairy tale many times before, so Portela had to try and make this version more original. Most of these twists don’t happen until the end of the story, when the multimillionaire hosts the party. With these twists, Portela makes the story more engaging and provocative. These changes to the story makes Cleis seem more independent and relatable than Cinderella. They also make the ending quite bittersweet. Cleis gets her dream job, but Lotta and the prince die, while the step-mother is in an insane asylum.

11/4/21

The War on Children

The horrors of mutilated dead bodies on display in a city are real and severe. I lived in Mexico though 2005-2016. Personally, I had never witnessed any of these bodies. However, some of my friends had. They never really explained it or spoke about it, but you could tell their demeanor had changed. Stories of children being kidnapped and ransomed by the cartel were also fairly common. No one I knew, but friends of friends of friends. The threat was real, but I never really understood the extent of it.

There were some moments in which it became clearer. I would see military vehicles often on my way to school. They served as a reminder of the war on drugs. Even 10-year-olds knew there was a high likely hood the government officials were on their payroll. Being a kid I didn’t pay much attention to it outside of when it directly affected me or those I knew. My parents did a good job of sheltering me from it. 

Reading Rivera’s depiction of the horrors and terrorism of the cartel-run state, my perspective has been broadened. I haven’t really heard stories with any first-person perspective or with vivid imagery until this reading. To a degree, I resented the lack of freedom I had as a kid. It was difficult for me to understand why I couldn’t go to the Oxxo (the dominant corner store chain in the country) a few blocks away from my compound with my friends. The claimant open-end my eyes as to the fear my parents had given the situation. The poem oozes the sorrow and grief the mother must feel and I have grown thankful for my parent’s protection of me. Poems can help make sense of your own life.

11/4/21

No More Fairy Godmother

In Ena Lucia Portela’s story, there is a simultaneous representation of and divergence from the norms of fairy tale story telling. The deviation from the norms ultimately works to tell a story of female empowerment.  The big division from norms of fairy tales that we see in this telling of Cinderella, is the absence of the fairy godmother character. In this version of the story, Cleis is the one who provides the means for herself to attend the party, by buying her own dress (page 3). The absence of a magical character that solves all the problems of the heroine is a clear choice in displaying the capability of Cleis, and places more responsibility on her choices and actions. Further representing this independence and power in Cleis free will comes her ending. She accomplishes her initial dream of being an actress, and play the role of the villainess (page 2). This too diverges from genre norms, in the desire of the main character to be bad instead of good.
Both of these help to create a new kind of heroine, if we can even call her that. This new kind of character abides by her own free will, apart from the stepmothers control – but even then is still acting in accordance with her own agency, but now walks the line between hero and villain. This transition creates an idea that in order to be an independent woman, you must be a little bit of a villain. All villains work for their own motive and end goal, in order to be a strong willed woman, you too must be just a little bit of a villain inside.

11/4/21

No More Ingénue

The most impactful and memorable scene in Portela’s “Cinderella’s Secret Dream” is the part where Cleis “turns and knees [the billionaire] in the crotch”(4). This scene stands out because it flashes intense imagery for the audience who has experienced the same event. An immense blunt force applied to the genital area is universally hated by all— not only does it inflict pain for the initial impact, but it also lingers exponentially based on the strength of said force. Before the 21st century, objectified women were normal — people treated — no — handled women like junk. Easily expendable and replaceable, even if they were their own sweat and blood. For women, this scene can symbolize a shift against patriarchy — a non-male fighting back against the oppression of the other genders — publicized in a male dominated porn mag. Cleis, the character, careens away from some main gender stereotypes. For example, women are often expected to be accommodating and emotional, while men are usually expected to be self-confident and aggressive. By asserting dominance over the wealthy businessman, Cleis established herself to be less accommodative and more self-assured and confrontative.  Furthermore, it is important to note that Cleis is only doing housework because the story, or society as a whole, wedged her into it. She wanted to become an actress — she eventually does become an actress (5), but gender norms and her stepfamily obligated her out of it. Not convinced yet? Cleis, herself, confirmed her own aggressive personality traits by opting to play the “villainess” in the soap operas.