Tag Archives: rivera garza

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.