Jan
14
Asturias: Post 1
Posted by: | January 14, 2010 | Comments Off on Asturias: Post 1
Alright, well I am completely aware that this post is very late, but thought better than late than never. First, I want to talk about “Leyendas del sombrerón” one because I especially liked this piece and two because it stood out to me from the other stories as it had no surreal component to it and followed chronological time. It is however still is similar to the others stories as it is also a legend; gives reason for the way things are, because at the end it says “y así nace al mundo Sombrerón.” I wanted to clarify because my understanding is that the monk’s obsession with the ball introduces sin into the world, therefore to me the story seems similar to the story of Adam and Eve and confirms the need for God to punish people for there sins. I also thought is was interesting that the act of sin was brought by a ball, something so innocent and juvenile, and that it was the happiness he gets from the ball that is either is a sin itself or makes him sin. I do not know if Asturias is trying to comment on Christianity compared to traditional Mayan religion?
As we have talked about in class, Asturias emphasizes the connection between Guatemala’s past and present and the present building on the past as Asturias writes about “cuidades construidos sobre otros.” In “Ahora que me acuerdo” the protagonist discovers and literally grows his own roots by talking to los viejos. Again this image of building on top of these roots and not being able to forget or destroy your roots is seen in “Los brujos de la tormenta primaveral.” For example, Asturias describes “soló las raíces profundas seguían pegados a sus telares” after everything has been destroyed. The story fast forwards to a new generation of los nietos and the same roots persist.
I also wanted to add one more question I was really not sure about from the reading. In the “Leyenda del tesoro del lugar florido,” Asturias repeats “los hombros blancos” in the text. He writes that the attack of the hombros blancos was unfair, unforeseen, brutal… As I was reading I kept thinking he was referring to the Spaniards during la conquista but wanted to know what other thought?
