You know those books where the writer throws logic out the window and invites the reader to live in the character’s inner world. Deep Rivers is one of those. It feels as if Ernesto’s inner dialogue is being read aloud to us. A mix of memories, emotions, and observations with a touch of melancholy.
Arguedas invites the reader to experience emotionally rather than logically. None of the emotions, like sadness, fear, or wonder, is explained but rather made to feel and get immersed in. It creates a sense of heaviness and quiet intensity, even when nothing ‘dramatic’ is happening. We feel Ernesto’s unsettledness, confusion, and loneliness through his perceptions alone. Each little part that possibly stood out as ordinary objects and environments was given so much significance. From stones to walls to rivers, they weren’t just physical elements as we know them to be, but symbolic ones, ones that had meaning.
This consistent feeling of displacement is present throughout the novel. We feel unsettled as Ernesto does, not comfortable anywhere, reflecting the identity struggle and belonging Ernesto experienced. While this displacement is present, some moments reflect a breath of fresh air (the glimpses of nature), which slows the pace and heaviness. However, even during these calm moments, there is uneasiness and underlying tension that conveys suffering never truly goes away but is always present under the surface.
On that note, this sense of identity struggle Ernesto felt was something very relatable. Through Ernesto, it is technically argued that living between cultures is hard but very human. Quite honestly, this makes some of us readers who are torn between cultures feel validated. This sense of feeling like an ‘outsider’ is rather comforting than isolating. Further, his intense reactions to injustice portray how having awareness can be painful, especially in a society filled with inequality, and as an ‘outsider’ we have definitely heard of, if not experienced, this exactly.
What I found unique was that Deep Rivers does not really offer a solution, clarity, or closure. It actually asked us as readers to witness injustice, sit with that discomfort, and feel the emotions deeply. It seemed as if Arguedas also wanted to emphasize that understanding cultural divisions is only possible through feeling them rather than explaining them. All in all, it suggests how deeply one’s identity is rooted in cultures, languages, and the environments we grow up in.
The question I want to discuss, or perhaps I wonder more about, is: Did you ever find yourself feeling confused or disoriented while reading this? If so, how does that confusion reflect Ernesto’s emotional state?
7 replies on “Feeling before Understanding”
“Each little part that possibly stood out as ordinary objects and environments was given so much significance”
It has to do with the Andean way to perceive the reality, well noticed.
See you tomorrow.
Julián.
great point that readers are asked to live in the characters inner world, and feel all the emotions and cultural differences that Ernesto is feeling. To answer your question, I think that a solution is offered – it is to follow indigenous religion and way of life. No one is happy following the Roman church middle class way of life.
I like your argument that the book invites the reader to experience emotionally rather than logically. When I was reading the book, I always reflect on the book and had lots of thoughts towards it. This kind of feeling has also come from listening to a podcast about personal growth. Thank you for pointing this out, it is an interesting experience.
Hello Tripti,
I agree, there is an emphasis on “feeling” and “observing” more than actual solutions. Because for the things that happen, all of them are of bigger scope beyond than what a single boy in Ernesto can handle – like the rebellion and the plague. Forcing the reader to bear witness is important. Returning to the initial image of the Spanish and Inca wall, it’s seeing that magnified detail, of both the beauty and the horrors, and kind of being awestruck here. I agree with the above commenter to an extent; the solution may be not explicitly stated, but the sources of the problems, or that the current situation is untenable (hence the return to traveler life) is clear.
I love what you said about the reader being immersed in the book rather than being told it. It creates an empathy for the characters and you really get to connect much more with what’s happening in the novel.
I enjoy how you describe the novel as something we experience rather than logically flow as that idea captures what makes Deep Rivers feel so immersive and sometimes disorienting. Your point about ordinary objects becoming symbolic is especially strong. It shows how Ernesto’s inner world transforms the physical environment into something emotional and historical.
I really liked how you pointed out that the novel makes us feel things instead of explaining them. That idea about being immersed in Ernesto’s inner world makes a lot of sense, especially with how everything is filtered through his emotions. It definitely made me feel more connected to his confusion while reading.