Deep Rivers

After reading Deep Rivers, this book taught me how deeply culture, language, and environment can shape an individual’s sense of identity, as through Ernesto’s experiences, growing up is not only simply about age, but about becoming aware of social hierarchies, and cultural conflict. Ernesto’s connection to Indigenous traditions and the natural world made me realize how knowledge and belonging can exist outside formal institutions like school. Moreover, it also made me realize that power can somehow exist in schools through education and language as the boarding school uses cultural dominance by silencing the voices and values of the Indigenous people. It shows how systems that “claim” to educate all students can also lessen how people feel about their identities, and at the same time, Ernesto being shown as emotional sensitive made me realize that empathy and memory can somehow be forms of resistance. Most importantly, this book taught me that understanding identity is deeper than I thought as its simply not something you can just figure out. Ernesto is constantly pulled between Indigenous Andean culture, which he feels connect to, and the Spanish Institutions that make him act in a different way. Because he technically belongs to these two different environments, he experiences confusion and loneliness which sometimes is relatable as a Filipino-Chinese individual. But its also this discomfort that shapes who he is, and question the world around him rather than just accept it for what it is. Furthermore, after watching the lecture video, it emphasizes conflict and convergence without end as Argueda’s point of view of how he refuses to present cultural conflict that can never be resolved fully shows this. Andean and Western cultures in the novel present this in a constant state of tension instead of moving towards something better, which reflects why Ernestos identity never seems to be settled throughout the novel. The lecture video shows this not as weakness but as something that is present in real life which is realistic as there will always be tension with cultures from different environments. It also made me realize further that this unfinished or constant tension is exhausting but can be productive at the same time. It does create pain and confusion for Ernesto, but at the same time it allows him to be reflective, as I believe Argueda suggests that living with tension rather than escaping it can help people become more aware and learn how to become better individuals with empathy. My question after reading this book is how does this idea of that cultures should not have an end,  challenge the expectation whether cultural conflict should be resolved or harmonized?