For this week, I have chosen to read “The Old Gringo” written by Carlos Fuentes, which from the book cover I thought this novel would be mainly focused on the Mexican revolution. However, there seemed to be so much more themes in this story. 

One of them was an unexpected love triangle of some sort between Harriet Winslow, Arroyo, and the old gringo, who is later revealed to be Ambrose Bierce, an American author who went to Mexico with a desire to die in the Mexican revolution. The old gringo seemed to have developed romantic feelings towards Harriet, who is an American woman that traveled to Mexico to teach children, and his feelings seem more genuine compared to Arroyo. Although personally, I find it quite odd and uncomfortable, as in the novel, it also seems to imply that the old gringo and Harriet have a father-daughter dynamic. As when he was killed, she said that he was her father and she wanted to “[bury] him in Arlington Cemetery beside her mother” (179). She also called the old gringo, “papa” (182) to his corpse. I’m not exactly sure how the author would want the readers to think of this pair, but I think it seems that both the old gringo and Harriet’s love for each other are one-sided in a way. As the old gringo has a romantic love for Harriet, while she has more of a parental love (implied) towards the old gringo. While Arroyo mainly targeted Harriet because he wanted to hurt the old gringo for betraying him. He threatens her that he will murder the old gringo if she doesn’t have a sexual relationship with him (which is very disturbing). Harriet wanted to protect the old gringo which began their side of the “love” triangle. 

Also, the lectures mention how repetition is a common theme in this novel, as the story begins and ends with the same line, “Now she sits alone and remembers” (3 and 199). I find stories that start and end with the same line quite interesting as it symbolizes coming full circle. Towards the end of the novel, Colonel Frutos Garcia tells Harriet that they respect her “because [she is] the one who will remember it all” (183), and I found that line extremely powerful and tragic. As both the old gringo and Arroyo are dead, their “love” triangle story, the memories between them, only exists because Harriet is the only one alive. The memories from the old gringo and Arroyo all cease to exist when they have passed, Harriet is the unfortunate one that will remember everything.

She is the only one left.

A question I have for my classmates is do you think Harriet viewed the old gringo as a father figure or as a love interest?