Notes
Macario
The relationship between Macario and his community is interesting. He reminds me of an even more pitiful Lenny from Of Mice and Men.
The dynamic between him and his Godmother was really sad, and I wasn’t sure what to make of Felipa. But their relationship gave me oedipal/Char-like vibes
Nos han dado la tierra - They gave us the land
In a sense this story made me think about the fate of the Native Americans in the United States and how they relegated to some of the most useless land on the Continent. It’s unsurprising to me that the Mexican peasantry would’ve been subjected to the same fate. This story got me reading about the history of Land Reform in Mexico, which also proved to be necessary to understand the subsequent story
La cuesta de las comadres - The Hill of the Comadres
Continuing the motif about land redistribution, this story is about a pair of assholes called the Torricos who bullied and subjugated their neighbours in the Hill. After land reform happens, the plots of the hill are divided equitably between all of the inhabitants, but the Torricos dominate their neighbours using force which causes them to flee and leave the land behind. After there’s no one else left aside from one old man (the narrator of the story) and the Torricos. The Torricos turn to robbery which surprisingly is not the thing that seals their fate. One of the brothers (Odilon) gets into a drunken brawl in a nearby city and is stabbed to death by a mob. The surviving Torrico (Remigio) blamed the narrator for the death of his brother and instigated a fight with him, and died as a result of the narrator defending himself.
Es que somos muy pobres - We’re very poor
Boobs. Cow named el serpentina. The family’s dread at the fate of the daughters reminded me of my own materal family.
El hombre - The man
Interesting how in the first half the pursuer and the pursuee seemed to almost blend together, or at least that’s the feeling I got; and then after everything was all said and done the sheepherder was left to deal with the mess; In a sense that must be some sort of social commentary.
En la madrugada - At Daybreak
The descriptions of San Gabriel were breathtakingly beautiful, and the description of Don Justo’s wake was great. In particular it kinda made me think of the Green Bird scene from Cowboy Bebop for some reason.
In gneral the story was more reflections on memories and perspective, and how authorities tend to arbitrarily dictate what is or isn’t truth. The fallibility of one’s memory or one’s perception is one thing, but having a force outside of yourself dictate to you what is or isn’t true is another.
Talpa
Extremely sombre recollection. The story of a wife with an infirm husband satisfying herself with a brother-in-law is a tale as old as time. Resolving to kill someone despite having empathy for them, and then regretting what you’ve done is also a tale as old time. The travelogue of these three as they dragged the sick one to go die was pretty gripping. I don’t know what exactly it was about the story, but the pathos really got to me.
El llano en llamas - The burning plain
Most of the minutiae of the skirmishes and such was boring to me, but the ending was really amusing.
¡Diles que no me maten! -Tell them not to kill me!
Kinda gave me the same feeling of helplessness before authorities that are more powerful than you. The fatalistic resignation before death when there’s nothing you can for your life but to plead.
Luvina
Amazing testimony of a teacher who traveled to a destitute town as a teacher and was counseling another man not to repeat the same mistake he made of going there; the descriptions of the land and the buildings and the people were all amazing. I really enjoyed this one.
La noche que lo dejaron solo - The night they left him alone
Very cut-and-dry prose. Not sure what to say about this one other than it’s interesting to me that the boy survived explicitly due to disobeying his elders, which seems to reinforce the themes about authority.
Paso del Norte
Extremely miserable story. The father was a complete asshole, and the luck of the son was even worse. In Chinese cosmology, “luck” is how beloved one is by the gods. It seems like this protagonist was completely forsaken by the gods.
Acuérdate - Remember
This one was a recollection of a lot of characters who grew up together in some town, focusing on one person in particular who was ostracized as a youth and then left town and returned as a police officer seeking revenge.
¿No oyes ladrar los perros? - No Dogs Bark
Another tale as old as time, a father bound by duty—not love—trying to take care of an ungrateful son. The narrative itself and the description of the father’s travel with his dying son on his back was really good. I enjoyed this one.
Anacleto Morones
Banger story. Really good epilogue.
La herencia de Matilde Arcángel - The Legacy of Matilde Arcángel
Not in this translation
El día del derrumbe - The Day of the Collapse
Not in this translation