Analysis of Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by Gabriel Marquez - Book Report/Review Example

Insert Analysis of “Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” 1968’s “Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is an interesting story by Gabriel Marquez detailing how a man who supposedly drowned to his death changes the thinking, activities and the identity of the village that discovers him. As the villagers and town residents attempt to identify him and afford him a befitting burial, they notice that his height, strength and handsomeness are superior to the men they have previously come across. As the story drawn to an end, the man’s presence has transformed the villagers into developing their own community and their own livelihoods for the better and in a way the sleepy village had not imagined before. Transformative Magic Realism The dead man’s story and his transformative role are based on magic realism. The story revolves around the terribly large size of a dead man whose attractiveness remains the focus of an entire village (Chandran 165). The villagers’ unique disbelief at the behemoth phenomenon shows the uniqueness in the dead person’s size and despite the fact that they seemingly interacted before he did not capture their imagination during his lifetime. Various scenes of magic in the story, which reflect real life experiences, contribute immensely towards the acceptance of the man and the development message he embodies (Burns 165). For instance, the man’s powers over the sea, which can enable him to make the waters restless or steady is itself an important factor that earns the man trust among villagers. As such, Marquez uses the deceased man with no community connections to bring life and vigor to the future of an entire village by creating rich symbolism in his death (Abbott 131). The author does so by giving the deceased man’s memory, living human attributes which catch the villagers by awe and transforms their thinking into believing that the dead man may be having all the answers to their problems (Chandran 165). The ensuing magic power of the deceased man motivates a substantial evolution in the thinking of the villagers and as the euphoria spreads to far-flung villages the community builds an emotional attachment around the unique figure. To the villagers is like a living character that has united the community along a more formidable economic line by making prospective sailors and controllers of water vessels seek his consent before they venture in the sea. The magic in the story builds a stronger, posthumous trust in the previously despised man and transforms the villagers into his agents of development. Faithful Compliance According to Chandran (165), Marquez employs magic realism from the beginning of the story to the end hence the villagers’ full compliance with the new discovery. Through magic realism, the deceased man appears to capture the imagination of the villagers and their sight, hence their loyalty him. As his remains are washed to the shore, he is seen as a powerful force with the potential to wipe the village of life (Abbott 131). This is especially true judging by the misconception in children’s view of the body as an enemy vessel, which could have carried destructive power. When they notice the body lacks any masts and thus cannot be an enemy vessel, they begin to see life and hope in it by likening it to a whale. Bell-Villada (136) argued that even after discovering that he is a dead man, most probably drowned in ocean, they still consider him as important to their lives. The children use the body as a plaything in a way that not only transforms their idleness into business, but symbolically shows the high hopes which the younger generation had in him. This is especially true considering that from the children’s point of view the new informative and engaging “plaything” is promising hope of emancipation in future. For adults, Burns (165) argues the body lacks some clear physical attributes namely his body size and attractiveness on which they can agree. This implies the man stimulates wide speculation among the villagers regarding his positive individuality and history. They eventually reach consensus about the fact that the man is too full of mystery to know where the answer is. Conversely, Abbott (135) noted that at face value, the man’s gigantic figure and excessive attractiveness are symbolic of the beautiful history that his past has been. The figure defeats a thin body of a man that would otherwise symbolize indigence and lost hope. As such, the new discovery has precipitated some hope in the society to engage in activities that would otherwise improve their economic status. It can also be argued that the "magic" history of the character is what has increased the impetus of the villagers to engage in multi-directional social and economic practices with the aim of discovering the successes which they have yet to exploit. This evidenced in the positive treatment of the body. The Road to Emancipation At first, the ladies who prepare the man’s remains are in awe as they recall who he previously was. However, Abbott (141) noted that through magic realism, they only see success in him, which serves as a form of motivation to work even harder in utilizing the natural resources for economic gains. The women tenders speculate that if the handsome man had been a member of their village, his spouse would have been enthralled by his rare body physique and potential abilities (Burns 165). They imagine that he would have the powers to exploit fish from the sea by mere word of mouth. With such a magical depiction of the man, the average men and women of the community consider themselves as pale. As such, they see the only way to redeem their image and probably move closer to the man’s stature is to work harder towards transforming the village into a better, more economically viable place to live in. As such, it seems that the village women are somehow saddened by their miserable lives and without any realistic optimism; they are left to just machinate the unattainable satisfaction that they could have been provided by this mysterious stranger (Burns 165). However, the challenges they encounter trying to figure out the mysterious man’s history or when preparing his remains for burial or what he portends in the community is a mystery that prepares the villagers to embrace challenges, irrespective of their magnitude by discarding the passive culture that only creates indolence and slow growth. According to Bell-Villada, the eventual transformation of the village can be traced to reception of the unusual man, who may realistically mean new, sophisticated but debilitating inventions which are imperative to development, but whose successes are dependent on open-mindedness high emotional intelligence among affected parties (136). These qualities and determination is needed to transport heavy remains of the drowned man from the shores to an ideal place for his interment. Interestingly, the people pass the greatest test of welcoming the unique visitor, though grudgingly as it would be the case in real life. The women begin to perceive the man as very much in need of their protection as their admiration evolves into feelings of empathy. Then they compare liken him to their men in a scene that is shrouded in sadness and emotions. Marquez’s depicts the women as having tearful hearts upon making the discovery (Burns 165). The ensuing sensitivity for the man is depicted as similar to the love that the women show their own spouses whose potential capacities are yet to be fully explored to the benefit of the society. As such, the villagers including the women, men and the children embark on the path to emancipation by taking their destiny in their own hands and leaving nothing to chance. Conclusion I now know that Marquez’s “Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is a story of an unusually bigger human being who brought inspiration that effectively transformed a sleepy village into one of economic viability. What is the importance of the man’s death to the unity of the village? Does the women’s compassion to an unusual stranger seem normal? The unity forged by the community around the burial of the mysterious man made them appreciate their potential power and their ability to chart their own destiny. In addition, the women’s compassion to the stranger arguably offered them vital lessons that the power to affect social and economic emancipation rests in their hands and that being dependent on some superhero to rescue them is unrealistic because a superhero is normally overburdened with responsibilities, therefore he may show up when he is too worn out by natural forces to even tend to himself. Works Cited Abbott, H. Porter. Immersions in the Cognitive Sublime: The Textual Experience of the Extratextual Unknown in García Márquez and Beckett. Narrative, 17.2(2009): 131-142. Bell-Villada, Gene H. García Márquez: The Man and His Work. Raleigh: University of North Carolina Press, 2010. Burns, Landon C. The 1976 supplement to a cross-referenced index of short fiction anthologies and author-title listing. Studies in Short Fiction, 13.2 (1976): 165. Chandran, K. Narayana. Texts and Their Worlds Ii. Delhi: Foundation Books, 2005. Marquez Gabriel Garcia. “The Handsomest Drowned Man in The World.” University of Texas, 29 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. < http://www.utdallas.edu/> Read More