Spanish Literature: An Honorable Society - Essay Example

An Honorable Society The moral ideals and values of the Spanish culture can clearly be seen in the works Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciada and The Motorcycle Diaries as they both tell a tale of the realities Spanish citizens face in their day to day lives. While each of the stories describe a different tale, they both paint a picture of everyday living and show how morality and a sense of duty shape the lives of their characters. Gabriel Garca Mrquez's Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciada tells the story of a murder and how it has been passed down through the generations. While the details of the story may change and the circumstances are often vague, honor, the true reason for the story remains intact. In comparison, the movie adaptation of Ernesto Guevara's journey and written memoir, The Motorcycle Diaries, tells the story of how the young revolutionary came to honor and respect the people of his country. The most evident and powerful moral value in these two works is that of honor. Almost every action in both stories can be traced back to the Spanish culture's desire to uphold their values through living an honorable life. "La honra es el amor," says the narrator's mother in Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciada as she describes the murder of Santiago Nasar. (Marquez 155) Honor is taken very seriously in the Columbian town where the story takes place because not a single townsmen questions the motive behind Santiago's murder. This is because every citizen of the town knows and understands that defending a loved one's and family member's honor is worth sacrificing the lives of those who threaten that honor. It is almost as if someone did come foreward they would be regarded as an outcast. If Ernesto Guevara were a character in the above mentioned story it would be easy to guess that he would side with the beliefs of the townsmen as can be seen in his actions throughout the film The Motor Cycle Diaries. Ernesto's companion Alberto describes their trip as, " Un viaje a los confines del espritu humano," and Ernesto's spirit of honor can be seen in the way he treats everyone he meets along the way (Salles). By honoring the humanity of Spanish citizens throughout North America as he travels, Ernesto seems to be showing the audience his belief that life must be lead out of respect and honor for ones self and those around them. Although this journey is supposed to represent a pre-political Ernesto "Che" Guevara it is easy to see through his acts of honor that he is already beginning to reveal the roots of his ideology in formation. The citizen's of the town in Marquez's story view the murder of Santiago as an honor killing. The narrator repeatedly mentions that the Vicario brothers, the murders, are good people. Such good people that at the time the murder occurred most townsmen seemed to feel that they couldn't intervene because it was matter of honor. It wasn't until the dust had settled that the narrator says the citizens of the town could not stop talking about the murder saying, "Durante anos no pudimos hablar de otra oso" ( Marquez 89) The brothers do not kill Santiago in a heated fury, but take several hours to think about the crime beforehand. While sitting and having a drink planning the murderer Pablo Vicario says, "Esto no tiene remedio le dijo, es como si ya nos hunierra sucedido" (Marquez 101). The honor and respect that they have for their sister replaces any feelings of hesitation or remorse and the brothers have no choice in the matter. Their sister has dishonored the family by marrying another man when she has already slept with someone else. They know that they must kill Santiago in order to restore honor to both their sister and their family. Guevara's widow described Che's dairies he kept while traveling through South America as "The extraordinary change which takes place in him as he discovers Latin America" (Guevara 4). The experiences he had on this journey are what bring the strong sense honor he begins to feel for the people of his country and what sparks his desire to help make his country a better place. The experiences are ultimately what broke him out of the isolation of his middle class upbringing and were responsible for the shaping of his ideology. These experiences would be meaningless if it wasn't for the honor that Che feels for all the people he meets on his journey. He often risks his own safety and his own desires in order to honor someone else. It is his honorable way of treating them, and feeling their pain as if it were his own that gave these experiences their great meaning. Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciada opens up the complexities of the concept of honor by discussing the town's differing reactions to the murder. Pablo Vicerio's fiance Prudencia says she would never have married him if he hadn't upheld his sister's honor by killing Santiago. The severity of the loss of their sister Angela's honor was so great because it left her without a husband which was one of the worst things that could happen to a woman at the time in the Spanish culture. The Vicario brothers simply wanted the punish Santiago to a comparable degree to that which he inflicted upon Angela. In the brother's eyes, killing Santiago was the only fair and right thing to do. In the end the murder was not as severe a punishment for the hardship and shame Angela faced because the family still had to leave town because of the scandal. The sexism of the characters and the level of honor that goes along with it can be seen through the description of Bayardo san Roman. When asked why he is in town he responds, " Andaba de pueblo en pueblo buscando conquien casarme" (Marquez 43). The determination he has for finding an honorable wife earns him respect in the community and he is seen as the ultimate victim when he ends up losing his new wife Angela due to dishonor. In the Columbian town the brothers were raised o be men and the sisters were raised only to be a wife and nothing more. When referring to her daughters the mother describes them as being perfect because they were raised to suffer and that any man would be happy with them. Even though Angela also lost her husband, the town's sympathy is felt only for Bayardo. Che describes the poor couple he meets in the dessert by saying, " Sus rostros estaban trgica e inquietante" (Salles). He feels that it unfair and wrong that they were forced out of their home and livelihood due to their political beliefs. He truly feels for them and sees the injustice being done to them. The honor that Che feels towards this couple is so strong that he gives them the American money that his girlfriend gave to him. He proves his loyalty to the less fortunate in this act because prior to meeting the couple he refused to part with his girlfriend's money. He would not even give up the money in order to save his own life when he gets ill and is on the verge of death. He seems to care little for his own well being, but cannot overlook the well being of others and will do anything to help them out. In the end, the two works share an overall understanding of honor and what it means to live an honorable life. Whether it be avenging the death of a family member or giving up everything to help out a stranger in need, honor is behind every action that the characters take. The murder of Santiago is so highly honored by the people of the town that they still tell the story to this day, and the honorable acts of Ernesto Guevara was what made him the political icon that is know the world over. Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciada and The Motorcycle Diaries truly capture the Spanish culture's belief in living an honorable and life and respecting the lives of others. Works Cited 1. Guevara, Ernesto Che. The Motor Cycle Diaries: A Latin American Journey. Consortium Book Sales & Dist. 2003. 2. Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Cronica de Una Muerte Anunciada. Editorial Sudamericana S.A. Buenos Aires. 1981. 3. Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Collected Novellas: Chronicle of a Death Foretold. HarperCollins Publishers. New York. 1990. 4. Salles, Walter. The Motor Cycle Diaries. South Fork Pictures. 2004. Read More