I believe this story is a beautiful introduction to this course and I believe you chose to assign this story first to introduce us to rich language and imagination; maybe even to see what we gain from reading it. To study literature is to study the value of wording, poetry and perspective in writing and Gabriel Garcia Marquez captures your attention immediately. While he paints a vivid story that we know could never be true, the story also teaches the reader something about community and perspective. For example, he starts with the children, “They had been playing with him all afternoon, burying him in the sand and digging him up again…,” who have no perception of the seriousness they’re dealing with, to show the innocence children possess. Then the women, “Fascinated by his huge size and his beauty, the women then decided to make him some pants from a large piece of sail and a shirt from some bridal linen so that he could continue through his death with dignity.” This line, even with no context, is beautiful. It shows how caring and supportive humanity can be if we all put aside any outside worries or problems, and simply cared for one another. “…men and women became aware for the first time of the desolation of their streets, the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams as they faced the splendor and beauty of their drowned man.” This one stranger’s death brought everyone together and forced them to view their lives differently.
Daily Archives: February 2, 2023
I think the reason “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the world” story was chosen first is to remind us that there are still good people in the world. Even though the “Handsomest Drowned Man” was a stranger to the villagers, they took it as their active duty to make him feel special and accepted by “dressing him, combing his hair, cutting his nails and shaving him” (4) regardless of him being a corpse. This story reminded me that, for example, in the subway station, when we see someone in dying need, we need to find the time to assist instead of using our phones to make a video and post it on social media to show the world what’s happening to that person. Also, because of his appearance, the Villagers made it their duty to beautify their village. As quoted in the story, “everything would be different from then on, that their houses would have wider doors, higher ceilings, and stronger floors so that Esteban’s memory could go everywhere” (9). This quote reminds me that regardless of the loss of Esteban, his memory lives on. This story also makes me think of what is currently happening in our country when it comes on to Police brutality. Several protests across the country because of the recent killing of “Tyre Nichols.” I think to myself if strangers in a small village could have been this kind and welcoming to a corpse, why is it that we in society can’t do the same to each other? We protested and requested reform, but nothing but the “Handsomest Drowned man” was rescued from the water and treated with dignity, changing strangers’ way of life. This story is powerful.
I believe you assigned the short story “The Handsomest Drowned Man” because it not only teaches a lesson but it also puts magical realism into perspective; The author speaks about a small village in which a giant is washed up on shore and his presence causes the people of the town to imagine different theories and feelings about him. Although the drowned man is not unbelievable, the reaction he elicits from the villagers is unexpected and propels the story into the realm of magical realism. There are many different opinions/takeaways from this story, but I feel as if the main thing is magical realism because the author causes the reader to imagine and even fantasize about how the main character who they label as “Estaban” is. ‘The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,’ in my opinion, can be interpreted as a fable that focuses on the power of the imagination.
I believe that this reading was assigned to us to remind us of our humanity during a time where society has turned against each other after the pandemic began. In “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Marquez, the author reveals the innate characteristics of human personality. For example, the author includes details of how the children were playing with the corpse to highlight the innocence of a child and their inability to understand the concept of death as a part of life. On another note, the women of the village were very compassionate and nurturing towards Esteban when they didn’t know him as a way to demonstrate respect for death while the men saw the man as an inconvenience to their lives. Eventually, towards the end of the story, the village came together and “they came to hold the most splendid funeral” (Marquez 7). After seeing the effort put in by the women to prepare the body, the entire village began contributing and this signifies the importance and strength behind society working together and showing compassion towards another. After the funeral, the village was reborn with a new meaning of unity and what it meant to respect life before death which allowed the village to improve their own lives by making the village brighter and more inviting. This is important because in society, to help others is viewed as an inconvenience when unity is needed in those times to guide us into better directions.
I believe “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World” is the first story of the course to be assigned to show us a piece of writing that illustrates a specific culture through myth, the basis of story telling. In this case, Latin American culture through a children’s tale. Myths and legendary tales passed down from generation to generation exist in every culture. These stories teach us about peoples’ belief systems and what they hold important, most times ultimately teaching a lesson or knowledge to contemplate afterwards. Mythological stories have become the model narrative for many contemporary books and films. In “The Handsomest Drowned Man,” the women in a village grow an attachment to an anonymous tall, handsome man who washes to shore. They clean him, make clothes for him, and give him an identity, Esteban. From these actions, we can assess that the people in the village live in a small, welcoming community where the afterlife is important. When the men and women are preparing to bury Esteban, they make people in neighboring villages aware of the funeral and assign family members for Esteban including people from the other villages, uniting them all. “The Handsomest Drowned Man,” has the potential to teach children to unite and work together, while the author is able to honor his family and culture by displaying this idea through the style of story his Grandmother would tell. This myth also displays how many places are identified by one single person, who is human but idolized, which gives this story importance as well.
In my opinion, the story “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World” was assigned to make the readers use their critical thinking, since there is symbolism used to inspire others throughout the story. The author stated, “the ability to keep on growing after death was part of the nature of certain drowned men.” (Márquez 1). Furthermore, the villagers that found a dead man ashore created greatness within themselves, since their village is next to the sea. This dead mean ashore seemed like a message for the villagers to not give up their determination. According to Márquez, “the vegetation on him came from faraway oceans and deep water and that his clothes were in tatters, as if he had sailed through labyrinths of coral.” (Márquez 2). This shows that the dead man is a symbol for the villagers to change and not end up like another drowned man ashore, so the village will try to expand and reach for something bigger.
