Murder City: An
analysis of the story occurring just beyond our backyard.
Violence is now
woven into the very fabric of the community and has no single cause and no
single motive and no on-off button.
Violence is not a part of life, now it is life. – Bowden, 2011, p. 105
Juarez, Mexico is a large city that lies just south El Paso, a city on
the US and Mexican border. It is a city
with a population that is officially stated as 1.2 million. (Bowden, 2011,
p.44) However, due to the situation in Juarez, no one can be really sure that
this is its actual population. The
situation is one found throughout Mexico, and that is murder. It has been stated that in 2008 between 5000
– 6000 Mexicans were murdered, a good portion of these fatalities occurred in
Juarez. Although an astonishing number
of people are being murdered in Juarez, very little is being reported on this
decay of an entire city. Charles Bowden,
as a journalist, sought to uncover some truths.
He spent some time in Juarez during 2008, taking notes, writing down
stories, and attempting to find out the cause of so much bloodshed. What can be found is written in the pages of Murder City: Cuidad Juarez and the global
economy’s new killing fields. In Murder City, Bowden uses a mixture of
styles to reveal the chaotic atmosphere of Juarez and he incorporates personal
stories along with his own immersed journalistic observations on the situation
in attempt to make readers aware of the plight of Juarez.
Bowden, as a journalist, is more than qualified to write a nonfiction
book on extreme violence. He explains
why he is qualified in this area by saying, “I have covered kidnappings, murders,
financial debacles, the mayhem that my species is capable of committing. There is little within me that has not been
battered or wrenched or poisoned.” (p.
Xii) He is a man well aware of
suffering, however what he found in Juarez went beyond his background, in
entering Juarez he had not entered, “the country of death, but the country of
killing.” (p. XII) When once asked in an interview, “What keeps bringing you back to that place
and subject?” Bowden answered,
“Sometimes I wonder myself, but I think it is
because of the U.S. press. For months when the violence began to accelerate in
2008 the U.S. press and the El Paso Times in particular ignored it or wrote it
offas a cartel war even though the violence is not at all restricted to those
in the drug industry. I was at two death houses where kidnap victims had been
killed and buried, among other things, and I never ran into an American
reporter. Imagine thousands dying and it being beneath notice of the
neighboring country's media. So I lingered against my will because I thought
even with my limited skills attention must be paid to such a slaughter of human
beings.” (Shea, 2010)
It can be
concluded that Bowden felt the need, as a public voice, to uncover what the
plight of thousands of suffering people who were being ignored by both Mexico
and America.
Murder City is nonfiction, but more than that it is a work of
journalism. According to one of the
praise comments found in the beginning of the book, it is, “immersion
journalism.” (Bowden, 2011) This accurately sums up the creation of the
book. As a journalist, Bowden immersed
himself in the daily happenings of Juarez, Mexico, to potentially uncover the
cause of mass killing. This immersion
only adds to his credibility as an author.
Would he have written the story from the perspective of someone who had
never been to Juarez, the story would not have been as compelling or
authentic.
Having seen firsthand the killings in Juarez, Bowden has a further
purpose in writing this novel, he wishes to create awareness. He mentions this in his interview with Mike
Shea when he says, “I thought
even with my limited skills attention must be paid to such a slaughter of human
beings.” (Shea, 2010) Bowden (2011)
further articulates his intentions by in his prologue written to the ignorant
reader, “Let me tell you about a killing season / What? / You don’t like
violence? / I understand / But get in the car.”
(p.x) and he continues this poetic prose throughout the prologue to
engage the reader in the subject, challenging the reader to stop the ignorance,
and be open to the narrative journey he is about to take the reader on. He wants people to become aware of not only
the people who are killed, but also the people who vanish. He writes at one point, “Vanishing is more
final than execution because it means not simply being murdered but being
erased from any real memory or participation in the human community.” (Bowden,
2011, p. 43) Vanishing, in this case,
has both a literal and derived meaning.
The literal is obvious, however as the reader pauses to reflect on the
book so is the derived meaning. It is
important to Bowden that the plight of Juarez does not vanish from our
memories. That their suffering is not
erased from our memories, because then we fall into the danger of being out of
touch with the communities around us.
More importantly we fall in danger of living in a bubble, where life is
happy and carefree, Bowden pops this bubble.
To summarize Murder City is no
easy task. The story is a complex one;
one that overall depicts the slow decay of a major Mexican metropolis. Bowden (2011) writes that, “Killing is not
deviance, it is a logical career decision for thousands floundering in a
failing economy.” (p. 74) Thus he makes
the connection here between violence and the failure of a economic system. He attributes much of this economic failure
to the United States, “I watch modern factories rise, I see American franchises
pop up along the avenues. Golden arches
peddle burgers, but old MacDonald no longer has a farm.” (p.101) What Bowden is speaking of here is the fact
that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has done a lot of damage
to Mexico. To summarize, Bowden (2011)
states that, “After decades of this thing called development, Juarez has in
sheer numbers more poor people than ever, has in real purchasing power lower
wages than ever, has more pollution than ever, and more untreated sewage and
less water than ever.” (p. 118) Thus Bowden postulates that the USA has
played a vital role in contributing to the demise of Juarez.
However another economy is equally
critical in the death of Juarez, the drug economy. Bowden (2011) points out that, “the war in
Mexico is for drugs, and the enormous money to be made by supplying American
habits, a torrent of cash that the army, the police, the government and the
cartels all lust for.” (p. 202) The
violence can very much be attributed to the greed of various groups within
Mexico, including the government.
However Bowden points out an
interesting fact throughout his novel.
He points out the fact that rarely do the corpses link back to the drug
cartels and their affiliates. This is
something he notices early in the book, but also throughout. He points to the fact that many think the
killings are related to drug conflicts, that the Mexican government and the
United States DEA say that the violence is linked to battles between drug
cartels, this does not visibly seem to be the case. Thus most of this book is based on the
premise, that if it is not the drug cartels killing hundreds of people a month,
then who is? In the end he comes up with
a number of conclusions. The violence
can be linked to NAFTA and its effects, it is a way of life, and it is a result
of the government, army, police and drug cartels who all work with each other
and yet no one really knows who works with who.
This book relates to the
concepts of global economy, and the role that Mexico in general, and Juarez
particularly, plays in this economy.
Bowden himself does a good job of explaining that it was NAFTA that
delivered a blow to peasant agriculture, and sent millions feeling north in
order to survive. Mexican’s were forced
to work in American factories, just so they could have a job. He mentions that, “American factories went to
Mexico because they could pay slave wages, ignore environmental regulations, in
return were cheap prices at Walmart.
(Bowden, 2011, p. 99). Thus he
attributes much of the eventual decay to the American capitalism. The idea that Americans feel they are
entirely justified taking advantage of cheap labour. The lack of regulation in Mexico made it easy
for American’s to come in and destroy the traditional livelihoods of many. The result is Juarez today, “Killing is not a
deviance, it is a logical career decision for thousands floundering in a failing
economy.” (Bowden, 2011, p.74) Thus we can see that the global economy, and
Mexico’s part in this economy is relevant to Latin America studies.
Murder City is a story with a unique structure. Most of the story is told in fragments. Three featured stories on Miss Sinaloa the
raped beauty queen, a repentant hit man, and a journalist on the run are
stories told in between the Bowden’s own observations and analysis of what is
happening in Juarez. The reader knows
when the three prominent stories resume, because their chapters are headed the
same each time, Miss Sinaloa, Murder Artist, Dead Reporter Driving. However the
intermingling of parts is somewhat chaotic.
It was sometime difficult for the reader to shift from one story to
another. Perhaps this was just a method
Bowden used to portray the disarray and uncertainty of the world he submersed
himself in. Additionally, in the middle
of the book there is a photo essay containing photographs by Julian
Cardona. This section is a great
addition, as it puts the stories into visual perspective.
Bowden also incorporates numerous styles into this one book. At times he writes in fragments, a sort of
poetry. It is a noncommittal, sporadic
poetry that makes little sense:
There are a
million stories in the naked city.
Death be not proud
“You are the mist
that appears for a little while and then vanishes,”
James
4:14
True grit.
Suck in yer gut,
we’re gonna whup it.
Don’t complain,
don’t explain.
Are you feeling
lucky, punk? (Bowden, 2011, p. 176)
Additionally,
these poetic pieces also contain allusions, or quotes to other literary
pieces. Included in the above section is
a text from the New Testament, the title of a recent movie where a young girl
tracks down her father’s murderer, and a quote from Shakespeare. When Bowden is writing is giving a deeper
analysis however, he tends to stick to more formal and proper writing. This blending of two polar opposite styles
lends to a unique reading experience. The reader never knows what is coming next
and must always be aware.
Although Murder City contains
some great stylistic elements, it also lends itself to some criticism. The story becomes monotonous and repetitive
at times. It is almost as if the author
is using is journalistic capabilities and providing the brief news headings on
killings. For an example:
On a Sunday, a man in a Dodge Neon is gunned
down. On Wednesday, two beaten and
tortured cops are found under a bridge near the cemetery. On Wednesday night, that cops crawls into the
baker. On Thursday, another man is executed. On Friday, seven men are slaughtered in a
house in the state capital by the authorities. (Bowden, 2011, p. 5)
The author’s intent
may be to give tribute to the dead, to the thousands who have lost their
lives. However, like any news headlines,
it tends to make the reader indifferent and accustomed to the incomprehensible
suffering.
In
conclusion, Murder City, provides an
excellent interpretation of the killings in Juarez. Charles Bowden, submerses himself into
Juarez, allowing him to provide a authentic, detailed account of the killings
that are occurring. He provides not only
a human element by incorporating stories of various people he has met and
interviewed, but he also provides a deeper analysis of why so many people are
being killed, and what that means for Juarez, Mexico and America. Bowden writes with a purpose, and that is to
inform the uninformed. While he does not
expect people to understand, he wants them to know. The structure of the story conveys the
uncertainty of Juarez; you never know what is coming next. The style of the story is both formal and
chaotic. To sum it up, Murder City is the unique telling of a
shocking story occurring just outside our backyard.
References:
Bowden,
C. (2011) Murder city: Cuidad Juarez and
the global economy’s new killing
field. New York, NY: Nation Books.
Shea, M. (Interviewer)
& Bowden, C. (Interviewee). (2010) Charles Bowden.
[Interview]. Texas Monthly, 38(4): 56. Accessed May 24,
2012 from Academic
Onefile.
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