Historically
pilgrims have been travellers in search of something holy, in search of a
Mecca, or Jerusalem. History recounts
countless tales of those in search of spiritual greatness, the struggles these
pilgrims had in finding what they were searching for, the blood that was shed,
and the lives that were sacrificed. As the world has become more secular, the
meaning of the word pilgrim has changed.
The first Pilgrims in America were pilgrims in search of religious freedom;
the pilgrims of Strange Pilgrims are
in search of the supernatural. Strange
Pilgrims is a collection of twelve short stories, written by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez. The unique collection of
stories find various Latin American characters transplanted in Europe. Each character must create their own means of
survival, and each character does so in their own way. Several characters take on mystical and
bizarre ways of surviving; others find more practical and reliable means of
coping. In Strange Pilgrims, Marquez
offers a collection of short stories portraying Latin American pilgrims
wandering in a land that is not their own, and by incorporating a nostalgic
theme by making references to Latin American history and culture throughout the
novel.
Strange Pilgrims was written by Gabriel
Garcia Marquez. The author is a Latin
American himself, born in 1927 in Aracataca, Columbia. He currently resides in Mexico City. (Marquez, 1993) As a Latin American who has
done extensive travelling, he has a diverse recollection of the people he has
met and the stories they have told. In
his prologue he mentions that this book was not written at one point in time,
rather over the years. They are bits and
pieces of notes, and scraps of stories that he compiled. (Marquez, 1993, p. Vii) However he also introduces the supernatural
here. He mentions that the idea for his
first story came to him in the early 1970’s, “as a result of an illuminating
dream I had had after living in Barcelona for five years.” (Marquez, 1993, p. Vii) It was a dream of his own funeral where
everyone was happy, and himself more than anyone because he got to be with his
Latin American friends. (Marquez, 1993,
p. Viii) This theme of the dream
reoccurs throughout the novel.
It is apparent
that the author himself was a pilgrim in Europe. In his prologue he states that he “returned
to Mexico from Barcelona.” (Marquez,
1993, p. Vii) Implying that he had been
in Europe, he makes similar implications about Paris, Rome and Geneva. Thus the author is speaking from his own
experiences having travelled to Europe, and met other Latin Americans while
there.
Each story
contains a Latin American pilgrim. This pilgrim
or protagonist always originates from Latin America, and for some reason or
another leaves for Europe. The
circumstances surrounding this wondering from Latin America across the Atlantic
always differs. For an example, in the
chapter entitled, “Bon Voyage, Mr. President,” an overthrown president
travelled to, “Geneva after two world wars in search of a definitive answer to
a pain that the doctors in Martinique could not identify.” (Marquez, 1993, p.
4) Thus he was looking for better health.
In another chapter, titled, “I sell my dreams,” the protagonist was,
“born in Columbia, and had come to Austria between the wars, when she was
little more than child, to study music and voice.” (Marquez, 1993, p. 64) It is evident
therefore that there is no connection between the stories, nor is there any
rhythmic sequence to the pilgrimages of these Latin American protagonists.
The only other
significant character in the stories is the author himself, who writes from a
first person point of view, as if he were telling his readers a story. For an example he says, “I saw Margarito
Duarte after twenty two years....” (Marquez, 1993, p. 36) Marquez often starts his chapters, or stories
in such a manner, implying that these are people he has met, and he is relaying
their stories of the transition from Latin America to Europe. Thus Marquez himself is an important
character in the novel.
The tone that
Marquez sets in Strange Pilgrims is a
complex one. It is understandably more
difficult to identify the mood in twelve very different stories. For an example, in “Sleeping Beauty and the
airplane,” there is a tone of fantasy where the author speaks of a beautiful
girl that is sitting on the plane next to him.
She sleeps the entire trip, while he watches over her, as the ancient
Japanese tradition where rich men paid money to watch, “the most beautiful
girls in the city....they could not touch them...because they essence of their
pleasure was to see them sleeping.”
(Marquez, 1993, p. 60) However
other stories turn more grotesque, such as “I only came to use the phone.” This story tells the tale of a woman who only
wants to reach a phone with which to call her husband that she will be home
late. She ends up in an asylum for
mental women, and becomes trapped there.
In this case the line between what is real and what is imagined becomes
incredibly hard for the protagonist to differentiate, and eventually she does
become mad. Thus there are various
themes and tone running throughout the novel.
However one thing remains constant and that is the reoccurrence of the
magical, fantasy, and dreams, the supernatural.
Throughout the
novel nearly every story contains some element of mysticism. “The saint” is the story of the daughter of a
Columbian peasant who died, but whose body remained intact, a miracle. “I sell my dreams,” is the story of a woman
who is able to predict the future through dreams, and makes a living by selling
these predictions to people. “The ghosts
of August,” is a story about a ghost in ancient castle. And many more examples could be made, but
these examples give a good idea of the presence of fantasy throughout the
book.
The relation
between fantasy and the author’s intent is made clear in his prologue. Marquez (1993) writes that, “True memories
seemed like phantoms, while false memories were so convincing that they
replaced reality. The meant I could not
detect the dividing line between disillusionment and nostalgia.” (p. Xii).
Moreover, it become evident that Marquez writes with a style that
cleverly blurs this distinction as well.
The reader becomes unable to clearly distinguish what is real and what
is fantasy. Who knows whether Frau
Frieda, “I sell my dreams,” is really able to predict a future, who knows
whether her dreams really had anything to do with real life?
However there
are mentions made of real life Latin American history, culture and
traditions. And while the book is filled
with fantasy, magic and dreams, these references are easy to pick up on. For an example, “I only came to use the
phone,” speaks of the mariachi being played at a wedding. This is still a popular Latin American
tradition. Another reference is made to
“Venezuelan writer Miguel Otero Silva.”
(Marquez, 1993, p. 92) Silva was
indeed a Venezuelan author, so here reference is made to literary traditions of
Latin America. Additionally, “Bon
Voyage, Mr. President” speaks of political disenchantment, popular in Latin
American history. It is the story of an
overthrown, Latin American president who has to go to Europe to seek medical
treatment. The president is not given a
name rather he is referred to as ‘Mr. President.’ This reference is perhaps to the political
situations in Latin America. Numerous
other references were made, however these give a good understanding of the way
in which Marquez incorporates Latin America history and culture.
Although Marquez
provides a interesting compilation of stories, Strange Pilgrims, read like the
title itself. Pilgrims can also be
termed wanderers, and this book wandered in its effectiveness and structure. The stories did not transition into each other;
rather they wandered in terms of content, length, and themes. One story deals with fantasizing love, while
the next deals with an old prostitute preparing herself for her burial. While the book lacked flow, it did contain
excellent detail and the effect the author intended.
Many of the
stories left the reader wondering what exactly was going on. What was real and what was not. If these were people the author had indeed
met, did they actually experience this events?
The only way by which the author could successfully achieve is this is
by paying careful attention to the detail of the story.
In conclusion, Strange Pilgrims is the story of Latin
Americans who have left their homeland.
It is the story of their attempt at finding whatever they were searching
for in Europe. For some this was health,
for others it was better education, or even validation of their own
identity. The reference to various Latin
American traditions, however, perpetuates that idea, that these people are
never without their heritage that it will carry with them forever. Although the
stories did not contain much relevance towards each other, they did contain a
similar underlying theme, that of the supernatural. The supernatural was, however, the force that
binds these wandering pilgrims together as they sought their destiny.
References:
Marquez, G.G.
(1993). Strange Pilgrims. Toronto,
ON: Random House.
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