You know, there’s only so much left of the novel that all this foreshadowing seems like it will never be completely revealed. The entire mystery-feel engulfing these pages is something I was ready to dismiss as a fanciful way one was reading a journal based on reality. Seeing as this is still told from the perspective of someone, namely Alba and at times Trueba, who knew the characters personally, I cannot hold to my previous argument.
Fantasy aside, there is quite the political statement roaring through the characters’ lives. The battle between the chickens and the fox.
Round one. Fight!
Pedro’s rebellious manners distinguish him from among the peasants as a threat to Trueba.
Trueba responds with a death threat that sends Pedro to hide in secrecy.
Pedro attacks by instilling a proud theme song uniting forces with peasants across the country.
In an extraordinary rage, Trueba lunges at Pedro with an axe!
Close one, but Pedro lives on.
Round Two. Fight!
Pedro steels the affection of Trueba’s Family. Oh! There goes Blanca’s love. Ah! Jaime’s friendship just got snatched. Ouch. Say bye to Alba’s music interests.
Trueba fights back for his granddaughter. Can she be the one to follow in his footsteps? Will she see the peasants as incapable of thinking for themselves?
Bummer for Trueba, she’s questioning him. Why does he own the land? Family? Huh?
Oh, and here comes Pedro again. Telling Alba about the poor. Yikes.
But what’s this? Trueba is a Senator? All this Marxism talk looks like it’s hitting powerful ears.
Apparently it’s not doing anything though. Yup, he’s just getting ridiculed.
Will the chickens win?
I guess we have to wait and see.
Till next time.
I agree completely with your assessment of the political situation. Clearly, there is a lot of political and social dialogue and the plot completely revolves around Trueba's hate for the Marxist thinking peasants and their hate for him.
ReplyDeleteI think that we can fairly easily predict though that the chickens, along with Trueba, will be struck down by the foxes. I don't think that Allende would spend all that time building up the tension between the conservatives and the peasants if not to highlight the downfall of the oligarchic leaders.