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Salient Stories: A Year Of Salvadorian Literature
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Reflections On Reading a Year of Reading Salvadoran Literature
Books Read:
A History of Violence
The Massacre at El Mozote
The Weight of All Things
When the announcement was made that we had to choose our country, I already knew I was going to choose El Salvador. El Salvador is in my blood. My parents are from there and my parents' parents are from there and so on. Not only that, I have always wanted to learn more about El Salvador. So I used this as an opportunity to learn more about my culture. Originally I knew a little bit about all the corruption and gangs in El Salvador but I would have never known how deep it actually is if I had not read these books. The rabbit hole goes so much deeper than we think it does. When you actually investigate it and learn more about it you realize there is significantly so much more than you would have ever imagined. Salvadoran literature is gritty, gruesome, and filled with so many horrors beyond our comprehension. A common theme in Salvadoran literature is the impact war and violence has on individuals, families, and communities. We see so many families torn apart and the brutality of war in Salvadoran literature. Also another important common theme is the harsh reality of migration, specifically the trauma and danger these Central American migrants face.
The Massacre at El Mozote by Mark Danner is a cruel yet extremely interesting book that dives into the horrific massacre of innocent civilians that occurred during the Salvadoran Civil War. A huge takeaway from this book is that it is also a quest for truth, justice and accountability as it is taking into account all the horrors that were attempted to be covered up.
A History of Violence by Oscar Martinez dives deep into the roots of the violence in El Salvador and even traces it back to the Colonial era. Then from there it goes to the CIvil war which then eventually leads on to the rise of gangs in 1990. One of the major takeaways from this novel is the impact of human violence and its consequences. Another key takeaway is how historical conflicts, social inequalities, and gang activity have shaped the violence of El Salvador and is now a significant part of El Salvador.
The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez explores the Civil War from the perspective of a young boy. The Weight of All Things explores the impact of war, loss and grief, and family relationships. Definitely the biggest takeaway is the impact of war though. We see how nobody wins, the impacts of this civil war only leads to suffering and grief which we see with the main character and what he witnesses.
Salvadoran literature has taught me so much of the uglier side of humanity. It has taught me the cruelty and horrors we are capable of. It has also taught me that there are countless stories of the violence that took place in El Salvador. I should say “took” but I should instead say “takes” because this violence is still present in El Salvador. After reading all of these books I got a better understanding of why El Salvador has the number one homicide rate in the world. It really had me thinking about who I am.
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Week 20 Blog
The Weight of All Things
Sandra Benitiez
Pages Read: 150 - 160
Word Count: 303
Summary:
In the 10 pages that I read in this last week of independent reading Chico and his friends come across a village that has been destroyed by the war. Chico witnesses the brutal murder of a woman by a soldier and realizes that the war is not only affecting him and his family, but also innocent civilians. Also, Chico and friends come across a group of refugees who are heading in the same direction. They join forces and continue on their journey together. Along the way, they are attacked by soldiers, but they manage to escape.
Critical Analysis:
I believe the most important quote of this week, and my only quote is “He had dreamed about escaping, and she had spoken to him again. Last night, la Virgen Milagrosa had appeared in the dream. They had been in the pantry, which was small like a cave. She was resting on the shelf, as she had in her niche.”. I believe this is the most important quote because it shows this character receiving a literal vision from La Virgen during these hard times. We can see how the war is affecting the characters lives’ and their sleep.
Personal Response:
I was okay with this book before but now, I do not know, it just does not catch my attention like it used to. It struggles to hold on to my attention and I find myself drifting off when I am reading this book. Now this may not be the books fault but rather my short attention span, but my point still stands. I am just glad I will not have to read it anymore due to the fact that independent reading is now officially over with this last week.
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“He had dreamed about escaping, and she had spoken to him again. Last night, la Virgen Milagrosa had appeared in the dream. They had been in the pantry, which was small like a cave. She was resting on the shelf, as she had in her niche.
The Weight Of All Things (155)
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Week 19 Blog
The Weight of All Things
Sandra Benitez
Pages Read: 120 - 150
Word Count: 313
Summary:
In this week's reading, a boy named Chayo is traveling to his grandmother's house after witnessing a terrible event. He meets a kind woman named Maria who helps him by giving him food and a place to sleep. Then Chayo sees his grandmother again, but he feels very sad and can't eat. His grandmother takes him to see a healer who performs a special ritual to help him feel better. In chapter 24, Chayo's mother is released from jail and they are all happy to be together again. However, Chayo is still very upset about what he saw before and knows he will never forget it. He tries to feel better by spending time with his family.
Critical Analysis:
The quote “What they found was carnage. Seven dead, among them a woman and an infant strapped to her back. “ is probably the most important quote of this week. A few sentences after this the book states that nearby, there was also a woman with the top of her head blown off and with her mouth gaping open. Who would have thought that after a child seeing all of this they would be traumatized. No but really, here we can see the scenes this poor child is seeing and no wonder he is traumatized.
Personal Response:
I can not believe that we are in the second to last week of independent reading. I thought it would never end, but finally, we are nearing the end of independent reading. I am super excited to finally be done with independent reading. Enough of that though, my opinions on this book are roughly the same, pretty good book. There are still as many graphic scenes as ever and it keeps you shocking while you helplessly keep reading the lines describing the horrors.
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"They made firebombs.' Nicolas stopped there, lest he picture too vividly Tata sitting under the lean-to smelling of match heads, lest what he pictured in his head the officers might also see."
The Weight of All Things (141)
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“We’re going to Tejutla. The kid’s coming with us.’ The lieutenant turned on his heel. ‘Or I could blow him into the next world so he wouldn’t be a bother,’ the sergeant added.”
The Weight Of All Things (136)
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“What they found was carnage. Seven dead, among them a woman and an infant strapped to her back. “
The Weight of All Things (127)
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Week 18 Blog
The Weight Of All Things
Sandra Benitez
Pages Read: 100-120
Word Count: 313
Summary:
A rundown of what happened in this week’s independent reading is Chico and Kiki are still on the run, and they come across a group of peasants who have been killed by the military. Chico is traumatized by what he sees, and he begins to doubt his faith in God. Kiki tries to comfort him and tells him that they must keep moving. Afterwards, Chico and Kiki meet a group of nuns who are running a hospital for wounded and sick people. The nuns take them in and Chico becomes friends with a girl named Marta.
Critical Analysis:
The quote out of all of them for this week that is arguably the most important one is “Slung over Elias’s shoulder, like a human backpack, was Gerardo’s body. The great wound in his chest had spilled blood that had run down Elias’s shirt and soaked the fabric of his trousers.”. This quote displays yet another traumatizing and horrific scene and we see that this scene deeply affects Chico. We find out that Chico was traumatized by what he saw and by what happened. Even after all of that, they must keep on going and continue.
Personal Response:
It is shocking that all of this did not even happen that long ago. This stuff was real and real people and children had to go through this. It seems so unreal yet it is reality. I am about 100 pages away from finishing this book and I have no idea if that will be enough to ride it out to the end of independent reading. What I can say so far about this book though is that it is a pretty good book, definitely not as boring as other reads but it definitely has as much disturbing moments as my first book.
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"We're not going anywhere,' Tata answered Nicolas. 'This is our home. We'll hide in the cave."
The Weight Of All Things (118)
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“Slung over Elias’s shoulder, like a human backpack, was Gerardo’s body. The great wound in his chest had spilled blood that had run down Elias’s shirt and soaked the fabric of his trousers.”
The Weight Of All Things (104)
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Week 17 Blog
The Weight of All Things
Sandra Benitez
Pages Read: 80-100
Word Count: 303
Summary:
Chico goes to the city of San Salvador with his friend Kiko in search of his mother. Along the way, they bump into a group of soldiers who steal their belongings and beat them. Chico becomes increasingly frustrated with the violence and chaos around him. Chico and Kiko continue their journey to the refugee camp, encountering more violence and destruction along the way. They witness a group of soldiers execute a group of civilians and run away. Then, Chico and Kiko finally arrive at the refugee camp and are reunited with Chico's mother.
Critical Analysis:
“His stomach was not healing properly. It oozed pus and was malodorous, and flies swarmed over it.” is arguably one of the more critical quotes in this week's reading. It shows the constant fight for survival and grueling situations that our characters have to persevere through. It is terrifying to see what these people had to go through when all of these horrors were occurring in El Salvador and the severity of some of these injuries that survivors suffered from the violence either from the soldiers or the guerillas.
Personal Response:
This week’s reading was not all too bad. It had a few shocking moments and some moments that I wish I had not read like the section that was deeply describing the stomach injury with the pus in great detail. Seriously, that was disgusting and just imagining it could probably make me queasy. When Chico and Kiko saw the soldiers execute the civilians I immediately thought it sounded familiar and I was right because that was almost the exact same thing as a scene in “The Massacre of El Mozote”, the first book I read for my independent reading work.
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“His stomach was not healing properly. It oozed pus and was malodorous, and flies swarmed over it.”
The Weight Of All Things (90)
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“Nicolas thought the baby was going to die. A temperature that reached over forty was a very dire thing.La niña Ursula’s baby had died. He was a boy two months old.”
The Weight Of All Things (87)
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Week 16 Blog
The Weight of All Things
Sandra Benitez
Pages Read: 50 - 80
Word Count:
Summary:
In the 30 pages that I read of "The Weight of All Things," Eddie continues his search for his mother in the middle of the Salvadoran Civil War. He bumps into a group of women who care for wounded guerrilla soldiers, witnesses a massacre committed by government troops, and is captured and tortured by soldiers. Eddie eventually escapes and returns to his hometown, only to find it destroyed and his father dead. He then joins a group of civilians in the mountains who are hiding from the violence and begins to help with their survival efforts.
Critical Analysis:
The quote ““What’s wrong with your mother?’ Alvarado asked, addressing Nicolas for the first time. ‘Mi mamá…’ it was useless he could not go on.” is definitely the most crucial quote of this week. This quote alone encapsulates perfectly energy throughout this reading. The suffering and cruelty all around them. It is also the moment we realize something has happened to Nicolas’ mother seeing as he could not even finish his sentence as the thought of his mother so it is most likely the worst has happened to her.
Personal Response:
Going two weeks without doing our independent reading was great but coming back from that was not so great. Jumping into the habit again of reading was not something that necessarily wanted to click immediately. So although I was only able to read 30 pages this week I read enough to be able to make a blog out of it. But I am definitely having trouble concentrating on it. Plus half the time I do not even know what is going on in the story so that does not necessarily help either. I am not the biggest fan of this book.
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“What’s wrong with your mother?’ Alvarado asked, addressing Nicolas for the first time. ‘Mi mamá…’ it was useless he could not go on.”
The Weight Of All Things (77)
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“The radio continued blasting news: ‘At Monseñor Romero’s funeral, thirty five people died in the plaza. Four hundred and fifty men, women, and children were wounded aswell.”
The Weight Of All Things (64)
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