Reframing Latin America: A Cultural Theory Reading ... - BGSU Blogs

242 reframing latin america
coast and then turned west across Argentina and the Andes Mountains into
Chile. La Poderosa broke down shortly after they arrived in Chile, forcing
them to travel by foot, boat, or bus. They hitchhiked much of the way. In
Chile, they turned north and worked their way steadily through Peru, Ecuador,
and Colombia, ending up in Venezuela, where Guevara and Granado
parted ways. Guevara caught a ride on a cargo plane to Argentina that went
through Miami. When the plane landed in Miami, the pilot discovered the
need for a major repair. Penniless, Guevara ended up spending an unexpected
and difficult month there until the plane was fi xed.
The Motorcycle Diaries is surprisingly brief, consisting of less than 150
pages, with most entries covering not more than two of those. The majority
of the entries are brief descriptions of the journey, of places they stay or
people they meet. Guevara offers a few philosophical insights and political
commentaries, but these are the exceptions and most do not appear until
late in their journey. If a person were to read the Diaries casually, without
concern for deep analysis, it would appear to be a description of a rambunctious
road trip by a couple of young university students looking for adventure.
In the opening entry, Guevara says that the inspiration for the trip
was little more than exasperation with the mundane realities of school and
work. “I was restless too,” he writes, “mainly because I was a dreamer and a
free spirit; I was fed up with medical school, hospitals and exams . . . all we
could see was the dusty road ahead and us on our bike devouring kilometers
in the fl ight northward” (13). For the North American reader, the Diaries
evokes images of the classic American road trip, akin to Jack Kerouac’s
On the Road, or any story of young people hitting the road during summer
vacation, guided by little more than a sense of adventure.
Guevara tells of some hardships that he and Granado faced, such as mechanical
failures and inadequate food, shelter, and money. But for the most
part, the Diaries depicts a pair of happy-go-lucky travelers who fl irt with
women, see new and interesting sights, and con people for food and drink.
For example, in describing his thoughts about their plan to travel to Easter
Island off the coast of Chile, Guevara writes, “This wonderful place where
the weather is ideal, the women ideal, the food ideal, the work ideal (in its
blissful non-existence). Who cares if we stay there a year, who cares about
studying, work, family, etc.?” 5 This seems hardly the stuff of a future guerrilla
warrior.
A closer reading of the Diaries, however, reveals an underlying narrative
of growing political consciousness. For example, in the same entry as
his whimsical ruminations about Easter Island, Guevara tells the story of
visiting an elderly woman who suffers from asthma. He found her living