Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

ut they are also the only safe channel to talk about the authorities and their faults as we
will see later in this chapter.
These mechanisms of comedy were used not only to point out the faults of the
authorities but also to criticise flaws in society and some of its most prominent
members. A good example appears in La Familia Burrón, when Cristeta Tacuche,
Borola’s wealthy aunt, is trying to escape from her suitor. Cristeta is a caricature and
illogical character, with disproportionate plumpness and extraordinary wealth.
She goes to the airport and buys a ticket to leave the country, and while paying, she says
to the airline representative: ‘Que se le quede todo el cambio, ninguna noticia a los
diarios ¿eh?’ and the woman at the airport desk replies: ‘Con su dinero, me volvió
muda’. 64 Clearly, dishonesty is not simply a characteristic of the authorities, but rather
of society more widely. The woman at the airport desk tells Cristeta that she will be
discreet about Cristeta’s trip, but only if she is paid. She makes it clear that the reason
for being discreet is the money. The situation works as an allegory which emphasizes
the unscrupulousness of society.
64 La Familia Burrón, 17190, p. 20.
Image unavailable due to
copyright restrictions
Image 3.6. ‘Cristeta Tacuche’. Gabriel Vargas, La Familia
Burrón (n.d.) (in colour)
100