Fatalism and literature

As I was driving home from one of my last graduate school classes I began to reflect on the literature that I had read. We had finished discussing several stories by Maria de Zayas which described the oppression of the desires and liberties of women during the 17th century. Although they are didactic in nature, they leave the reader feeling hopeless about the plight of women in society. As I mentally ran through many of the other works of literature I had read during my course work I realized most of them dealt with oppression, discrimination or fatalism. This has had a profound effect on my psyche. While I feel more compassion towards the marginalized, more empathy with the oppressed and a stronger sense of social justice, I have also fallen into a fatalism which I find leading me, at times, towards humanism. Don Quixote dies a lonely old man without ever conquering Dulcinea's love, Horacio Quiroga's characters succumb to the power of an unforgiving nature, the Latin American dictator novels depict a world governed cruelly by madmen, and the list goes depressingly on. Still, in the midst of the cloud of fatalism which surrounds these works I have found a ray of sunshine.
One of the main influences in the work of Gutierrez, and in fact the recipient of the dedication in Theology of Liberation, is Arguedas. In his novel Los Rios Profundos he describes a world full of opposites. The Indian and the European, the town and the country, the poor and the rich, the master and the laborer, the soldiers and the peasants, Catholicism and indigenous mysticism, weave a portrait of a world dominated by opposites which are in continual conflict. Though discrimination and oppression are important themes in the novel, the protaganist, Ernesto, is able to find hope in the place where the opposites meet. The Spanish term for this juncture is "hibridez." More than a mixing of two cultures, "hibridez" is a new path, a new way, an alternative to the current social model.
Liberation theology reflects this desire for an alternative way living, one of the gifts that Arguedas gave to Latin American thought. Christ is the redeemer of both the oppressed and the oppressor, the saviour of the rich and of the poor, king of the master and the slave. Christianity presents each generation with an "hibridez." A model different from the world's in which we find that we are more similar than different. So now when I read how Don Quijote is cruelly used by the nobles for entertainment I can remember that Christ offers hope to Don Quijote and forgiveness to the nobles. When I find myself confronted with the atrocities committed by despotic regimes I can remember that Christ redeems the torturer and saves the tortured. It's a new way living hope. I not only have hope for myself and those like me, but Christ demands that I have hope for the person who is my enemy, who is completely "other" than me. I must now believe that all can be redeem and that gives me hope.

Chavez, Obama and "The Open Veins of Latin America"

I was not surprised when I heard Chavez had given Obama a copy of "The Open Veins of Latin America" by Galeano. The history of opression and colonialism is an integral part of the Latin American identity which continues to determine much of the political climate in the region. While many may view the gesture as an affront to the American way of life, I view it as a desire to be understood. The rise and fall and rise again of leftist governments in Latin America and the constant ebb and flow of power can best be understood through a recounting of its history. Chavez gave Obama, and apparently many other Americans, an opportunity to understand a difficult history, one which is very different from our own. While some suggest that Chavez is pointing out that the U.S. is an evil and vile nation, perhaps he is merely asking for a chance to be understood. While this may seem naive, it is also naive to ignore the role that European nations and the U.S. had in exploiting and oppressing areas of Latin America. Instead of pushing away Chavez and other Latin Americans, maybe it would be healthier to read Galeano with humility and understanding. We won't agree with everything he says and we probably won't understand much of it, but at least we should give this very important Latin American voice a chance to be heard without preconceived notions or prejudices. Then we can move forward together with the realization that "they" are not so different from us and desire basic liberties and freedoms, true American values, just as much, if not more, than we do.

Welcome

This is my foray into blogging. We'll see how it goes!