Weekend in Guatemala - Essay Example

Weekend in Guatemala How the helps, readers understand the mentality of La Galla and Diego Hung Ig The of “Weekend in Guatamala” helps readers understand the mentality of people such as La Galla and Diego Hung Ig by exemplifying their experiences. Firstly, the author starts by providing crucial information regarding Deigo’s endeavors, which mostly involves the Great Brotherhood and land reforms. Diego’s mentality is highly focused towards the idea of taking back land from white settlers, and giving it to the Indians.

The author further presents Diego’s pessimistic mentality by illustrating how in the middle of the night, Diego went to visit the eldest elder, Tucuche in his home. Diego express his pessimism by asking Tucuche if the land reforms are of ill intent (Asturias 201). Secondly, the author helps readers understand La Galla’s mentality through the expressions she gives when she hears the Indian drums. La Galla expresses condescending facts regarding the Indians and the drums they play because of the land reforms.

La Galla’s mentality is best understood when the author describes how his father died because of a demonstration, which was carried out by the Indians. La Galla disagrees with the idea of land reforms, which has been instigated by the Great Brotherhood. Further, La Galla does not see any sense regarding the drums played by the Indians; she sees it as only noise (Asturias 200). Necessity of branding the people who wanted reforms as communist Branding the land reformists as communists was the best cover up, which La Galla and the white settlers could use to attack the Indians.

If La Galla and her group could label the Indians as communist, the Indians could be seen as extremists with ill intentions. The idea of communism was contrary to what La Galla and whites believed in, which was capitalism. The state and communal ownership of land was the point of attack against Indians (Asturias 204).Works CitedAsturias M. Week-end in Guatemala. Mexico City: Buenos Aires, Editorial Goyanarte, 1956. Print.