The Feast of the Goat By Mario Vargas Llosa - Research Paper Example

?Mayra Capriles EN1010 Adrian Harding “The Feast of the Goat” By Mario Vargas Llosa: An Incredible Piece of Literature Based On a True Story. 1.0 Introduction Latin America was not significantly involved during the World War I. However, it was very much affected by it especially the region’s economy. Most of the countries in Latin America, after the World War I, were already independent. Nonetheless, during the 1930s, the regime of dictatorship rose and also played a significant role in the upcoming World War II. Most of the Latin American countries assumed the authoritarian governance (Duiker and Spielvogel 732). One of the dictators during that time was General Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic. He ruled from 1930 to 1961 and used all means to acquire and gain more wealth even with the expense of the Dominicans. He controlled every aspect of the Dominican Republic and also controlled the economic resources of the country, which in return brought him personal wealth. Nonetheless, Trujillo’s regime ended, but the fear that it had inculcated in the minds of the Dominicans lingered longer. This was depicted during the stay of Mario Vargas Llosa in the country. In the span of eight months, Vargas Llosa witnessed the fear that Trujillo left to the Dominican Republic which inspired him to write The Feast of the Goat in 2000 (Vedovato 25; Kristal and King 212). 2.0 Mario Vargas Llosa Mario Vargas Llosa is considered as one of the most famous Latin American authors. His ability to incorporate the past and present in his works affixes the reader from the beginning to the end. Vargas Llosa is considered as a keen observer of societal events and activities in relation to corruption of the government (Benson, Hellander, and Wlodarski 45). In addition, Vargas Llosa considered three life experiences that had brought him to writing his literary pieces. The first one is his experience of violence on the hands of his father, which brought him to distaste his relationship with him. He also considered his unpleasant experience at the military academy in Lima as a window in understanding the injustice and brutal acts of the party-colored under the military regime of General Odria during 1948 to 1956. The second life-changing experience that molded him was during the time when Heberto Padilla, a Cuban poet undergone a shameful trial. This was during the regime of Fidel Castro and was done in order for other leftist writers, like Vargas Llosa, to end their protest against the government. The turning point was when Vargas Llosa’s cowriters succumbed to the demand of Castro, and they left him. For this reason, Vargas Llosa decided to shift his literary genre to erotic and humorous novels. Lastly, the final turning point in Vargas Llosa’s life was when he ran for the presidency in Peru against Alberto Fujimori in 1990. He did not win during the election, but this did not upset him. According to him, he was saddened because of the fact that his fellow citizens chose another authoritarian to govern and lead them. Nonetheless, despite these experiences, he still has an interest in politics while adding that he considers himself as a liberal, and that he believes in every individual’s freedom. According to him, being a liberal is the freedom of a person to define his or her own nationality (Foley 3-4; Zapata 62). Aside from his political interests, Vargas Llosa is also concerned of the presence of political extremism in Latin America. This was also one of the reasons why he ran for the presidency because he was alarmed of the political extremism of the Right and Left. This has even been supplemented with violent movements by the Shining Path Socialist. Moreover, he also opposes the dictatorship of the nationalism of the Right and the collectivism of the Left. He strongly believes in democracy and freedom from which he declares himself as a liberal (Foley 4-5). 3.0 The Feast of the Goat 3.1 Genre and Theme The novel The Feast of the Goat by Vargas Llosa focuses on the theme of a society that is corrupt along with the agency of an individual who is the core of the corruption. Furthermore, it also focuses on the human agency of which an individual exercises and chooses corruption (Zapata 93). The novel depicts the trauma and the reminiscence of the past of the characters. As Urania returns home, she rekindles with the memories she has left for thirty five years. She remembers the childhood she once had in the city and the secret of her exile. During her stay in her childhood town, it slowly triggers bitter memories, which she had chosen to suppress. Another narrative in the novel concentrates on the past of the Dominican Republic on the hands of General Trujillo. The novel also maneuvers to reveal the downfall of the dictator, and the revenge of it. Furthermore, the novel is included in the subgenre modern dictator novel in Latin American Literature. Also, the title of the novel, which is The Feast of the Goat, was from the song “They Killed the Goat” in relation to the death of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Trujillo was tagged as the Goat because of his tendency to act as one. Nonetheless, his novel still has its own character compared to the usual dictator novels (Foley 6-7; Hunter and Onorato 431). 3.2 Historical Context Most of the content of the novel are founded on historical facts from which Vargas Llosa had well-researched in relation to General Rafael Trujillo during his dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. He had focused on every detail that he learned about General Trujillo. On the other hand, he has incorporated fiction on his novel in the manner of telling the story. In a historical context, the novel dates back from 1931 to 1961 in which Trujillo was the dictator in the Dominican Republic. It was written in order to learn from the mind of a dictator and understand the point of view of the victims. It has a general theme of freedom and power: the power to oppress individuals and the chase and need of people of freedom. The novel, though with characters involved in the era of dictatorship on the Dominican Republic, still represents the authoritarian heads during the twentieth century. It embodies Hitler, Mao, Franco, and the other authoritarians who tie people in an invisible chain for their welfare (Foley 5-7). 3.3 Summary In summary, The Feast of the Goat is about the tyrant Trujillo, and his reign over the Dominican Republic. It opens on the present when Urania Cabral returned to her hometown, which is Santo Domingo, after her long absence for almost thirty five years. Urania is a woman who had escaped her past in the Dominican Republic. Nonetheless, as she became a successful lawyer in Manhattan, she becomes attached to studying General Trujillo during his regime in her country. As she decided to visit her father, her arrival in Dominican brought fear and agitation on her. Her father was a former state secretary during the regime of General Trujillo and was forced out from his position. Now mute and weak, she meets him again in their old house, and Urania communicates with her father and later on with her other relatives. A look on the past of Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic is being recalled by Urania, which involves the assassins, Agustin Cabral, and General Trujillo. Furthermore, Trujillo is characterized in the novel as a control freak who demands full loyalty from all of his subordinates and tests them from time to time. In the course of this, Agustin Cabral, the father of Urania, was put to test and failed it. For this reason, her father was removed from his position as the state secretary. Nonetheless, Agustin Cabral did everything of his power for him to get his seat back, but he failed to do so. On the other hand, an assassination was plotted by Jose Rene “Pupo” Roman against General Trujillo. Roman was a dismissed secretary of the armed forces during that time. The assassination was planned in order to liberate the Dominican Republic. However, after the assassination was staged, Roman was not able to take over. In revenge of the death of General Trujillo, his son came back from Europe and hunted down the assassins, bringing Roman to death along with the others. During this time, President Joaquin Balaguer convinced the Trujillo family along with the other government officials to lead the Dominican Republic to democracy. In this manner, the Trujillo family was exiled, and the president acted on calming down the United States together with the Catholic Church. After the retrospect of the story, Urania now revealed her anger and disappearance for thirty five years. She revealed to her aunt and cousins that during the time when her father was removed from the seat as the state secretary, she was sent to the Mahogany House where Trujillo accepted women. She was sent there as an offering by her father in order for him to take back his post. However, due to impotency of Trujillo, he became furious towards Urania and sent her back to school. As Urania was sent back to school, she asked for help from the Dominican nuns who assured her that she will be transferred safely to their associate school located in Michigan (Sollars 267-268). 3.4 The Main Characters In the novel, The Feast of the Goat, by Mario Vargas Llosa, Agustin Cabral is the previous state secretary of General Rafael Trujillo. He takes part on the wrongdoings of the general as it unfolds in the story. Her daughter, Urania Cabral exiled herself from the country and her family. Her history is closely linked to the position of his father and to the experience her family had undergone during the regime of Trujillo. General Rafael Trujillo, popularly known as the Goat, is the character which is based on the real-life dictator. In the novel, the real-life story of the last remaining days of the Goat is also depicted. Another character is General Jose Rene “Pupo” Roman, who is a former ally of Trujillo. He forms a group of men in order to stage an attack on Trujillo. Lastly, Ramfis Trujillo, who is also known as playboy, is the son of General Trujillo. In the course of the story, he will lead vengeance to the assassination of his father (Hunter and Onorato 432). 4.0 Analysis: The Feast of the Goat The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa is a great example of a novel that goes beyond its fictionalized characters. It has incorporated geographical, cultural, and historical facts and intertwines it with a more moving fictional story. The historical background of the novel is not directly reported by the author, but it gradually unfolds along with the life of Urania. The characters are bridged from present to past as three main stories are told. In this manner, the characters along with the historical concept of the novel are strengthened. In addition, the theme and the concept of the novel have solid grounds from the experiences that Vargas Llosa had encountered. Furthermore, the concept of the novel is greatly related with the political ideologies of the author. The fight for freedom and the experience of oppression under the dictatorial regimes of Latin America during the time of the author are greatly depicted in the novel. In addition, the concept of the book can also be considered in the present times. The concept of oppression and hunger for power can be seen in the light of the modern societal groups who use fear to control people. This type of control is not only present in politics, but also in the daily life situations and endeavors of every individual. This can be in learning institutions, at works, and even in the family or in the community. 5.0 Other Latin American Dictators In the current political situation of Latin America, in the views of Mario Vargas Llosa, democracy is still not established. This had been greatly depicted, under his observation, during the elections in 2006. Most of the voters of his country, which is Peru, had preferred to vote for Ollante Humala, who is in his own perception, a replica of Alberto Fujimori. It can be recalled that, during the elections in Peru in 1990, Vargas Llosa ran for the presidency, but he did not win against Alberto Fujimori. He characterized Fujimori as an authoritarian, which is also a character that he considers similar to Humala. Furthermore, dictatorship and oppression are still present nowadays. However, these have evolved in many forms that even most of the populace are ignorant about it (Foley 4 and 27). On the other hand, in the past, there were also many personal dictators that had led other Latin American Countries. One of the most famous and classical dictators was Fidel Castro. In 1959, he had control over Cuba from which he ousted Fulgencio Batista. He was in power for 47 years and had survived assassination attempts along with the fall of the Soviet Union. Most of his supporters saw him as a defender of the poor and the oppressed. He was looked up to as the representation of the leftists in Latin America because of his act resistance against Washington (Close 88-89). Furthermore, in relation to Venezuela, it experienced more that 100 years of military dictatorship. However, in 1947 the Venezuelans created democracy and exercised its first election. In the election, Romulo Gallegos won; however, in a short time the military again took power in the Venezuelan government (Conley 10-11). The facts stated above prove that most of the Latin American countries had experienced dictatorship on the hands of its leaders. It can be noted also that the dictatorship had also been personal and military. Nonetheless, from view on the outside, it can still be considered as tyranny. 6.0 Conclusion In a personal view, the book tells of an old tale that has never been ended. The tales of anger, vengeance, and oppression have been present in the most modern times. There may have been many groups today that defend those who are oppressed, but the act has been, and on a personal point, will never be ended. This is because most of the people, in the past and even today, had been very much keen on being part of what they consider as a stable group. In the course of this, many exchange their freedom to what they consider as stability and belongingness. Also, in this act, many are willing to put the lives of the people around them at risk and in danger so long as they get what they want. The novel could be considered and understood even in a non-political perspective. This is because the novel depicts the most common evils that human beings have innately inculcated in his or her life. These evils include greediness, immorality, vengeance, and other similar drive that allow a person to hurt others. There may have been different goals and perspective of the characters, but one thing is true, that people by nature are capable of being ruthless so long as they get what they want. Works Cited Benson, Sara, Paul Hellander, and Rafael Wlodarski. Peru. Australia: Lonely Planet, 2007. Print. Close, David. Latin American Politics: An Introduction. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 2009. Print. Conley, Kate A. Venezuela. Minnesota: ABDO Publishing Company, 2004. Print. Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2010. Print. Foley, Andrew. “Power, Will and Freedom: Mario Vargas Llosa’s The Feast of the Goat.” Journal of Literary Studies 24.1 (2008): n. pag. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. Hunter, Jeff, and Mary Onorato. Twenty-First Century Novels: The First Decade. Michigan: Gale, 2011. Print. Kristal, Efrain, and John King. The Cambridge Companion to Mario Vargas Llosa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Sollars, Michael D. The Facts on File Companion to the World Novel 1900 to the Present. New York: Facts on File, 2008. Print. Vedovato, Claudio. Politics, Foreign Trade & Economic Development: A Study of the Dominican Republic. London: Croom Helm Ltd, 1986. Print. Zapata, Miguel Angel. Mario Vargas Llosa and the Persistence of Memory. New York: Hofstra University, 2006. Print. Read More