The Transformative Power: A Study of "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

1. “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2. Objectives • For what literary style is Gabriel Garcia Marquez famous? • What does the title character in the story represent? • How does Esteban transform the village?

3. Gabriel Garcia Marquez • Considered one of Columbia’s foremost writers • Began his writing career as a journalist and published his first two novels in 1961 • He was friends with Fidel Castro and founded the Colombian branch of Castro’s new agency • He was known for writing works that angered his government • He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982

4. Magic Realismrealism • A literary movement in which strange things exist in an otherwise normal world- and no one treats them as strange. • A literary style in which unusual or magical happenings are related to the reader as though they were ordinary. • It is NOT science fiction or fantasy • Pat Murphy states, “In science fiction, if everyone is walking around with a talking monkey on his head, you need an explanation for it. In magic realism, everyone acts as if the monkeys have always been there.”

5. Plot • Children find a dead body of a drowned man washed up on the beach of their isolated, tiny seaside community. • The corpse begins to change the world of the villagers. • They name the corpse Esteban after the first Christian martyr. • The villagers prepare an elaborate funeral for him and then put him back in the water. • Before they put him back, they choose the best villagers to serve as family- his mother, father, and other relatives • The village learns important lessons from Esteban

6. Irony • Marquez narrates the story in a matter-of-fact way- it encourages us to take it seriously • The strange is treated as normal, but there is also a strong undertone of irony- a sense that the story’s events are a bit absurd • Even though he is an ordinary dead man, the villagers treat him as extraordinary.

7. Themes • The irony of the unidentified corpse becoming something like a god draws our attention to the story’s main themes- • Mankind’s deep desire to believe in something greater, and our impressive capacity for faith. • Humans are so eager to believe in and to make sense of things that they can find meaning in the nameless corpse.

8. Symbolism • Esteban- a symbol of the god or gods of any religion • He has the power to transform the lives of the people in the village • He unites the village • He gives them meaning and a sense of purpose

9. Allusion • The religious allusion that a drowned man is like a god or saint • Sir Walter Raleigh- would have been exotic to the villagers • Homer’s Odyssey- a rumored sailor “has himself tied to the mainmast, remembering ancient fables about sirens” • Heightens the irony- he is merely an unknown dead person, yet the villagers worship him

10. Setting • Not a definite time- although hints at the 16th or 17th century, possibly on the coast of Chile • It is also possible, especially given the story’s magic realism, that the setting is actually more modern- a backwater village lost in time and in no particular place

11. Parable • This story is meant to be a parable- a short instructive story that illustrates a lesson • Parables often teach simple morals • This story expresses more complicated truths about our world

12. Truth is Subjective • Truth is in the mind of the believer • Esteban is dead, so the people are free to decide who he was • They decide he was saintly • Since he is unknown, the villagers get to decide who he was- it unites them and gives the purpose • At the end, Esteban’s story becomes and accepted truth

13. Meaning Can Transform the World • People need meaning in their lives as much as plants need water • The villagers live on the edge of a desert, which is a symbol for the lack of meaning in their lives • They live a life of simple survival, without ambition • During Esteban’s funeral, they realize how empty their lives have been • The people beautify their village so much so that it becomes famous

14. Conclusion • Gabriel García Marquez is a Nobel Prize-winning Colombian novel and short story writer who is considered a leading writer of magical realism. “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is a parable about humankind’s need for meaning and belief, and the ability of ideas to transform the world. • One of the story’s major themes is that truth is subjective. It does not matter if Esteban really was a sincere and noble man as the people believe—or even if he is actually beautiful—because their faith in him, their truth, is what matters.

15. Cont’d • Esteban is a symbol of the god or gods of any religion, and also of any compelling belief that • has the power to transform society. • The transformation in the story is caused by a coincidence—the body washing up on the shore—a reminder that the world changes in unpredictable ways.