Arguedas and the meeting of two worlds
The reference to find the answer is the work "El Sexto", a raw and realistic novel about the reality of the prison system in Peru in the 1937 and 1938. It is the fourth novel by José María Arguedas, published in 1961, winner of the National Prize for the Prize for Culture Ricardo Palma. It is an uncomfortable, but attractive and interesting work, which allows to know the behavior of the inmates of a penalty with exaggerated hostility and discrimination, which leads them to have irreconcilable racial and social differences.
The analysis of the work allows us to conclude that Arguedas is not the meeting of two worlds, it is rather the integrator of two unequal worlds, such as the one we have today each of us who deal daily between injustices, racism, violence and insecurity.
Effectively Arguedas finds in the "El Sexto" two worlds, one in which the tenants of the first and second floor are, which only differ by the criminal degree that led them to be imprisoned and the other world is that of the imprisoned, bydefend political ideologies contrary to the government regime of that time.
Arguedas also finds two realities;both determined by the birthplace of the inmates immersed in those two worlds that are discussed in the previous paragraph and that were, mostly indigenous and the Lima in their entirety Creoles;We cannot fail to mention that the race was a preponderant factor to analyze the issue, because in addition to whites, blacks, cholos, mestizos also found prisoners, Afro -Peruvians and Japanese.
Arguedas, the "White Indian", who, with his pen, took the indigenous communities of the depthWith a personality to the proof of everything, he endured injustices, as the community members of their land did and tried to integrate the provincials with the Lima, we could also tell the natives, with Creoles, finally to all races, trying toProject that present in today where despite having spent 82 years, we remain a country, resentful with a high degree of racism.
José María Arguedas was born on January 18, 1911 in San Pedro de Larcay near Chalhuanca Apurímac, and died on December 2, 1969, in Lima, in a second attempt at suicide, perhaps because he found no more words to tell the world the worldracial injustices that we have lived from the arrival of the Spaniards to Peru.
He lost his mother when he was only two years old, this sad fact marked his way to face an childhood and wandering adolescence, until, in 1931, he entered the Faculty of Letters of the University of San Marcos, so thathad to move to Lima.
In 1937, he graduated as a bachelor and for protesting with other Sanmarquin students, for the presence at the University of General Camarotta, representative of Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist dictator, in Hitler’s time, he was arrested and admitted to “El Sexto”, criminalfrom Lima, where he stayed eight months.
On June 30, 1939 he married Sicuani with Celia Bustamante, indigenous woman like him, of his same convictions and indigenous ideas;She was the one who had helped her resist her unfair imprisonment.
The cruel prison in Peru, located in the center of Lima, was divided into three floors with an established hierarchy that located in the first common prisoners, in the second the most seasoned criminals (rapists, murderers, scammers) and in thethird the political detainees.
Gabriel Osborno, is the character with whom the author identifies, is a university student of blood and indigenous life, who was imprisoned to make his convictions as a student leader. Gabriel is baffled and sees his life threatened, having contact with the most select of criminal slag, of which he begins to be part. The smell of manure, the painful dark aspect and the contempt of human life, is the first thing he observes from jail;has the feeling of being between two unfortunate and unknown worlds.
Talking with Camac, his cellmate, quickly learn the cruel lessons about jail and life. In the solitude of the shared cell, Gabriel performs his own analysis with the messy conversations he had with Camac, and recognizes that he is between two unequal worlds;one composed of his countrymen with ideas and convictions of the people of the countryside and the other of the mostly capital political leaders, with whom he does not feel that approach or ideological or spiritual strength.
Gabriel, Camac and Juan, are of Andean origin;Intuition, feeling, incredible experiences and above all the injustices suffered by brothers and conceptualize among them that the penal.
All the characters in the work are a reinforcement to the thesis that Arguedas was not the meeting of two worlds, but that it was the integrator of two unequal worlds like today’s.
Juan, nicknamed "Mok’ontullo", Aprista. Political arm of his party;Maybe he shouldn’t be in prison because thinkers are difficult to capture. Francisco Estramadoyro, (Pacasmayo) say aprista, but locked up by an injustice like many today. Polycarpo Herrera de Chulucanas, is imprisoned for his personal enmity with the sub -prefect of his province. "Maravi", a high dangerous criminal, one of the chiefs of prison. Stab, head of one of the bands inside the prison. "Clavel", alcohol trafficker, coca and drug leaves. "Rosita", a homosexual and transvestite, thief and murderer. "The sergeant", a common prison. "The pianist" is a vague prisoner, mistreated, humiliated and raped.
"The Japanese" or also called "Hirohito", nobody knows why he is imprisoned.
The analysis of the main characters places us very well in two worlds already established politicians and criminals.
Prison life throughout Peru is a shared experience between two worlds found, where prisoners, with regional identity, social status, personality, physical aspect, origin, ideology, creed or virtue, discover that the problem of their existence in thecriminal, not being part of an unequal world, is just a personality case, but it is very real.
Humiliations, abuse, vexars, which all suffer, but above all loneliness, do not enjoy;They are sharing. In jail were the most idealistic men in the country, mostly politicians;However, injustices moved them away from their ideals and became irrational beings, which at the end of the day did not understand whether they were people or animals.
Arguedas in his characters shows us the worst of society and also to people with the ability to endure their condemnation time, overcoming adversities and recovering their freedom.
This novel interprets the true role of Arguedas which is to want to integrate two unequal worlds in Peruvian reality, which leads us to separation and hate between Peruvians. It does not interest the origin of the person, it can be provincial, or Lima;It can be white or cholo;It can be Creole or indigenous;It can be rich or poor;It can be innocent or guilty;It can be political or apolitical;Anyway, it can be or not to be. The important thing is to stay united in adversity, be a single fist in good and above all banish all kinds of racism and social injustices.
We must not forget that today the worst misfortune that can happen to a person, is the loss of freedom.
Finally, I would like to assert the expressions of the sociologist Carmen María Pinilla, who in an interview tells us De Arguedas.
“Warma Sonqoykiwan Kausaykichinki Chiri Yawar Runakunata. Allin Yachaynikiwan Sumaqta Rikunki Imaymana Llaqtanchikta Runata. Love Samaychu Wawqey! Love Saykuychu! Aqua runakunata wischuy! Peruninchikya kuyaqkunata hatatichiy, yanapasunaykipaq. Orqun, Paran, Ritin Mana Sayariwankichu. Urpi, Fieru, Quri Songoyki ..
What does it mean:
With your child’s heart you will revive men with frozen blood. With your good knowledge you will appreciate everything beautiful forged in our homeland. Do not tire brother!! Raise those who love our Peru, to help you. The mountain, the snow, the rain, will not stop you. Your heart is gold, iron and dove… ”.
Celia
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