Verified Document

Colonel' And Many Other Short Term Paper

This takes him to the house of rich man in town, Sabas, but when he arrives "he wished he had arrived an hour later and missed Sabas" (165). This is because Sabas was evil and corruption personified. He was not born rich but had taken advantage of the political situation of the country and was now reaping the rewards of his clever political manipulation. It is at Sabas' place where the colonel meets a young doctor who plays a significant role later as he tries to restore "health" to the colonel's household which was trapped in a time-frame. The colonel and his wife are unable to move beyond a certain point in their lives because of constantly waiting for the mail which colonel believes is the only possible way they can live with dignity for the rest of their lives. It is through the doctor that we learn about Sabas and his fortune. Doctor explained that Sabas knew town's mayor and it was through such connections that he had built his fortune. He seemed to better understand the greed and ambition that marked Sabas' character. The colonel on the other naively saw the good in everyone and in every situation- one thing that irritates his wife. But naive or not, the colonel is a well respected man in the town. His sense of dignity and strong character have won him ample respect as we see from this one occasion when a policeman pulls a gun at him for carrying a clandestine lampoon in his pocket. But colonel remains unmoved and "gently pushes the rifle barrel away with the tips of his fingers." He then excuses himself as if demanding to be allowed to go. At this point he is shown considerable respect when the policeman surprising answers: "you may go Colonel" (170).

Throughout the story, we see the colonel steadfastly sticking with a routine. He goes to check his mail every Friday and takes the rooster for trials at a local pit. The rooster is cheered...

Colonel believes that in the absence of his pension which he knows he will receive one day, there best chance of survival lies with the rooster winning the fight. His wife however remains skeptical and shouts "and meanwhile what do we eat?" (181). To this, the colonel calmly replies "Shit" (181).
The social, political and economic depravity portrayed in this story is historically connected with real events of 1950s when the gap between the country's poor majority and small elite minority had grown enormously. The civil wars that had plagued the country close to the end of 19th century also played an important part in Marquez's works. The events that dominate this particular story include the War of a Thousand Days, La violencia (the Violence), and the banana strike of 1928. However their influence can go unnoticed if close attention is not paid to various symbols, setting, dates etc. The novella opens with readers learning that it had been sixty years since the Colonel has participated in "the last civil war" (119). This alludes to the civil wars that took place in Columbia in 1899 to 1902. This period is known in history as the War of a Thousand Days. The violence that gripped this nation in 1950s is alluded to in the form of Agustin's death. And the third event i.e. The banana strike of 1928 also features in this story and is alluded to in many ways including the most prominent reference i.e. when the colonel says rather irately: "The odor of the banana is eating at my insides" (161). All of Marquez's works are somehow connected with each other since they mostly deal with economic and political turmoil of Columbia during the first half of 20th century.

Work Cited:

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, No One Writes to the Colonel and Other…

Sources used in this document:
Work Cited:

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, No One Writes to the Colonel and Other Stories. Trans J.S. Bernstein. New York: Harper and Row, 1968.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Colonel Patrick Guiney - Great
Words: 942 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

As a soldier, he was beloved by the infantry, but "several officers and prominent North End Irishmen troubled Guiney at every turn" and the lack of political cohesion of the Irish-American community is illustrated by their treatment of the Colonel ("Colonel Patrick Guiney," Wild Geese Today, 2003). Still, Guiney put principle over narrow parochialism, and strove to lead his community, rather than fall prey to the temptations of racism and

Colonel Jessep Jack Nicholson a Few Good Men
Words: 699 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

One of the most famous movie monologues of all time is speech delivered by Colonel Nathan R. Jessep in the 1992 Rob Reiner film A Few Good Men. Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson, is the commander at Guantanamo Bay. He faces a difficult situation regarding what to do with Private Santiago, an underperforming Marine who was believed to be a threat to the integrity and safety of the entire unit.

Anton Chekhov's Short Story "A
Words: 1523 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Overall the underlying theme of the story is that some people really are criminally minded and what may be seen a "right of youth" can be quite detrimental over the long run. As such negative behaviors must be dealt with appropriately even if this means that the family of the criminal may be embarrassed. In the case of Sasha reform seemed unlikely only because he had already lost hope. This

Faulkner Stories William Faulkner's Short Stories Were
Words: 1876 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Faulkner Stories William Faulkner's short stories were told by an omniscient narrator who probably represented the author, and in plot, characters and symbolism have often been classified of Southern Gothic horror. Certainly his characters were horrors, and often satirical, humorous and bizarre caricatures of the different social classes on the South from the time of slavery to the New (Capitalist) South of the 20th Century. They are often violent, deranged, frustrated,

Lieutenant Colonel Yaron and Daniel Gaza Strip Battalion for the...
Words: 1244 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Leadership style that Lt. Col. Yaron exhibited When Lieutenant Colonel was Yaron was called upon to volunteer as the operation commander in the operation mission to evacuate Israeli Settlement in the Gaza strip, he led the design engineering unit in the Air Force. This proved to be a bigger challenge to him despite the fact that earlier n his career he had served as a deputy battalion commander in the Paratroopers.

Rose Emely, 1st Person Account Short Story
Words: 691 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

rose emely, 1st person account short story miss emely's point view, text reference quoting parenthetical citations. "A Rose for Emily:" A first-person account of Emily's point-of-view I remember what my father the Colonel used to say: never forget that you are a Grierson and you are my daughter. Other people wanted me to forget. The new people of my town, with their new money, with their shiny suits and Northern ways.

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now