GSeweek3.htm

Student Led Seminar Presentation and Summary: 10-10-00

Panel: Jessica Towns, Kahlil Provo, Corey Lund.

Summary Conclusion Questions Bibliography Gallegos' Biography
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"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." - Machiavelli, The Prince

Dona Barbara: Creating a National Mythology

The Venezuelan author Romulo Gallegos creates a myth through his novel Dona Barbara, published in 1929, which he uses to introduce western democratic ideology to his audience. The myth is a response to the poor standards of living provided by the oppressive military dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gomez, in power from 1908 to 1935. Although Venezuela was prospering as a nation, most of the wealth generated never made it past Gomez and his corrupt government. As a result, the majority of lower class Venezuelans suffered. Through Dona Barbara, Gallegos introduced the idea of a democratic society where everyone prospered. This essay will address the significance of the three main characters, and who or what they represent in Venezuelan society.

Juan Gomez ~ Dona Barbara

The character Dona Barbara represents Gomez as a despotic ruler of her territory. Like Gomez, she received a limited education, learning only to read and write. Yet despite the lack of education and the handicap of being mestizo, both managed to secure an incredible amount of power and wealth. Unfortunately their methods of gaining power were by use of force and fear. For Dona Barbara, her cunning mind and exquisite beauty enabled her to crush the souls of her lovers and acquire their land, cattle and money. Gomez' tactics were similar:
"By manipulating elections, abolishing all organized political activity, and monopolizing appointive powers, he was able to establish a completely subservient legislative and judicial structure. He muzzled the press and stifled the opposition with an elaborate spy service, and he used arbitrary arrests, exiles, long imprisonments, and assassinations to insure his control. Efficient police and army organization maintained his power through unrestricted use of force." (Britannica.com, c. 2000)
In the novel, "well bribed judges" (Gallegos, 43) allowed Dona Barbara's network of spies and thugs to steal land and cattle belonging to her neighbors. Clearly, Gallegos modeled her tactics after those of Juan Gomez, and those actions led to the upset of the people.

Mestizo Plight ~ Marisela Barquero

Gallegos' use of Marisela in the novel is designed to portray the impoverished position of much of the mestizo population. When Santos first encounters her, she is "dressed in filthy rags" (Gallegos, 110), a savage half-indian girl, yet he saw her potential to become civilized. The following scene demonstrates Santos' belief in her potential: "Santos... began to wash her arms and face... 'Now take a lesson from this, and learn to appreciate water, because it will make you still prettier.'" (Gallegos, 128)
Gallegos viewed the Venezuelan mestizos as filthy, poor and uneducated people, although as in the character of Marisela, he saw their potential to be elevated in society. Santos' intrigue with Marisela develops into genuine affection, but primarily as a reflection of his handiwork. Her value is derived only from her domestic services. This exemplifies Gallegos' belief that the lower class' value relied on their economic worth.

Romulo Gallegos ~ Santos Luzardo

As the protagonist of the novel, Santos Luzardo is the vehicle for Gallegos' political and social aspirations. Santos' combination of low birth and high education gave him a connection with both the upper and lower classes that enabled him to drift between the two, forming a bridge by which Gallegos could transmit his democratic ideas to the people of the plains. The political system among the plainsmen at the time of Santos' arrival was one of treachery and thievery, with no clear borders between properties; this was the system that Gallegos saw as backward and as inhibiting their progress. Dona Barbara/Juan Gomez is the epitome of what Santos/Gallegos considers backward. These connections display that Gallegos is at odds with Gomez' corrupt government. In considering the relationship between Marisela/mestizos and Santos/Gallegos, the analogy may be extended to say that Gallegos wishes to save the mestizos from their unfortunate position created by Dona Barbara/Gomez.

Gallegos uses his novel Dona Barbara to help the Venezuelan people create a national identity. The novel is also a hard copy of how the aspirations and intentions of the educated class would be played out on the plains. In a perfect Venezuela, all the Dona Barbaras would retreat into the dark murky rivers to allow the Luzardos to reclaim their birthright. Through the book Gallegos uses Marisela as an advertisement to lower class Venezuelans, letting them see that poverty was not their only choice. The fact that the Democratic Action party took power in 1945, the first time a majority supported the ruling power, and elected Gallegos in 1948, is proof enough of his popularity and ability to define the nation at the time.

During seminar we spent nearly an hour delivering our presentation, after which we began discussing specific points that were made.
On the question of form, some of the seminar agreed with our assessment that it lent a beautiful style and delivery to Gallegos' modern myth. Corey mentioned that he had seen the same style used in a Yugoslavian novel, The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric, which serves as a Yugoslavian national history, as well as mythology. The form used in Dona Barbara seems to be common to national literature.
Our group also questioned the very nature of nationalism and whether or not it is beneficial or harmful to societies. Alan felt that there needed to be a balance struck between the extreme left and right wings of nationalism; perhaps if the xenophobic nature of national fervor could be curbed, then a nation could grow without a sense of superiority. The question was not easily answered, but in relation to Gallegos' novel, Greg seemed to feel that it was "kitschy" enough to be innocuous for Venezuela. The characters were painted, if not unrealistically, a little larger than life. The extra color helped to soften or romanticize certain scenes or characters, like the scene that Jessica O. brought up concerning the arrival of Parajote to the ranch. Although the story is convincing, it has the empowering effect of a father's pep talk to his child before the first day of school. It is a story meant to encourage, and is supposed to exemplify the story-telling style of the plainsmen. Evelia's comment in lecture (10
-10-00) about the writers' being drawn in by the lives of the uncivilized seems relevant here, also. She said that even though the writers and thinkers came from the universities with big notions regarding the reformation and population of the plains, they were ultimately attracted to their uncivilized, or traditional ways of life. The paradox was not wholly resolved.

Bibliography

Alexander, Robert Jackson. Romulo Betancourt and the Transformation of Venezuela. New Brunswick: Transaction Books, 1982.
Encyclopedia Britannica. On line: www.britannica.com, 10-04-00.
Gallegos, Romulo. Dona Barbara. New York: Peter Smith. 1948.
Rosegreen-Williams, Claudette. "Romulo Gallegos' Dona Barbara: toward a radical reading." Symposium, winter 1993. Vol. 46, issue 4, p.278, 18p.

Questions

These were some of the questions our group brought to class concerning the novel and our exploration:

Does the latent classism, racism and sexism in Dona Barbara devalue it as a work of literature/bad literature?
Do we question the author's integrity concerning his perception of life on the plain?
How influential were the book and movie of Dona Barbara in Gallegos' campaign and presidency?
Landscape as a literary device: does it work?
Paz: "literature is an answer to questions..." How could the book be addressing previously perceived problems in Venezuela?
Sex roles: what happens if Dona Barbara becomes a man? (partially answered by our 'Gomez theory.')