The Handsomest Drowned Man in The World analysis
Introduction
The story “The Handsomest Drowned Man in The World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez brings forth the theme of transformation. Although dead, Esteban inspires the whole village to transform their lives and the outlook of the entire village because they believe that their village should equal the greatness of Esteban. This desire for change is from within, and the common desire for self-improvement unites all villagers.
Theme
The dominant theme in the reading is that Esteban inspires the desire for transformation in the villagers. The village is a flowerless, dull village which looks like a desert. The villagers are awed by the dead man pulled up to the shore. He seems extraordinarily big that even not the clothes of the biggest man in the village can fit him. Such a big man only exists in the imagination of the villagers and seeing him, in reality, ignites a fire of desire in the villagers. The women look at him with admiration while thinking about the things such a man can do in a night that even their men cannot accomplish in a whole lifetime (Gabriel 3). They imagine that the presence of Esteban would brighten up their village because he seems like a very magnificent man. Since they have never seen such a handsome and masculine man, the villagers decide to transform their dull village to live up to the legacy of the handsome Esteban. They are determined to plant flowers in their villages to make it as beautiful as the most handsome drowned man in the world. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Characters
Although dead, Esteban is the main character of this story. From the description, he appears to be a mythical creature because the villagers have never set their eyes on such a handsome and masculine man. Gabriel states that “Not only was he the tallest, strongest, most virile, and best-built man they had ever seen, but even though they were looking at him there was no room for him in their imagination.” (2). It implies that the drowned man is a creature out of their world and the women in the village are amazed to see such a person in reality. They even imagine how his life would be and how he would brighten up their village by tilling the rocky land and planting beautiful flowers. They also imagine how big his house would be to accommodate his massive body. To the women, the dead man is perfect even in his death, and they are overjoyed when none of the villages claim him, and he, therefore, belongs to the village.
The villagers, men, and women represent people who embrace change. Before Esteban is washed up to the shores of the village, the villagers are oblivious of the poor state of their village. The women are the first to be awed by the dead man followed by the men. They feel the need to give him a funeral the befits his stature. Since their village has no flowers, they borrow flowers from neighboring villages, and they also tell them of the handsome drowned man in their village. “While they fought for the privilege of carrying him on their shoulders along the steep escarpment by the cliffs, men and women became aware of the desolation of their streets, the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams as they faced the splendor and beauty of their drowned man” (Gabriel 7). When the villagers compare the handsome drowned man to their village, they burn with the desire to make it as beautiful to maintain his legacy. As such, the villagers are open to change the desire for self-improvement is from within.
Symbols
Flowers are used in the story as a symbol of inspiration. The village as described is as a desert-like place with no flowers. That implies that this is a dull village without any source of inspiration. However, as soon as the villagers encounter the drowned man, they associate him with flowers, a source of inspiration. In their imagination, the women think of the man as a hard worker who would till the rocky land and plant flowers. The women borrow flowers from neighboring villages for his burial. As they proceed to return him to the waters, the villagers realize how dull their village is when compared to the splendor of the dead man. The village that was once dry and colorless gets inspired by the drowned man to the possibility of having lively springs and bright flowers.
Setting
The setting of this story is a fishing village by the sea. The village is dull and desert-like but the villagers are content with their state. The village is boring, and nothing extraordinary ever happens there. That is the reason the drowned man stirs up so much commotion in the village. The dead man is an extraordinary creature and is therefore incompatible with the village. This is the reason the villagers feel the need to upgrade their village in order to accommodate the remarkable man. The village that first seemed dull and boring sees the potential to look bright and full of life. The villagers are determined to transform their village into being worthy of the handsome drowned man.
Conclusion
The theme of transformation has been brought out by the characters, symbols, and setting of the story. At first, the villagers are oblivious of the bleak state of their village, and they are content. The arrival of the handsome drowned man ignites the desire for transformation in all the villagers. The villagers feel the need to be worthy of the handsome man, and they vow to till their arid land, find springs to water the land, plant flowers and they also paint their houses in bright colors in memory of the handsomest drowned man in the world.