José María Arguedas’s: Deep rivers

 I want to start by saying that I did not come to enjoy this book as much as the others we have read so far, maybe this is because the main character was so and his experiences are so different compared to mine so I was unable to relate to him as I had the other characters. Despite this, I did find his narration of the events and constant references to nature to be quite whimsical. Nature and Music play an integral role in Ernesto’s life as well as his father's. The book makes clear in Ernesto’s inner monologue from the very beginning the way in which the natural world interacts and affects the main character's mentality as it starts off with in-depth descriptions of the Incan rocks that make up the walls in Cuzco, he remarks that they should call the walls “boiling bloody stone” (7) instead of using this phrase to describe the rivers and goes on to say how the rocks, “[seem] as if they're walking, that they move about and then become still again" (8). It seems that the natural world always leaves a deep impression on his young psyche, in this first chapter he is also struck with sadness as he thinks about the cedron tree in the old man’s courtyard and how the bark had been struck bare he remarks that the tree is the only thing bringing beauty to the courtyard by saying “The courtyard stank of urine and stagnant water; but the most unhappy being of all who lived there must have been the cedron. "If it should die, if it should wither, the courtyard would look like an inferno” (16). However, it seems that he feels that nature's beauty is lost on many of the general populace as he continues to say "Nevertheless they'll undoubtedly kill it by peeling off all the bark” (16). Ernesto’s narrative detailing the natural world continues even in Abancay when upon finding himself deeply depressed and disturbed by his time in boarding school he would seek comfort in the Pachachaca River. He describes the river and the scene surrounding it in great detail mentioning the shrieking parrots and the violent yet calm essence of the river he states “It looks like a river of molten steel, blue and smiling, despite its solemnity and depth” (62). He talks about the river almost as one would talk about a therapist; it heals him and helps quiet his inner turmoil. In the book, he remarks “I didn't know if I loved the river or the bridge more. But both of them cleansed my soul, flooding it with courage and heroic dreams. All of the mournful images, doubts, and evil memories were erased from my mind” (62-63). It's as if in the tranquil environment surrounding the river he can find the peace that eludes him in the village.

Additionally, Music plays a similar role in the book that nature does Ernesto states early on in the novel that his father seems to attach music to each town and these songs would serve as memories for him “the charango became a whirlwind that recorded the words and music of the songs in my memory” (25). Additionally, there are many songs displayed throughout the earlier portions of the book which remind Ernesto of fonder memories and happier times. One such song is the song the Indian women sang as he left the village he was raised in. Being left to live with alien relatives who treated him poorly he found solace in the “mamakunas” (42) of the community that protected him and “instilled in [him] kindness in which [he] lived” (42). The song they sang to him brings tears to his eyes and he is reminded of its sweetness while he is experiencing confusion and depression in Abancay. In this way, music serves a similar purpose to nature in consoling him and they are inexorably linked together. 

My question is what role do you think Music serves in this book?