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EvelynZazueta
CAS114B
May12,2014
ProfessorZelaya
ViolencethroughoutCentralAmerica
Violencehasbeendescribedasanextremeformofaggression,suchasassault,kidnap,rapeor
murder.GuatemalanshadtodealwiththistypeofviolencebecauseoftheCivilWarthatlasted36
years.Theviolencetheyexperiencedinthistimeperiodaffectedthemlongafterthewarwasover.The
thingsmanysawandsomeexperiencedpersonallywillbeengravedintheirmindsasamemoryforthe
restoftheirlives.RodrigoReyRosa,aGuatemalanwriter,wroteashortnovel,TheGoodCrippleright
afterthewarended.Itwasaboutaman,JuanLuisLunawhowaskidnappedbyagroupoffiveguys
whoturntoextremeviolenncetogetaransomfromJuanLuisswealthyfather.Symbolicviolenceis
theviolencewhichisexerciseduponasocialagentwithhisorhercomplicity(Bourdieuand
Wacquant2002,167,italicsinoriginal)thisformofviolencecanbeverydangerousbecauseitraises
questionsaboutthemselves.Physicalviolenceoccurswhensomeoneusesapartoftheirbodyoran
objecttocontrolapersonsactions.ThroughcharacterslikeJuanLuisLuna,thegang(Bunny,Tapir,El
Horrible,Carlomango,andSephardi)&AnaLucia,RodrigoReyRosademonstratesbothphysicaland
symbolicviolence.Ultimatelyshowingthatthekidnap,explosions,andoppressionthesecharacters
experiencedimpactedandaffectedthemmanyyearsaftertheviolencewasover.
PhysicalViolenceismostlyportrayedthroughJuanLuisskidnappedinthewaythegroupof
kidnappersuseapartofJuanLuissbodytocontroltheactionstheywanthisfathertotake.Kidnaps
areusuallytakentoapolicewhentheyoccurbutJuanLuisswasn't.Guatemalasawsomanypeople
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disappearonadailybasisduetothewar,thatitdidntreallymoveanyonewhenithappenedtohim.
Thepolicecouldntdoanythingaboutitbecauseitwashappeningtoooftenandattimeseventhepolice
wasinvolvedinthekidnaps.JuanLuissfatherwasntalarmedwhenhissonfirstwhenmissing.Don
Lunawasn'talarmedwhentheysenthimhissonstoe,theyhadtosendhimhissonsfootinordertoget
himtogivethemtheirransom,
thebittertasteofsomedruglingeredinhismouth,andwiththelastmouthfulhebegantofeel
drowsinessthatmadehimdizzyandwastoosuddentobenatural.Heclosedhiseyesintheanguish
certaintythatwhenhewokeuppartofhisbodywouldbemissing.(ReyRosa,33)
JuanLuisLunawasluckythatallhelostwashisfootduetohiskidnappedbecausemanyother
peoplelosttheirlivesatthissametime.Kidnaps,massacresandmurderofcivilianswerehappening
everydayduringtheCivilWaritwaslikephysicalviolencewasanorm,peopleexpectedthesesortof
thingstohappen.
PhysicalviolenceispresentwhenSephardichangestheplanwhenpickinguptheransom..
Bunny,ElHorrible,Tapir,CarlomagnoandtheSephardiweresupposedtosplittheransomsothey
bothgotanequalamount.
throughonlyoutofthecornerofhiseyethetrashcanthatcontainedthehalfmilliondollars,
theplanthathimselfhadcomeupwithbecameadifferentplan,whichsuitedhimbetter.(ReyRosa,
53)
Sephardiwhohadtheransomdecidedthathedeservedmostofthemoneybecausehehad
donemorethantheothers.Sephardi,hetookasteptotheside,pulledhishandoutofhispocket,tilted
hisbodybackslightlyandwhenhiscountreachedtwentythree,threwthegrenade.Thiscausedan
outburstinpublic,afewmenweredeadwhileotherswerehurt.DuringtheCivilWarmanyevents
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similarlikethisonewereoccurring.PeoplediedinthestreetslikeElhorribleandTapirdid.Sephardi
backstabbedtherestofthemenjustsohecouldkeepthemoney.Peoplewerefightingagainstone
anotherandthiswasanotherbattleaddedtothewar.Thesefivemenwereusingviolenceasawayto
getthemoneytheywanted.
WomeninTheGoodCrippleareoppressedthroughthestorybynothavingtheirvoiceheard
aswellasnotbeingabletodependonthemselves.Thisiswhatmanywomenduringthistimewere
goingthroughinthisCountry.TheyarearepresentationofSymbolicviolence.AccordingtoBourdieu,
Examplesoftheexerciseofsymbolicviolenceincludegenderrelationsinwhichbothmenandwomen
agreethatwomenareweaker,lessintelligent,moreunreliable,andsoforth
AnaLuciaisanexampleofthis.SheidJuanLuisgirlfriendwhobecomeshiswifeafterhis
kidnap.AnaLuciaisoppressedbecauseshehastodependonamantosaveherhusbandslife.Ana
Luciacouldntdomuchtohelpoutherhusbandjustlikemanyotherwoman'shadtheirhandstiedwhen
familymembersneededhelp,...shedfeltangernotonlybecausethekidnappershadnt
communicatedwithher,butalsobecauseshewasinnopositiontodoanything.AnaLuciacouldntdo
anythingwhenBunnytookJuanLuissfoottoher,shehadtogotohisfather.Womenduringthistime
weredependentsofthemen,theycouldntdomuchbecauseresourcesforthemwerentreally
available.
Havingchildrenisoneofwomensbiggestdesireandblessing.HoweverJuanLuisLunaisthe
dominantinthisrelationshipandhestheonewhodecideswhetherhiswifeandhimselfaregoingto
havechildren.Throughoutthebookwelearnthatafamilyisnotinthebooksforthiscouple.AnaLucia
hasnosayinwhetherornotshewantstoconceiveachild.JuanLuishasmadethedecisionforher.At
theendofthestoryReyRosanarrates,
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Attheloverssuprememoment,hepulledouttospillhissemesonhersmoothbellywithits
finetracingofhair,itwasariskydayandhedidnotwanttohavechildrenhewassureofthat.(Pg.
116)
Thestoryendingwiththisquoteportraysthataftereverythingthathashappenedtothiscouple
JuanLuisstillhasnotchangedhismindaboutkidsandwontbechangingit..Thisisjustanexample,
thatmanywomendonthaveanypowerorrightsoncetheyremarried.Menaretheonesinchargeof
makingallofthedecisionsinmanyhouseholds.Manywomenwanttohavechildrenbuttheirhusbands
wontletthemThisactionmaynotbeseenassignofviolencebutitsanactionofSymbolicviolence
throughgenderroles.Ifanywomendisobeyswhattheirhusbandsays,itcantgofromsymbolic
violencetoactualphysicalviolence.JuanLuisLunaaswellasallmenaredominantintherelationship
andwomenlikeAnaLuciaaretheweakerlink.
JuanLuisLunakidnappedwasnottheonlyonethatoccurred,itwasoneofmillionsthat
happenedduringthe36yearstheCivilWarlasted.Manytriedtomoveonfromdarktimesjustlike
JuanLuisdidbymovingtoanothercountry.Butnomatterhowmuchyoutrytoforgetyouwillalways
havesomethingtheretoremindyouwhatyouwereputthrough.Inthiscase,itwasJuanLuissmissing
footthatremindedhimeverydayofwhat5guysinthesearchofmoneyhaddonetohim.JuanLuis
carriedthisburdenwithhimmanyyearsafterithadhappened,hefeltlikeacowardfornothurtingthe
menwhodidthistohimbuthecouldntfindhimselftohurtingthem.Juanluiseventuallydecidedto
leaveitbehindandmoveon,butnotallvictimswerelikehim.Manystillcarrythesememoriesontheir
mindseverysingledayoftheirlives.Notonlythevictimsbutthefamilysandpeoplewhowerecitizens
ofGuatemaladuringthe36yearsofwar.
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HowImentionedbeforeviolencedidnotjustaffectthecitizensofGuatemaladuringthewar.
Theviolencetheyhadtolivethroughwaswellimplantedontheirmindsevenafterthecivilwarended.
Theviolencemanysawandsomeexperiencedwasnteasytoforget.RodrigoReyRosavoicesthese
occurrencesbywritingafictionalstory,theoneofJuanLuisskidnappedtoexplaintouswhatmany
peopleofthenationweregoingthrough.

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References:
Steen,Knut,andSteinarHunskaar."GenderandPhysicalViolence."SocialScience&Medicine
(1982),59.3(2004):567571.

"NonphysicalViolence."WaikatoTimes,(2012):16.

Remijnse,Simone."RememberingCivilPatrolsinJoyabaj,Guatemala."BulletinofLatinAmerican
Research,20.4(2001):454469.

Lawson,Louanne,andSaraRowe."Violence."JournalofForensicNursing,5.3(2009):119123.

NoneAcademicResources

http://knowledge.sagepub.com/view/consumerculture/n534.xml
http://gov.nl.ca/VPI/types/index.html#1
https://www.hmh.org/la_Genocide_Guatemala.shtml