Martin Fierro: Analysis of the Gaucho Epic Poem
Martin Fierro: An Analysis
The Name
In a letter, the author explained to his daughter Elizabeth the origin of the character’s name. Martin was chosen in tribute to two figures: his uncle, Juan Martín de Avellaneda, and Martín Güemes. The surname Fierro symbolizes the hardening of iron, representing the resilience of the gaucho of the pampa.
The Play
While not solely an expression of Argentine folklore, Martin Fierro stands as a magnificent and unsurpassed example of folk literature, particularly within the gaucho theme.
José Hernández is not merely an eminent poet who concludes the cycle of the gaucho; he transcends his predecessors. His work is unique in Argentine literature. His personality and life circumstances converged to create a work of genius, achieving in a single stroke what might have taken generations to develop.
Hernández’s Martin Fierro burst onto the gaucho literary scene as an extraordinary and colossal variant, overshadowing all that came before. The citizenry embraced this poem as an expression of their own voice, capable of interpreting their soul, empathizing with their misfortunes, and guiding them towards a new destiny, preventing them from succumbing to the dramatic historical juncture they were undergoing.
Natural Environment
The setting of Martin Fierro is the pampa, which until the late nineteenth century was divided by a fluctuating border. This border marked the tragic and prolonged clashes, interactions, and contacts between indigenous peoples and white settlers. This vast region, stretching from Patagonia to Córdoba and from the Buenos Aires coast to Cuyo, encompasses what was known as the desert and the inland.
Historical and Social Environment
The so-called golden age of the gaucho refers to a time when the pampa was free of fences and boundaries, allowing gauchos to roam freely, hunting ostriches and horses, herding cattle, and living with absolute freedom. This idyllic period was occasionally interrupted by conflicts with indigenous peoples.
The poem lacks precise historical references. However, if we consider the golden age as an idealized evocation, we can identify three periods to understand the poem’s development:
- The era of Rosas, coinciding with the gaucho’s prosperous period (until 1852).
- The governments of Mitre (1862-1868) and Sarmiento (1868-1874), during which the protagonist faces hardships.
- The new era, corresponding to the author’s vision of a consolidated society with a strengthened justice system, peace prospects following the conquest of the pampas, and the reinforcement of democratic institutions.
Behind the modernized and embellished cities of the late nineteenth century lay the plains, resistant to sudden change. Gauchos clung to their traditional way of life until the realities of modernization—wiring, railroads, mass immigration, and nascent institutions—forced them to surrender or perish. The gaucho, true to his nature, resisted fiercely.
The border became a double-edged sword for the gaucho. On one side was society and the state, with its oppressive institutions and human element, epitomized by the fort. On the other side was the indigenous territory, where the gaucho became an agent in another parallel process, contributing to the indigenous peoples’ defeat and extermination without recognizing their rightful claim to the pampas.
The Language and its Expression
The poem is written in Castilian Spanish, infused with the nuances of the gauchos of the Buenos Aires Province in the mid-nineteenth century.
The language of the poem should be distinguished from that of the author, a cultured city dweller. Even if the gaucho language is faithfully portrayed, it’s important to remember that rural speech varied across the vast geographical area and evolved over time. Furthermore, gaucho speech doesn’t represent all of Argentina, as the country had diverse linguistic regions.
The gaucho language in the poem is robust, concise, elliptical, and concrete, contrasting with some urban dialects, particularly those of Buenos Aires, which tended towards verbosity and oratorical flourishes. This directness stems not only from the content but also from the high proportion of nouns compared to qualifiers.
A conversational tone prevails, reflecting the natural speech of gauchos. This informality is sometimes laced with mocking agility, maintaining a measured and cautious exterior that adds a layer of cunning that is difficult to translate.
The poem is written in octosyllabic verse, a form Hernández maintained throughout his works, including his ballad “El Viejo y el Niño” and the commentary on “La Vuelta de Martín Fierro.”