The Gaucho Martín Fierro: A Tale of Injustice and Resilience
1. The Story of Martín Fierro
Part 1: From Gaucho to Outlaw
El gaucho Martín Fierro (1872) begins with the protagonist’s idyllic life on the plains, surrounded by his family. This happiness is shattered when he is forced into military service. His hatred for this life leads him to rebel and desert. Upon returning home, he finds his house destroyed and his family gone. In desperation, he joins the desert Indians, becoming an outlaw.
Part 2: The Return of Martín Fierro
In the second part, The Return of Martín Fierro, his perspective has shifted. Fierro decides to return to society and reunite with his loved ones. However, reintegrating requires sacrificing his cherished independence. He imparts wisdom to his children, urging them to be cautious, to learn valuable lessons, to focus on the good in others, to be loyal friends, to work diligently, to avoid vices, to preserve their honor, to maintain strong sibling bonds, to respect elders, and to refrain from violence.
2. Genre and Interpretation
Martín Fierro belongs to the genre of gaucho poetry. Borges describes it as a “novel in verse,” portraying the tragedy of a simple man driven to rebel against injustice and the arbitrary power of the authorities.
3. Themes
The central theme is the injustice suffered by the gaucho. A secondary theme explores Martín Fierro’s life with his children and friends.
4. Characters
The main characters are Martín Fierro and Cruz. Other key figures include Fierro’s eldest son, his second son, Picardia (Cruz’s son), Vizcacha (guardian of the second son), and the murdered brother of Martín Fierro.
5. Martín Fierro: Man or Myth?
Martín Fierro is depicted as an honest, poor, and hardworking man with a wife, children, and a small piece of land. His life in the Pampas of Buenos Aires is a series of endless misfortunes and sorrows. A victim of abuse and injustice by the authorities, he is condemned to poverty, crime, persecution, and loneliness. While a literary character, Martín Fierro reflects the struggles of many real men who endured similar hardships.
6. Social Classes
The poem depicts various social classes: the lower class (gauchos, Indians, laborers), the upper class (mayor, judge), the military class (sergeants, officers), and immigrants (gringos).
7. Political Context and Purpose
The poem had a political purpose, protesting the arbitrary conscription practices of the time. José Hernández initially intended to write a pamphlet against this abuse but ultimately chose the gaucho genre, following in the footsteps of Bartolomé Hidalgo, Hilario Ascasubi, and Estanislao del Campo. The metrical form and colloquial language enhance the poem’s impact. Hernández took the gaucho character seriously, modifying the established tradition.
8. Poetic Structure
The poem is primarily written in sextinas, with some exceptions like Song VII, which uses quatrains. The rhyme scheme is generally consonant but not rigid. The eight-syllable verses are correctly accented on the final syllable, with a characteristic gaucho emphasis on open vowel sounds.
9. José Hernández: Life and Ideology
Limited information exists about Hernández’s childhood, but it is believed that an adolescent illness forced him to live in the pampas. There, he encountered the gaucho lifestyle, language, and code of honor. Self-taught, he developed a strong political ideology through extensive reading. His federalist and reformist stance aligned him with Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. Between 1852 and 1872, he advocated for provincial autonomy from the central authorities in Buenos Aires. He participated in the last gaucho rebellion led by General Ricardo López Jordán, which ended in defeat for the gauchos and Hernández’s exile to Brazil. With Nicolás Avellaneda’s victory, he returned to Argentina in 1874, where he continued his political activism through journalism and served as a deputy and senator for the province of Buenos Aires.
10. Additional Concepts
Masonry
Masonry encompasses various organizations throughout history, characterized by brotherhood, symbolic content, rationalist principles, and a structure of lodges, contributing to their status as secret societies.
Kabbalah
Kabbalah refers to a superstitious practice of divination or conjecture.
11. Advice and Opinions
| Character | Advice | |
|---|---|---|
| Martín Fierro | There are men who in their science | Many things lost man |
| Old Vizcacha | The first duty of man | Do not go changing cave |
The questions raised by Fierro and Cruz reflect their life experiences and acquired knowledge.
Martín Fierro, Cruz, and Old Vizcacha view women as pious, diligent, and hardworking. They praise God not only for their beauty but also for their maternal hearts.
Cruz joined the police due to a recommendation from a friend to the judge, gaining his trust.
Fierro’s eldest son worked as a laborer, enduring a nightmarish existence. Falsely accused of a crime, he was imprisoned. In his solitude, he reflected on his family and regretted his illiteracy. He suffered from the lack of visits and the harsh prison conditions.
In the end, Martín Fierro, Cruz, and Vizcacha change their names, but the reason remains undisclosed due to a promise.
They believe the black man was created by the devil to plague hell. They see him as angry, cruel, and resentful. They consider the Indian to be coarse, wild, and unfeeling, characterizing him as lazy, thieving, ignorant, suspicious, cunning, vengeful, and daring. They believe the gringo is unfit for work, unable to withstand extreme temperatures, and generally delicate and fragile.