Like many of the other bloggers out there from Span312, I have to admit that I felt as though I were in some kind of battle with Sarmiento's tome. While I found many parts very interesting to read, and can appreciate the way that the author chooses to portray the dichotomy of barbarism and civilization (I can see now how it moves from "or" to "and," for example), there were many parts in it where I struggled to move on, or where I was constantly asking myself, "Why is he telling me all this?" However, what always kept me going is that just when I felt that I should throw the book at the nearest person on the bus, Sarmiento always inserted a passage that grabbed my attention. The best example I can think of is at the end of Chapter 7: Social Life (1825). Ending with political talk about Unitarists and Federalists in Buenos Aires, Chapter 8: Tests of Strength really caught me. Sarmiento's descriptions of Colonel Lamadrid and his battle with Facundo, was amazing. I even found myself becoming upset when it appeared that he had been defeated in battle, and then relieved, in the next paragraph when it is revealed that the colonel is alive and had escaped with the words: "I will not surrender!"
Even though Sarmiento reveals in the next paragraph that he did indeed surrender, it was still quite moving.
On page 159, the author introduces an interesting idea (at least for me): "...why shouldn't a man without brakes to control his passions do good?" Sarmiento, I believe, had been before operating on the principle that human beings are inherently wicked, and that they need the power of God or of civilization in order to be able to lift themselves up. However, this passage questions that. Simply because someone succumbs to their base instincts, why does every action that they commit have to be evil? Sarmiento says that this not always the case, that there is always some light in the darkness. But I believe, from all the other statements in his book, that Sarmiento means us to take this as an exception to the general rule; for more often than not, barbarism will lead humanity down an evil path.
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Sarmiento seems to feel your, and others, pain. I dont remember exactly when but he says something like "and for those readers [that are bored right now] ill now tell a gory tale about Facundo" (very, very paraphrased... but It is in there.) Its interesting that in a novel so obviously wordy and intended for the literati of the time, Sarmiento still sees the need to try to draw people in, even if he doesnt always succeed.
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