Tuesday Siesta Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez Grew up in Colombia in a small village just off the Caribbean coast. As a writer, encourages Latin Americans to write about their own experiences– day to day life, belief in the supernatural, etc. One of the fathers of magical realism Gained inspiration for his writing from the folktales his grandmother used to tell him

Francisco Morazan Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Setting: Colonial South/Central American town or village, in the countryside Siesta: An afternoon rest or nap, esp. one taken during the hottest hours of the day in a hot climate. Key Concepts: Mood Characterization Inference

Inference about Characters Type of Characterization (958) “…The woman seemed too old to be her mother, because of the blue veins on her eyelids and her small, soft, and shapeless body, in a dress cut like a cassock. She was riding with her spinal column braced firmly against the back of the seat…she bore the conscientious serenity of someone accustomed to poverty.” Inference: Direct Or Indirect

Inference about Characters Type of Characterization (959) “If you feel like doing anything, do it now,” said the woman. “Later, don’t take a drink anywhere even if you’re dying of thirst. Above all, no crying.” Inference: Direct Or Indirect

Inference about Characters Type of Characterization (961) “’Carlos Centeno,’ said the woman…’He’s the thief who was killed here last week…I am his mother’”   What can we tell about the woman by her answer to the priest? Why might she want to visit during the siesta and not after? Direct Or Indirect

Inference about Characters Type of Characterization (961) “The man they found dead in front of the house in the morning, his nose blown to bits, wore a flannel shirt with colored stripes, everyday pants with a rope for a belt and was barefoot.” Inference: Direct Or Indirect

Inference about Characters Type of Characterization (962) “I told him never to steal anything that anyone needed to eat, and he minded me. On the other hand, before, when he used to box, he used to spend three days in bed, exhausted from being punched…Every mouthful I ate those days tasted of the beatings my son got on Saturday nights.” Inference: Direct Or Indirect

Inference about Characters Type of Characterization (962) “’Thank you,’ replied the woman. ‘We’re all right this way.’ She took the girl by the hand and went into the street.” Inference: Direct Or Indirect

Closing thoughts: Describe the author’s attitude toward the mother in the story. Do you think the author’s attitude extends to poor people in general? What would you say is the theme or central message of the story? What happens next?