db vast hell

WCS100L

Research Paper

Authoritarian Argentina as Shown in Vast Hell

Word Count: 924

In the 1970’s, the country of Argentina experienced incredible political upheaval. The “Argentine Nationalists” were on the rise and attempted to reconstruct a government that represented conservative authoritarian government. This uprising resembled the movement led by Franco during the Spanish civil war (Rock). Argentinian Nationalists believed that they were the opponents of capitalism and communism; their belief concluded that the modern age was entrapping human beings to become “automatons” (Rock). However, with this movement came extreme violations of human rights and tens of thousands of Argentinians disappeared. These people are introduced in Vast Hell, by Guillermo Martinez, a short story about the atrocities.

It was apparent to the United States government that before March of 1976, the situation in Argentina was deteriorating. Political instability was rampant; on March 24th, 1976, the Argentine military junta forcefully removed Isabel Peron from power (Thomas). Furthermore, developments of human rights issues were occurring within the country. The American embassy in Buenos Aires continued to collect information regarding human rights abuses and was documenting 9,000 kidnappings and disappearances (Thomas). The military dictatorship called themselves the “Process of National Organization”, or “Proceso”. This conflicting time in Argentina’s history is known as the Dirty War. Citizens suspected of alignment with socialist or leftist ideals were incarcerated, tortured, or ultimately murdered during this horrible period. An estimated thirty thousand Argentinians were kidnapped and disappeared by the military junta (Blakemore). In Spanish, these people became known as “desaparecidos”. Family and friends were searching desperately for their loved ones; the disappeared included children and pregnant women whose babies were forcefully taken (Blakemore). Other targets of the military junta included social workers, students, writers, journalists, artists, and suspected left-wing activists. Their outcome, if not murdered, were left detained in secret concentration camps throughout Argentina to silence the political dissidents (Hall). This was not a just war; the acts committed by the military junta were human rights violations and complete negation of the rules of war.

During this time in history the Marxist and Leninist ideals were popular. The military junta’s mission was to preserve Argentina’s “national being” against these leftist ideals (Gugliotta). Even after the military phase ended the commanders retained much of their power over the people of Argentina. The military commanders envisioned themselves as crusaders among the country’s people and were rescuing them from the horrible ideals of the leftists. These commanders set the precedence for the disastrous of the Falkland Islands in 1982 which concluded with the collapse of the Argentinian “Dirty War” (Gugliotta).

An Argentinean proverb claims “A small town is a vast hell.” The title of the short story, written by Guillermo Martínez, is set in a small town named Puente Viejo. Guillermo Martínez’s story leaves one with perplexing questions. Puente Viejo is a sleepy and boring small town. This story highlights the negative aspects of the aftermath of the military junta. At first glance, Puente Viejo seems like a normal and quiet place to reside; however, through deeper analysis and more reading, the town has dark secrets from its past. The reader is introduced to a character known as the “French Woman” who becomes the town gossip. When the “French Woman” departs the town to tend to her father’s illness and should return in one week. The French Woman is an incredibly intriguing character to the inhabitants of the small town. She dresses scandalously and is described as “not wearing a bra”. The French Woman symbolizes sexuality and attractiveness. The men in the town lust for her intensely. She is seen as “unholy” in their eyes because of her beauty and acts with the unnamed boy. She represents sinful nature to the small town. Furthermore, the reader is allowed to explore their imagination to analyze the French woman and Puente Viejo. It is possible that the townsfolk of this small, boring town are delusional and are creating illusions for themselves.

The ending of Vast Hell is incredibly dark and perplexing. When the French Woman has not returned in time from tending to her father, rumors begin that she may have been murdered. Rumors begin to flow around the small town as to the disappearance of the French woman. Villagers begin to dig in the sand dunes not too far from the small town; they discover something so horrible and gruesome from the country’s past just below their feet. Bodies began to emerge from the dedicated digging of the small-town folk. Closer analysis from the townsfolk revealed that some bodies had bullet holes, and one was even blindfolded. Then came the realization of what was unfolding in front of them. The detective that was with the townsfolk hurried back inside Puente Viejo to receive instructions; the dog continued to bark and make unnecessary noise. The detective killed the dog with his weapon and instructed the townsfolk to bury the dog. It was clear that this act was a warning to everyone witnessing that this was the outcome if anyone discussed the raising of the bodies.

The country’s past still resonates with the members of Puente Viejo; the past was literally and figuratively buried. The “Dirty War” ended in 1983 when democratic elections resumed after the military junta embarrassingly surrendered power. Furthermore, the legacy of horrendous human rights abuses and violations continue in the everyday and small townsfolk alike in Argentina. Although Authoritarian Argentina has ended, many people that went missing are remembered by their loved ones who are depicted in Vast Hell. “A small town is a vast hell” reigns true for Puente Viejo because of the horrid buried past.

Works Cited

Blakemore, Erin. “30,000 People Were 'Disappeared' in Argentina's Dirty War. These Women Never Stopped Looking.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 7 Mar. 2019, www.history.com/news/mothers-plaza-de-mayo-disappeared-children-dirty-war-argentina.

Gugliotta, Guy. “Argentina's Dirty War.” Alicia Patterson Foundation, 2011, web.archive.org/web/20170129015852/aliciapatterson.org/stories/argentinas-dirty-war.

Hall, Nigel. “Social Work Action.” International Federation of Social Workers, 23 Apr. 2018, www.ifsw.org/argentina-and-los-desaparecidos/.

Martínez, Guillermo. “Vast Hell.” The New Yorker, 2009, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/04/27/vast-hell.

Rock, David. Authoritarian Argentina: The Nationalist Movement, Its History, and Its Impact. University of California Press, 1993.

Thomas, Michael D., and National Intelligence. “Argentina Declassification Project: History.” www.intelligence.gov/argentina-declassification-project/history.