The General in His Labyrinth Continued...

The General in His Labyrinth (part II)

“Damn it...how will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” (p. 267). The answer: never. The General is never able to escape his “moral torment” and “physical calamities” (p. 248) while he is living. He seems to be an “unreachable phantom” (p. 218) throughout the entire book.

I actually enjoyed knowing the end (i.e. that the General dies) from the beginning because it truly interested me to continue reading to learn more of the life of this great man. I admired his faith and his undying dream to unify the continent combined with his never ending pride. However, I couldn’t help but find it odd that he covered a woman from head to foot in shaving cream and shaved her...even her eyebrows (p. 213).

Another passage that I found somewhat amusing was when he describes Mexico City (p. 222). Obviously the city has changed since the General’s times and now, because when I go to visit my family I am never “amazed at the purity of the air” or “astounded by the clear waters of the numerous canals crossing the city” although, the “eternal drizzle” does depress me at times.

Until the end the General is stubborn, which supports my earlier statement of his never ending pride. Even when his health is failing he refuses to show how meek he has become and when he needs an arm to lean on “he did not allow anyone to offer him one” (p. 233).

He never escaped his labyrinth and was “lost in a dream...searching for something that doesn’t exist” (p. 221). Though he was never able to fully realize the “vast empire of his dreams” (p. 256), I am glad I had the privilege of reading this book to learn the history of a man, often referred to as a “saint” (p. 237).