The General in His Labyrinth

The General in His Labyrinth (Part I)

After having read I The Supreme, I was not quite sure what to expect from our further assigned readings. Immediately I was more eager to read this book as its physical size did not intimidate me.

The dictionary (www.dictionary.com) clearly defines “labyrinth” as “any confusingly intricate state of things or events; a bewildering complex”. The novel is riddled with an endlessly nostalgic tone, through which we, the reader, learn the “intricate” combination of “things” and “events” that make it difficult to find the exit... the ultimate exit being peace and continental unity. The General affirms this exit of peace when he states that his “first day of peace will be [his] last one in power” (p. 14).

The first statement to begin this novel proclaims that, “It seems that the devil controls the business of my life” which seems to correspond with the General’s “disillusionments of power” (p. 5). However, he is driven by power; power which confines him to his physical state, a “desire to rule” (p. 16) which is so strong that it preserves his “moribund appearance” (p. 16). Yet, despite his need for power he argues that “power by force was unworthy of his glory” (p. 23). It is evident he is a very powerful man as at one point in his life he was “invested with triple power as President of Bolivia and Colombia and Dictator of Perú” (p. 31). On page 47 the General “renounced power because of an emetic that should not have been prescribed, and [he’s] not prepared to renounce life as well.” However, his life is power; and without power he is condemned to wander his labyrinth until he regains a sense of normality by repossessing his power of influence over South America. That being said, I find it hard to visualize a man with “scrawny ribs and rachitic legs” (p. 75), who is “bony” and “pale” (p. 76), and weighs 88 pounds (p. 138), to be very intimidating and capable of uniting all of South America.

The labyrinth of his mind is what I believe does not allow the General to escape his demons where his “memories were more of a burden than the years” (p. 118). Carreño puts it into perspective for the General, that “not even the stars escape the ruin of life” (p. 128). In this manner, aren’t we all lost in our very own labyrinths of life, trying to solve a bewildering complex?