FL 380: An Archaeology of the "Boom": Modern Latin American Prose Fiction


Reading Guide to Vargas Llosa #3
The Time of The Hero

  1. 199 FLASHBACK: In school: Boa reminisces about Skimpy
    A. Another glimpse at institutional cruelty
  2. 203 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. Waiting for Tere and buying her pastries.
  3. 207 FLASHBACK: In school: Boa reminisces about Skimpy
    A. More on institutional cruelty
  4. 211 Alberto meets Mr. Arana, the Slave's father
    A. A familiar question: "Why did God punish us like this?"
    B. A familiar deception: "We think a lot of him..."
    C. A familiar justification: "It . . . made a man out of him"
  5. 212 FLASHBACK: A life line: Ricardo Arana, the "Slave".
    A. "Why couldn't he be like them..."?
    B. 214 "He felt calmer then and his face immediately..."
    C. 215 "I didn't ask your opinion..."
    D. 215 "They'll make a man out of you."
  6. 216 FLASHBACK: In school: Boa reminisces about Skimpy
    A. 217 "What I did to her today was different, it wasn't any joke."
    B. 218-220 Cava's dismissal
  7. 221 FLASHBACK: A life line: Alberto Fernández, the "Poet".
    A. "He's a killer, all right . . . He's got rafts of women"
    B. 226-228 Helena breaks up with Alberto
    C. "I mean, saying what you did. You ought to have some pride".
    D.230 RACE: "And you don't mind sending me to a school full of..."
  8. 231 FLASHBACK: In school: Boa reminisces about Skimpy
    A. "The truth is, I held her muzzle..."
  9. 239-243 Alberto meets Mr. Arana, the Slave's father
    A. 240 "He came home for a few hours, on some sort of pass..."
    B. 242 "She brought him up like a girl..."
    C. 243 "There's nothing like a woman to ruin a boy's life".
    D. 243 "The Slave just died".
  10. 243 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. Tere's birthday present to ???
  11. 245 In school: Gamboa, Garrido, Pitaluga, and the Colonel.
    A. 249 "No wonder we have accidents like this!..."
    B. 251 "There's isn't any question about it, he got shot from behind."
    C. 251 "I have a theory, Sir," Gamboa said.
    D. 252 "Anything's possible."
    E. 253 "And we've got to do it like soldiers. Like Peruvians..."
  12. 253 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. "You owe me about twenty soles by now..."
    B. 257 "Señores, allow me to introduce you to our new partner."
    C. 257 "But I was all worked up about the things Skinny told me..."
  13. 257 In school: the Slave's honor guard
    A. 262 A pack of lies: "An outstanding cadet, held in high esteem..."
    B. 265 "Look, the Poet's crying."
  14. 265 FLASHBACK: In school: Boa reminisces about Skimpy
    A. 267 On the rise of the Poet's reputation in school
    B. 267 "I almost killed him the night..."
    C. 268 "There aren't many whiteys in the Academy..."
    D. 269 "He's broken up for sure by his buddy's death...
  15. 269 A life line: Teresa's train of thought: a sordid life.
    A. 270 "He was a good man, Teresa thought..."
    B. 271 "When her father died in a charity hospital..."
    C. 271 "Alberto seemed to have aged..."
    D. 275 "Yes, partly . . . He was my friend. And besides that..."
    E. 276 "It seemed as if she was also going to weep, but she..."
    F. 276 "Teresa watched him until he disappeared..."
  16. 276 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. "The first time..."
    B. 280 A present of magazines.
    C. 280 "Don't you believe it."
  17. 280 A life line: Alberto Fernández, the "Poet".
    A. 281 "If I could start over again and do things differently..."
    B. 282 A phone call.
  18. 283 In school: Boa wonders about the recent events and The Jaguar.
    A. "But no matter how you beg his pardon, he's apt to start..."
  19. 285 A life line: Alberto Fernández, the "Poet".
    A. "I should've told her everything, just listen to..."
    B. "You're to blame too and if I'd told you the Jaguar killed him..."
    C. "Golden Toes is just a cheap whore but she's got a bigger heart..."
  20. 290 In school: Boa wonders about the recent events and The Jaguar.
    A. "Curly says he said, if I get screwed, everybody gets screwed..."
  21. 294 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. "You're grown up now..."
  22. 296 A life line: Alberto Fernández, the "Poet" in detention.
    A. 302 "But then he stopped talking. He had said it without..."
    B. 303 "Yes, that's the best thing. We'll forget all these fantasies."
  23. 304 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. 305 "Teresa's friend just stood there and I piled into him."
    B. 308 "Is this your first time?"
  24. 308 In school: Gamboa, Garrido, and "Military Science".
    A. 310 "But if I didn't learn anything else at the Military School..."
    B. 310 "But remember, the first thing you learn in the army is to be.."
  25. 313 In school: Boa wonders about the recent events.
    A. 316 "Too bad she wasn't with me so I could scratch her head..."
    B. 316 "I think of her as a girl. It must be something like that..."
  26. 317 In school: Gamboa interviews The Jaguar.
    A. "it looked prematurely adult, with clenched jaws, a solemn frown..."
    B. 318 RACE:"what Gamboa saw was a white face and almost blond hair..."
  27. 322 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. "You're hopeless. I wish you were dead."
    B. 324 A beating at the beach: "It was as if the sun broke..."
    C. 324 "You're wicked," she said, "you're brutal."
    D. 325 "He's headed for the pen, you can tell from his face."
  28. 330 In school: An interview with the Colonel
    A. 333 "Alberto tried to make out ... Therefore he started to daydream..."
    B. 340 "One moment, Cadet. Naturally you'll keep absolutely quiet..."
  29. 341 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. 343 "After that, I fought with the half-breeds and Chinks..."
    B. 345 "She's dead," the woman told me.
    C. 345 "I don't know a thing," he said.
  30. 345 In school: The Poet and The Jaguar meet in detention.
  31. 349 In school: Gamboa and Garrido speak.
    A. "We all believe in the regulations ... But you have got to know..."
  32. 353 FLASHBACK: A life line: ???
    A. Back to his godfather's house
    B. 357 "I love you," she said, "you make me very happy."
  33. 357 In school: At the infirmary
    A. 359 "You're not worried at all, are you?"
    B. 364 "It's kind of late to be sorry," the Jaguar said. "But from now on, don't squeal on anybody..."
  34. 364 In school: Back at the barracks
    A. 365 "Alberto felt grateful to the attendant . . . a perfect mask..."
  35. 371 In school: Gamboa muses on order & discipline v. facts & laws
  36. 375 In school: A life line: Alberto Fernández, the "Poet".
    A. "I taught all of them how to be men..."

    EPILOGUE
  37. 381 Gamboa and the Jaguar
    A. 385 "But his case is different . . . He wanted revenge for the Slave..."
    B. 386 "I can't sleep . . . "
    C. 386 "I'd been thinking of beating him up, of giving him a scare..."
    D. 387 "Don't you know what useless objectives are?"
    E. 387 "Go back to the Academy, and from now on try to see..."
  38. 388 A life line: Alberto Fernández, new watch, and the good life.
    A. 389 "My father knows what life's all about..."
    B. "I'm sure I'm going to like the United States."
    C. 390 "Now he could remember many of the events as if they were a motion picture..."
    D. 391 "He always felt sure of himself now: he could keep up..."
    E. 392 "No," Alberto said, "Of course not. It was just that I..."
    F. 393 "Teresa was a part of those three years..."
    G. 395 FLASHBACK: The Colonel's farewell: "We're all one big family."
    H. 398-399 "When I come back, I'll work with my father, and I ..."
  39. 400 A life line: ???
    A. 401 "Hello, Teresa. Do you remember me?"
    B. 403 "I wanted to beg your pardon..."
    C. 404 "It was you. . . All those packages. You sent them to me."
    D. 405 "Her boy friend stood her up . . ."
    E. 407 "So I grabbed the priest by the neck."
    F. 409 "You've turned decent all of a sudden, and I don't try to..."
    G. 409 "I'm your friend..."
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