Che's Romantic Descriptions

Che uses specific and appropriate word choice as he describes his surroundings, painting a picture of his image in the reader’s mind. For example, the passage:

“The road snakes between the low foothills that sound the beginning of the great cordillera of the Andes, then descends steeply until it reaches an unattractive, miserable town, surrounded in sharp contrast by magnificent, densely wooded mountains.” (44)

This description is extremely vivid and descriptive and successfully depicts Ernesto’s surroundings. The reader can also conclude from the passage that Ernesto was aware and perhaps in awe of the scenery. Throughout much of the novel, Ernesto focuses on these specific descriptions of his surroundings. I believe that he probably does this in an effort to bring the reader on the trip with him. He wants to feel how small the great Andes mountains make a traveler seem. He the reader to fully understand the breathtaking beauty of his surroundings. Ultimately, he wants the reader to accompany him on his journey.

A second passage shows how Che has a tendency to be a bit dramatic.

“The enormity of our endeavor escaped us in those moments; all we could see was the dust on the road ahead and ourselves on the bike, devouring kilometers in our flight northward.” (33)

This passage is enjoyable to read, but it seems to me as though Che is trying to impress the reader by making the journey appear more adventurous than perhaps it had to be. This type of word choice is maintained throughout the entire novel as Che seems to embellish some of his experiences. While I do believe that this makes his journals much more interesting to read some of his descriptions seem a bit over dramatic and they dull the reader to the experiences that truly are unique. By making everything seem so special, the reader becomes a bit jaded and can't appreciate the parts of the novel that should stick out a bit more. Che almost considers himself to be a sort of knight on this journey instead of a bum who must rely on the assistance of others to sustain himself.