88 pages • 2 hours read
The Motorcycle Diaries
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Symbols & Motifs
The Sea
Guevara personifies the sea as a "confidant" (33) and "friend" (33, 35) who comes to his defense (35). It is the sea's warning that convinces him to leave Chichina behind and continue on his journey.
Green Eyes
The "green spots" of Chichina's eyes represent the life Guevara has left behind (37). He describes them as "mocking the so-called liberation I sought"and describes them as following him throughout his journey (37).
La Poderosa II
The motorcycle is personified several times–perhaps most significantly, her "asthmatic wheezing" (55) suggests that she represents the asthmatic Guevara. When La Poderosa is finally unfit to ride, her "corpse" (54) is carried to Santiago. La Poderosa is not only a means of transport; she sometimes appears as a traveling companion, and she also "arouse[s] pity" in Guevara and Granado's hosts, helping to mark them as members of the "wandering aristocracy" (55) literally, for they are in fact members of the Argentinian aristocracy who are indeed wandering.
However, the phrase "wandering aristocracy," combined with the pitiful image of the motorcycle, which is quite inadequate for the journey, suggests a comparison to Don Quixote's horse, Rocinante, and highlights the idealistic nature of the journey–Guevara and Granado are indeed out to restore justice to the world, as well its protagonists' lovable harmlessness and impetuosity.
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