The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor

What is meant by the phrase “a hero who had had the courage to dynamite his own statue” (ix)? What does this say about Velasco’s character?

What may have prompted Luis Alejandro Velasco to tell the full, uncensored story of his travail at sea? What does this choice say about his personal qualities, and which of these qualities are already apparent in the book’s narrative? Provide examples from the text.

What type of literary device does Márquez use when he mentions The Caine Mutiny? Is it effective?