Che Guevara And Alberto Granado Summary

Che Guevara and Alberto Granado experienced and witnessed firsthand the increasing poverty and injustice during their infamous trip across the continent in 1952. The nature of the revolutionary political and social conditions of Latin America that Che confronts reflect the issues resulting from the capitalist society of northern America. The capitalist economic system in the United States completely ruined the economies of south America. South america was responsible for providing raw materials for the industrial society up north with few benefits in return. As Capitalism had profound effects on south America, it wasn't until Che witnessed these effects with his own eyes that he was able to understand the degree to which the injustice was.

The “neighbor to the north,” recognized as north America or the United States, acts as a historical participant because it is the source of the issues and inequality Che becomes aware and and eventually fights against. It plays a huge role in giving the story background and understanding why south america was in the state it was. Che recognizes this situation and eventually becomes compelled enough to do something about it. Che is drawn to the indigenous people he encounters because, first, it is apparent from reading his diaries that he is was a deeply intent person. He was curious and wanted to understand the nature of other people and their lives. Che lived for purpose, and perhaps at the beginning of the journey he was ready to experience and learn whatever he could on their little trek that the people he encountered within the nine month journey just made it that much more enriching. He was so young when they started out and he had never truly seen the world outside of the one he grew up in. So seeing people suffer and experience the things he did was new and intriguing. Eventually towards the end of the novel, it appears that he was so attracted to them because he saw the injustice and wanted to connect to the people who were treated like nothing. He appeared interested in knowing and understanding these people more.
There were many events that give hints to Che’s eventual political engagement. First, the fact that Chi is so curious and intrigued by people who truly cannot offer anything to him is, in a worldly sense, is a hint towards his marxist future. He notices the details of the commoners life and is balance minded when it comes to how they should be treated and the situation in which these societies are in. There are many significant events in which could be considered turning points or moments of epiphany for Che in his journey. The most significant, and perhaps the first real eye opening experience, in which Che was lead towards his future Marxist beliefs was when he visited the Chuquicamata copper mine and met the communist mining couple. When the man told Che about being put in jail due to his political tendency and the wife told him about having to leave their children with a neighbor in order to go find work for a living, Che was undoubtedly touched. The time Chi was with the mining couple seemed to hold high significance in this story because that is when he truly began to understand the gravity of the situation in Latin America society. As Che said, “The couple, numb with cold, huddling against each other in the desert night, were a living representation of the proletariat in any part of the world” (Guevara, 77). When Che connected with the mining couple it was truly the first major event that awakened him to the situation. As he quotes:
"It's a great pity, that they repress people like this. Apart from whether collectivism, the ‘communist vermin,’ is a danger to decent life, the communism gnawing at his entrails was no more than a natural longing for something better, protest against persistent hunger transformed into a love for this strange doctrine, whose essence he could never grasp but whose translation, 'bread for the poor,' was something he understood and, more importantly, that filled him with hope. Needless to say, workers at Chuquicamata were in a living Hell” (Guevara, 78).
Che sees this situation for what it is, and he is overwhelmed by uneasiness.

This is his first epiphany, and grave understanding of what was happening in the world around him. However, his foreshadowing future in Marxism doesn't stop there. When Chi went to Peru he was very impressed by the old Inca civilization. He connected with the indians and the animals and became bonded as a whole with the indigenous people of the once legendary civilization. In Lima, Chi and Alberto were able to get to know Pesce, the leading leprosy researcher and a Marxist, and engage in political discussions. After Lima, Chi and Alberto traveled to the Amazon Rainforest and they stayed for three weeks in san pablo, a leper colony deep in the jungle, where they treated patients. Chi swam from one side of the river to another to be with the lepers. On his twenty-fourth birthday, with the doctors and nurses from san pablo, Chi gave his first political speech , speaking about a more unified Latin

America.
Che was still quite apolitical because he was hesitant to truly stand up against what he saw and spoke for what believed in. He is still quite young, unable to distinguish himself in that aspect, but nonetheless begins having the sparks that ignites his overpowering effect on South America. When they arrived at San Pablo, the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, Chi had a very compassionate and humane response and treatment to the lepers. He and Alberto chose not to wear gloves, breaking the rules set by the mother superior, in a way of giving the lepers more dignity and respect. He spoke softly and connected with the lepers, creating a bond and friendship with them through his medical expertise in effort to give them their dignity. This gives lead to his future political endeavors because he ends up leading the socialist movement, which fights for equality and rights for all people, not just the ones who are of economical worth. This was Chi’s inherent character, it is no wonder he became one of the most well known socialists in south american history.
The reader experiences the journey of self awareness that Chi experiences right along with him.

At the beginning of the story Che is youthful and careless, he has goals, but he is very focused on the frivolous aspects of his trip. He was excited for adventure and no doubt had any clue about the experience ahead of him. Che, albeit sometimes reluctantly, helps Alberto with his schemes to get a free meal or place to stay, and their playful banter is beyond scope at the beginning of the novel. They stop to visit his girlfriend and he takes care to make sure he fulfills her wishes. As the reader continues learning the story, you get to see a maturity emerge from Che that wasn't there before. His thoughts and ideas become more profound, and he becomes passionate about the things he witnesses. He sees the real world, and even though he is still young and isn't truly an active participant, he is cognitively able to understand and see the inequality and is able to find ideas that help him make a difference. The people who encounter Che get to see this growth because they see the contrast between the two characters, Che and Alberto, themselves. Because many of the people they encounter haven’t known them for long, I think they are easily aware of seeing the difference between the two men. Alberto is constantly challenged by Che’s compassion and attention to the finer details of their journey and it is evident that the two have opposing views in a lot of ways. It only continues as

Che forms strong believes and practices as a result of their journey, and despite becoming frustrated at times, Alberto is aware and ultimately respects the passions of his friend. They remain loyal to one another until the very end. According to Che Guevara this trip was not only another experience gained during youth but also made of him another completely person; in his spirit, ”The person who recognizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I'm not the person once was. All this wandering around “Our America with a capital A,” has changed me more than I thought" (Guevara, 16).
It is very unique to have a story in which the reader is able to understand the historical context of a time and point in history while also having the insider understanding of a real person’s experience at that time and ideas that lead to their historical significance. Being able to witness the historical figure in Che and also the events in which created his drive to become the historical figure is rare. It is evident that one situation could not happen without the happening of the other. Che could be viewed as a typical figure of the cold war generation because even though he was brought up in the middle class and had his own share of hardships, he still experienced the finer things in life and was able to pursue his career in medicine, a feat many people couldn't dream of. He wanted to pursue medicine, and was in the socialite circle with his girlfriend and her wealthy family. This was the beginning of him climbing the ladder of the industrial times. However during the time of Chi’s journey he grew an understanding of the world. He began to break this mold of the cold war generations by becoming so passionate about the social injustices in south america. This is the reason why he became such a historical and important figure in the communist movement and it’s also why he felt to compelled to make a difference.
This diary gives the reader an intimate understanding of Che as a historical figure. Getting to read his notes and thoughts are extremely enlightening and give the reader an understanding of how his mind worked and how he was able to process the journey he experienced. This memoir connects the dots as to why Che chose to become such an activist for marxism. It gives his historical significance credibility. Che’s language is authentic, and his ideas are simple but profound. If people don't understand the "why" of someone's place in history, they are unlikely to comprehend the person's true significance. The reader is able to witness a foreshadowing of the later response of Che to his latin america by seeing his zeal and spark for his new ideas and the eventual revolution he helps unify. Che’s travels and readings from his journey caused him to believe and view Latin America not as a collection of distinct, separate nations, but as a unified whole that needed a continent-wide plan for liberation against inequality.