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Battles in the Desert Essay

Decent Essays

Battles in the Desert, written by Jose Emilio Pacheco, tells a story about how a young man named Carlos encounter social and political changes. Carlos narrates his own experiences during his childhood when social and political problems are happening. The time period is during the regime of the government of Miguel Aleman. Carlos’ experiences demonstrate the changes of his own personal life, and the impact of the American culture on Mexico. I believe Carlos is reflecting his personal childhood lived at México, and also the unwilling changes of his personality. How Carlos enjoys a moment that is never happening again, and how Carlos feels about his society. In the society Carlos lives with are manipulated very easily by the …show more content…

The changes include the transfer of school, moving to United States of America, the cultural invasion of another country. I think Carlos suffers from nostalgic about the person he used to be, “Who could feel nostalgic for the horror (117)?” I think he is nostalgic because his personality changed because Mexico or Mariana “came to an end just like the records of his jukebox (117).” Even his dressing style changed for Carlos, once in the battles of the desert during his teenage, now in a white suit, very incongruent(116). Also, what made Carlos change his personality is the perspective of the circumstances of many people like Harry’s, and Rosales’ house; Harry, and Rosales are two individual with different economical opportunities. What made Carlos change more is the belief he has “However high the heavens or the skies, / however deep the ocean lies (81).” To me the belief of Carlos meant that he is willing to do anything for something he wants putting himself in different situations, including the changes of his personality. Carlos will like to live the moment of Mariana again, and have the Mexico he knew

again. Unfortunately Carlos us unable to live a moment or be what he used to be in the place he

grew. As Carlos said “I’m going to keep my memory intact because everything that now exists

will never be the same again (94).” The story is to revived something lovely for Carlos despite

the effect of the changes on his homeland and

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