Colonel\' and Many Other Short

¶ … Colonel' and many other short stories contained in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's collection have similar themes and setting. They are set in the mid-20th century and discuss the political situation in the Columbian town of Macondo. For some odd reason, the colonel is an important figure in Marquez's stories even though he is not the same person in all of them. It was probably done to highlight the significance of politics in his stories which are rife with subtle violence, corruption, social decadence and widespread depravity. They also accentuate the helplessness of man against the ruthless forces of government.

No One writes to the Colonel (NWC) is an interesting, intriguing and tragic tale of life in rural part of Columbia and hints at the two decades of violence starting in 1948 that ripped the country and its institutions apart. The story opens with a series of occurrences that make little sense to the reader and no formal introduction to these are given. This adds to the intrigue that encompasses not only NWC but also some other short stories including Big Mama's Funeral, Tuesday's Siesta and Montiel's window. The stories may not have the same setting, (though most does), they do exhibit similar themes and mood. They are all in some way connected with lawlessness, corruption and violence of the time and the ensuing helplessness of man.

We shall now discuss NWC in detail to see how various themes have been carefully woven and accentuated throughout this novella and other short stories. NWC opens with the colonel impatiently waiting for some letter, as his wife and he also talk about attending some person's funeral and there is also a rooster that adds to the mystery-filled mood. The rooster plays an important role in the story as he is a persistent and pervasive figure which has a deep symbolic value. The characters do not have any proper with the exception of colonel's son, Agustin who, the wife thinks is "probably talking roosters" (121) with the deceased whose funeral was earlier mentioned. No one knows at this point, where this son is and how is the conversation taking place. What accentuates the gravity of lawlessness and political violence in this town is the fact that this particular death is considered a "special event" (122) since it was the first in many years which had natural causes. This means that most people had died of violence and not natural causes. A little later, we learn that it was a musician's funeral and that person was deeply loved by the town.

The "wait" serves as an important element and brings forth the tension and seriousness of war-related problems. The colonel has been waiting for a piece of mail for last fifteen years and it is later that we discover that the poor destitute colonel was expecting a letter announcing his pension. He steadfastly goes to check his mail everyday but when the mailman announces that there is no mail for him, he resignedly says, "No one writes to me" (129) and hence the title of the story. This letter meant a great deal to him since he had always lived with dignity and now that he was poor, his wife had no other option but to sell personal belongings to support themselves. This was not acceptable to the colonel who gets upset when his wife unsuccessfully asks Father Angel for a loan. And the knowledge that his wife has been trying to sell paintings and wall clock to get some money, he bitterly comments: "so now everyone knows we're starving" (159). His wife replies, "you should realize that you can't eat dignity" (160). The wife sees colonel's dignity as his lack of strength and character. (163). The old poor couple is living in terribly low economic conditions with colonel naively believing that all would turn out well one day while the wife wisely believes that "the world is corrupt" (130). This corruption is also seen in other stories and novellas of Marquez including in Evil Hour (1966).

When all attempts at selling personal belongings fail for one reason or another, colonel has no choice but to sell the rooster whom the wife views as the "ill-omened bird" (170) anyways. This takes him to the house of rich man in town, Sabas, but when he arrives "he wished he had arrived an hour later and missed Sabas" (165). This is because Sabas was evil and corruption personified. He was not born rich but had taken advantage of the political situation of the country and was now reaping the rewards of his clever political manipulation. It is at Sabas' place where the colonel meets a young doctor who plays a significant role later as he tries to restore "health" to the colonel's household which was trapped in a time-frame. The colonel and his wife are unable to move beyond a certain point in their lives because of constantly waiting for the mail which colonel believes is the only possible way they can live with dignity for the rest of their lives. It is through the doctor that we learn about Sabas and his fortune. Doctor explained that Sabas knew town's mayor and it was through such connections that he had built his fortune. He seemed to better understand the greed and ambition that marked Sabas' character. The colonel on the other naively saw the good in everyone and in every situation- one thing that irritates his wife.

But naive or not, the colonel is a well respected man in the town. His sense of dignity and strong character have won him ample respect as we see from this one occasion when a policeman pulls a gun at him for carrying a clandestine lampoon in his pocket. But colonel remains unmoved and "gently pushes the rifle barrel away with the tips of his fingers." He then excuses himself as if demanding to be allowed to go. At this point he is shown considerable respect when the policeman surprising answers: "you may go Colonel" (170).

Throughout the story, we see the colonel steadfastly sticking with a routine. He goes to check his mail every Friday and takes the rooster for trials at a local pit. The rooster is cheered like an icon or idol would be and everyone expects him to win the big upcoming fight. Colonel believes that in the absence of his pension which he knows he will receive one day, there best chance of survival lies with the rooster winning the fight. His wife however remains skeptical and shouts "and meanwhile what do we eat?" (181). To this, the colonel calmly replies "Shit" (181).