Truth is Stranger than Fiction

I like how Nikhila brought up the point about dichotomy between our lives in the United States and those of the Guatemalan's testimonies found within A Beauty That Hurts. With all the opportunities, privileges, and rights we are given in this country, as well as our relatively secure environments and violence free lifestyles, it is hard to imagine a world as described by anyone of the people who recounted their stories in these chapters. None of us have ever experienced not having the chance to go to school. Nor have we had to worry about our neighbors being spies, or our families being captured and never seen again. Indeed, a world defined by death, terror and torture is very hard to imagine and believe as far removed and isolated as we are here in the U.S. And while violence and crime does exist in this country, it cannot be compared to the absolute terror that griped Guatemala thirty years ago, a legacy which still scars the memory of many Guatemalans today.

One part of the reading which I believe really speaks to this idea is the dialogue shared between the narrator and famous speaker and human rights activist, Rigoberta Menchú. In the last paragraph of chapter two she states, "You understand, Jorge...that I can' t tell them everything that I know... They might not believe me. I can only tell so much..." (24). Menchú's confession proves to be rather indicative of the true extent of the tragedies that took place in Guatemala--so much so that they seem more fiction than the truth. The horrible methods of torture similar to that of Eugrnia Marroqín, the murders of Doña Magalena's family, and the overall killing that occurred between the government, citizens, and guerillas seems to be almost too grotesque and outlandish to be real. Hatred such as this must be made-up, fabricated. It is understandable why Menchú does not reveal everything she witnessed, for if she did, some would simply discount it as false. In fact some like the anthropologist David Stoll consider her retelling of the events to be inaccurate(21). Do Stoll's claims that some Mechú's facts are incorrect reflect his simple desire to rectify erroneous data, or does his rejection of these events demonstrate a weak tolerance for hearing the truth about such atrocities? Whatever the case, it is important to accept the fact that many barbaric acts took place in Guatemala in the past. It us up to foreigners like us, as well as native Guatemalans, to face and accept what transpired during those dark times. However, by learning from the past and recognizing previous mistakes, Guatemala's future will be one filled with promise, hope and prosperity