Background
- Diary of "Che" Guevara
- Che was well read - esp. when it came to politically charged pieces
- visited Machu Pichu - important time of reflection for him
- Embraced communism alongside Fidel Castro
- "an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom"
Characters
Alberto - pilot (Mial)
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna - co-pilot (Fuser)
- medical student, heavy asthma
- Wants to help everyone they come across
- always honest even if it's not what people want to hear
"The Mighty One" - their motorcycle
Chichina - Fuser's girlfriend who later leaves him
- her parents don't approve but they "love" each other
- gives Fuser $15 to buy her a swimsuit in the US (he later gives it to the poor communist couple)
Don Nestor - guide in Peru
Dr. Hugo Pesce - leper specialized doctor in Lima who writes a novel
Journey
- Wanted to finish the entire trip before Alberto turns 30
- Seeing all of the lower class people and hearing their stories
- Sees the injustice and separation in society
- Amazon river divides the healthy society from the ill (Leper Colony)
You gotta fight for every breath and you have to tell death to go to hell
- Guevara speaking to Silvia (leper) comparing his asthma to her condition
- She says you're wasting your time because life is pain
- He claims you must fight for everything you get (and appreciate it) - Bildungsroman
Ernesto's Birthday
- Get a raft to continue their travels
- Grateful for the hospitality they received in Peru
- Spokesmen for the division of the countries, now that they have experienced it first hand they want a United America
** Swims across the Amazon to celebrate his 22nd birthday on the "other" side with the Leper Colony
Guevara's Story as a Bildungsroman
Throughout their journey, Che experiences things he never would have experienced as a med student in Argentina. He sees the injustice and inequalities across South America and gets to experience first hand what is going on around him. He hears personal stories and has faces to put to these injustices. By seeing and experiencing these new situations, he is forced to make a choice between keeping to himself or using his skills to help those he sees in need. Through these experiences, he obtains many new ideas and emotions towards those who are lesser then him.
Guevara's impact as a revolutionary vs. a med student
Although Che was obviously very experienced and talented when it came to his medical practices, the types of injustices that he experienced and fought for were much more important. By experiencing first hand what was occurring around him, he was able to come up with a revolutionary movement he knew first hand was needed and necessary to those he had met and become close with.
I agree with you that it was not the medical practices that Che learned the most from, but his exposure to social injustice. There is only so much that one can learn scientifically, but the knowledge of the sadness and problems within the indigenous people of this area seemed endless. His experiences with these people ignited his spirit to feel indebted to help them. He didn't just end up helping them through his medical practices, but took it to an even higher level with a revolutionary movement that made history.
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