Magical Realism in the Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez highlights the life of an isolated coastal village. They find a dead body and take it in as their own, and call him Esteban. Although he is not part of the village, he transforms the village into a more colourful and vibrant place than it once was before. The story indicates that a great person has the power to change the lives of others and inspire them to live a positive lifestyle.

The transformation of the villagers starts from the inside and since Esteban is dead, they are willing to keep his memory alive for many years to come.

When Esteban came to the village, the villagers knew he did belong to either the neighboring villages or somewhere far from the village due to his size and shape. They kept his corpse and took care of hm and wanted to bury him with the dignity that was still left in him. “They could not find a bed in the village large enough to lay him on nor was there a table solid enough to use for his wake. The tallest men’s holiday pants would not fit him, nor the fattest ones’ Sunday shirts, nor the shoes of the one with the biggest feet.

Fascinated by his huge size and his beauty, the women then decided to make him some pants from a large piece of sail and a shirt from some bridal linen so that he could continue through his death with dignity” (Marquez 1). Esteban is bigger than the men in the village. Instead of trying to make him be like them, the women of the village decide that they should keep him the way he is. They adapt to his physical structure and find ways to give him clothing so he can be buried properly. “It seemed to them that the wind had never been so steady nor the sea so restless as on that night and they supposed that the change had something to do with the dead man” (Marquez 1). The women made it clear that they wanted change to happen and they knew it had something to do with Esteban. This foreshadows that change will happen in the story because of this incident.

As they were grooming him the women were doing their job is such glee and happiness “It was then that they understood how unhappy he must have been with that huge body since it bothered him even after death.” (Marquez 2). The women figured out that Esteban was unhappy in his life and during death due to his facial expressions. The villagers accepted the way he was and did not say anything negative towards him at all. The men and women both found him to be perfect in some way. Esteban changed the village for the better, it brought the people together. “At the final moment it pained them to return him to the waters as an orphan and they chose a father and mother from among the best people, and aunts and uncles and cousins, so that through him all the inhabitants of the village became kinsmen” (Marquez 3). Although he was a stranger to them. Nevertheless, the people found a way to work together to help give Esteban a proper burial in an unknown area. Esteban gave the village a sense of hope and it brought them together.

They can finally say that Esteban has died after giving him a proper funeral. “But they also knew that everything would be different from then on, that their houses would have wider doors, higher ceilings, and stronger floors so that Esteban’s memory could go everywhere without bumping into beams […]they were going to paint their house fronts gay colors to make Esteban’s memory eternal and they were going to break their backs digging for springs among the stones and planting flowers on the cliffs” (Marquez 3). The villagers keep his memory alive by changing the way they live. They make their homes colourful, taller and stronger so they can keep Esteban’s memory alive and with them. They also want others to know that Esteban was a villager in their once isolated village. “where the sun’s so bright that the sunflowers don’t know which way to turn, yes, over there, that’s Esteban’s village” (Marquez 3). When outsiders look at their village, they will know that Esteban was the reason for their change and know that he was loved an dwell taken care of.

“The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez shows the life of a once isolated coastal village. They find a dead body floating in the river and take it in as their own, and they name him Esteban. Although he is not part of the village, he transforms the village into a more colourful and vibrant place than it once was before. The story indicates that a great person has the power to change the lives of others and inspire them to live a positive lifestyle. The transformation of the villagers starts from the inside and since Esteban is dead, they are responsible for keeping his memory alive for many years to come. They plant many vibrant plants and build larger homes to feel as if Esteban were living among them or that one day, he would come back to them.

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