The Road Less Traveled: Forms of Mobility in The ...

TheThesiscommitteeforBrianScottMills

Certifiesthatthisistheapprovedversionofthefollowingthesis:

TheRoadLessTraveled:FormsofMobilityin

TheMotorcycleDiaries

APPROVEDBY

SUPERVISINGCOMMITTEE:

Supervisor:______________________________________________ LeoZonn

________________________________________ PaulC.Adams

_______________________________________________ CharlesRamírezBerg



by

BrianScottMills,B.A.Communications

Thesis

PresentedtotheFacultyoftheGraduateSchool

oftheUniversityofTexasatAustin

inPartialFulfillment

oftheRequirements

fortheDegreeof

MasterofArts

TheUniversityofTexasatAustin

May2012

iii



by

BrianScottMills,MA

TheUniversityofTexasatAustin,2012

SUPERVISOR:LeoZonn

TheRoadLessTraveledisaboutengagingfilmfromageographicperspective,

specificallyanalyzingtheunderlyingstructures,culturalcontextsandforces

affectingthemovementsofthetwomainprotagonistsofthefilmTheMotorcycle

Diaries.Thefocusattheindividualscaleaimstorevealnotjusthowandwhere,but

whypeoplechosetomovewheretheydo.Thepaperisdividedintofivemain

chapters:mobilityasresistance,mobilityasstructuredprocessintheformof

motilityandmoorings,forcedmobilityasdistinctivefromchosenmobility,mobility

asdiscoveryandafinalbodychapterthatdemonstratesexamplesofallthesetypes

ofmobility.Thesesectionswillmainlyflowasneoformal,mostlychronologic

descriptionsofthefilmtext,butwillalsooccasionallyreferencethewrittentextof

thetwodiariesonwhichthemovieisbased.Whilethemaincharacterofthefilmis

CheGuevara,noattentionwillbededicatedtohisrevolutionarylifeoutsideofthe

timeframeencompassedbythefilm.

iv

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Chapter1:Introduction...........................................................................................................................1

Chapter2:MobilityasResistance.......................................................................................................9Chapter3:MotilityandMoorings....................................................................................................19

Chapter4:ForcedMobility..................................................................................................................31

Chapter5:MobilityasDiscovery......................................................................................................40Chapter6:MixedMobilities:TheSanPabloLeperColony....................................................48

Chapter7:Conclusion............................................................................................................................60WorksCited................................................................................................................................................67

v

LISTOFSLIDES

Slide1:MapofroutetakenfromCheGuevara’sdiary...............................................................2

Slide2:LeavingBuenosAiresfortheopenroad.......................................................................10

Slide3:Convincingarancheroftheirmedicalexpertise.......................................................23Slide4:Acoldnightinthedesert.....................................................................................................33

Slide5:SanPabloLeperColony........................................................................................................50

Slide6:FerryingintoChile..................................................................................................................66

1

Chapter1

Introduction

Twomenstandinanairplanehangarnexttoarunwayinnorthern

Venezuela.Theirexchangeisbriefbutmeaningful.Thisgoodbyeisnotaneasyone.

Thepairhasspentthelastsevenmonthstravelingsidebysidethelengthand

breadthoftheSpanish‐speakingcountriesofSouthAmerica.After12,425

kilometersviamotorcycle,hitchedrides,footpath,andboatslargeandsmall,their

reluctancetopartisunderstandable.Theiradventurehasnotknownadayof

separation.Thenoisycargoplanethatwaitsnearbysignalsitsend.

ThescenedescribedaboveisthebittersweetconclusionofthefilmThe

MotorcycleDiaries,the2004FocusFeaturesreleasethatreceivedmuchcritical

praiseandenjoyedcommercialsuccess.Thefilmisbasedontraveldiarieskeptby

twoArgentinians.One,AlbertoGranado,wasa29‐year‐oldbiochemistanddoctor

specializinginleprosytreatments.Histravelingcompanionwasa23‐year‐old,

asthmaticmedicalstudentnamedErnestoGuevaradelaSerna.Thisistheman

whosefacewouldlaunchathousandt‐shirtsandbeforeverinscribedinpolitical

conversationandpopularculturesimplyasChe.

2

Thegoalofthispaperistoaddtothegrowingbodiesofliteraturewithinthe

geographysubfieldsoffilmgeographyandmobilitiesresearch.Inrecentyears

scholarshavecalledforastudyofmobilitiesthatisnotexclusivetoanyone

academic

discipline(see

ShellerandUrry

2006;Urry2007;

Cresswell2006).

Thebasisofthis

lobbyforanew

focusonmobility

studycomesfrom

thefactthatthese

scholarsdonot

believethat

currentmodels

withinsociology,

geographyand

othersocialsciencesadequatelydealwiththetopic.Weurgentlyneedmore

systematiccomparativestudiesofhowculturalmobilitiesaregeneratedineveryday

lifeandfacilitatedaswellasconstrainedbyspecificcircuitsandinstitutions(Salazar

2010).

Slide1:MapofroutetakenfromCheGuevara’sdiary

3

Thispaperisconcernedwiththewaysinwhichmobilityresearch,or

researchonhumanmovementatvariousscalesandinvariouscontexts,intersects

withthegrowingsubfieldoffilmgeography.Thisistofillacurrentgapinresearch

withinthediscipline.Itissurprisingthatsofewscholarshaveconsideredsomething

soinherentlymobile,themotionpicture,worthyofanalysisunderthemobilities

rubric.Researcherswhostudymobilitycanandshouldtakefilmtextsasvalidsites

ofinquiry.

Mediaisomnipresent.Onecouldsurmisethatconsideringthebreadthand

speedofcontemporarytechnologicaladvancesincommunicationthatoverall

knowledgewouldlikewisegrowinconjunction.LukinbealandCraine(2009)argue,

however,thattheneedformedialiteracyinaworldsaturatedbyithasneverbeen

higher.Whilegeographicinformationandaccessareontherise,geographicliteracy

seemstobeonthedecline.IfMcLuhan(1964)isrightthat“themediumisthe

message,”itisimperativetounderstandthemediumtogettothemessage.

Withtheirimageryofchanginglandscapes,crossingsofdifferentcultures

andconstantmovementbetweenplaces,roadmoviesareanaturalmarriageof

geographicalinquiryandmobility.Withallthisinmind,TheMotorcycleDiariesis

theidealfilmforsuchacademicfocus.

Inthisfilm,theprotagonistsdecidedtoembarkonajourneyacrosstheir

nativeland.SouthAmericawas“OurAmericawithacapitalA”asGuevara(Guevara

2004,p.32)penneditor“myownlong‐sufferingcontinent”toborrowthewordsof

Granado(Granado2004,p.xvii).TheyrodeaNorton500ccmotorcycletheycalled

4

“LaPoderosa,”TheMightyOne.LeavingBuenosAiresonJanuary4th,1952,they

traveledforsevenmonths.Theymaintaineddiariesalongtheentiretripandthese

notes,reflecteduponandlatermodifiedintonarrative,werepublishedmanyyears

afterChe’sdeath.Thetwodiariestogetherformthesourcematerialforthefilm

script.

Thetripwasquiteextensive.Itincludedeverythingfromthepampasof

ArgentinatothemanyridgesoftheAndes.TheyswaminthePacificOceanand

walkedthroughpartsoftheAtacamaDesert.TheytookaraftdowntheAmazonand

aplaneovertheCaribbean.Manyanalystshavesaid(GranadoandGuevara

inclusive)thatthiswastheformativetripofChe“therevolutionary’s”life.Inaway,

thefilmitselfwasmadetodemonstratethisidea.However,itisatthisjuncturethat

Imustbeclearaboutmystatedresearchgoals.IdonotintendtodiscussChe

Guevara’slifeoutsideofthecontextofthisparticularfilm.ThegeographiclensI

wishtoplaceonthisstudyisneitherpoliticalnorhistorical,butrather,cinematic.

Myaimisatadeeperlevel.Myfocusisonthemovementinvolvedinhis

journey.Thetripchangedhislife,butwhatmadethetrippossible?Thereare

underlyingstructuresthatbothenableandpreventmobility.Iseektodemonstrate

howvarioustypesofmobilityarerepresentedinthisoneparticularfilmtext.

Thepaperisdividedintofourmajorsections,eachofwhichwillprovidea

neoformalanalysisofthefilmtext,occasionallyreferencingthewrittendiariesas

corroboration.Eachsectionwillintroduceatopicrelatedtomobility.Inorderof

5

presentationtheyare:mobilityasresistance;motility(potentialmovement)and

moorings(enablersofmovement);forcedmobility;andlastly,mobilityasdiscovery.

Mobilityasresistanceisanobviouschoiceoffocusconsideringthestudy

subject.AmongthepantheonoffamousandinfamousresistanceleadersinLatin

America,CheGuevarastandsout.Whyisthisso?Perhapsitisbecausesomanyof

thenamesassociatedwithrevolutions–Sandino,Castro,Zapata–aretied

intimatelywiththeirbirthnationwhileChe,everthetraveler,ispairedwith

multiplerevoltsspanningthreecontinents.HowmanyChet‐shirtwearerscould

placetheicononamapifaskedwherehewasborn?Thecombinationofhisprolific

mobilityandresistancetoacceptednorms,evenbeforehisrevolutionaryyears,

makesCheanindeliblesubjectfortheexplorationoftheideaofmobilityas

resistance.Thatbeingsaid,Iwillcurtailmyfocustothisfilmandthediariesoff

whichitisbasedandnotdiscussGuevara’spoliticalactionsoutsideofthese

strictures.Ifeelthathisactionsonscreeninandofthemselvesaresufficient

supportofmyargumentstherein.

Thetermmotilityisusedinbiologytorefertothecapacityofananimalto

moveorofacelloranorgan(suchastheyeye).Insociology,forexample,itisfound

insociologicalanalysesofthebodytodescribethebodyinmotion(Kaufmannet.al.

2004).IconsiderthewaysinwhichGranadoandGuevarausetheirmotilityasa

typeofmobilecapital.Thevariousthingsthatallowthemtomove–financialmeans,

ownershipofamotorcycle,knowledgeofbasicmechanicstofixthebikeamong

others–alladdintotheirsuccessontheroad.

6

Additionally,moorings,orplacesoffixitythatenablemovement,aretheyin

tothemotilityyang.Mooringisabroadtermthatcanincludeanyenablerof

movement.Forinstance,afleetofairplanesisnotusefulunlessafixedairport

communicatingwhichplaneisflyingwhereisestablished.Ariverthatistoodeepto

fordnecessitatesaferrytoreachtheotherside.ManytimesinthefilmGranadoand

Guevarafacesituationswhereestablishedmooringsenabletheirtriptocontinue.

Withoutthem,theirmotilitycapitalwouldoftenbefornaught.

Third,forcedmobilityisdiscussedasdistinctfrommobilitythatischosen

overthesamepath.Incontemporarysocietysuchadichotomyiseasytosee.

ConsidertheMexico‐UnitedStatesborder.Acrossthisimaginarylinepasses,each

andeveryday,peoplegoingtowork,onvacation,visitingfamilyorconductingstate

businesstonamebutafew.Crossingthissameextendedlinearepeoplefleeingthe

violenceofdrug‐relatedwarfare,clandestinelymovingintoAmericatofindbetter

opportunities,orsmugglingillegalsubstancestobedistributedonblackmarkets

becausetheycannotmakealivinginalegitimatemanner.Thepointis,thesimple

factofmovementacrossspaceisnotadeepenoughanalysis.Underlyingcausesas

towhypeoplemovemustbeinvestigatedinordertounderstandtheirvarious

mobilities.Chapterfourwillfocusonsuchdistinctions.

Thenextchapterwillapproachthesubjectofmobilityasdiscovery.Road

filmsandtravelliteraturearetheperfectmediafromwhichtogleanthisideaof

mobilityasdiscovery.Thisisbecausebothshowthecompletestoryarcina

compactspace.Toarguethatdiscoveryhashappened,onemustshowboththe

7

startingpointandtheresultantchange.Filmandliteralnarrativesallowforsuchan

analysis.Thisfilm(anditsdiaries)inparticularrevealmyriadscenesinwhich

discovery–ofplaces,ofideals,oftruth–taketheforefrontoftheaction.Inthis

chapterIpointoutseveralofthesescenesanddescribethemandtheirimportance

indetail.

Lastly,thefilmculminatesatthesiteofalepercolonydeepinthePeruvian

Amazon.ItistheSanPabloLeperColony,whosepatientsarethemostseverecases

intheentirecontinent.Fromtheplanningstagesofthetrip,thedestinationwasa

majorgoalforbothGuevaraandGranado.Eachmanwashopingtofurtherhis

careerprospectsinthefieldofleprology,andtimeandexperienceinthisplacewas

oneofthemostseriousstepstheycouldpossiblytaketothatend.

Itistheculminationofnotjustthefilm,butalsoofthesubjectofthisstudy.

Withintheirtimeatthecolony,theviewerseesbitsofeverytypeofmobility

discussedthusfar.ThetravelersareresistanttotherulesoftheMotherSuperior

thatsegregatethehealthyfromthesick.Theyhaveusedtheirextensivemotility

capitalandestablishedmooringsjusttomakeittothisremoteplace.They

encounteranentirecommunityofillsoulsthatwereforcedfromtheirformerlives

tobeinthisplaceduetotheirmalady.Bothmendiscovermanythingsabout

themselves,aboutthetreatmentofpeopleandaboutlifeinthefarreachesoftheir

birthcontinent.

Whenselectingavalidsiteofinquiryforthestudyofhowfilm,geography

andmobilitycanintersect,IbelieveTheMotorcycleDiariesisamongthebest‐suited

8

placestostart.Itsnomadicprotagonists,narrativestructureandplacespecific

culturalrevelationsallmakethisfilmanaccessibleareaofstudythatwillhopefully

growthecurrentscholarshiponthesetopicsinpositiveandlastingways.

9

Chapter2

MobilityasResistance

Understandingthevariousandsundryreasonsindividualschoosetobe

mobilerequiresdetailedexamination.Theanalysisfromthischapterwillcenter

aroundanideaputforthbyCresswell(2010)whenreflectingontheclassic

migrationtheoryofgettingfrompointAtopointB.Inthis,agivenindividualmoves

frompointAtopointBbasedontheaggregationofallconsideredpushandpull

factors,suchasjobopportunity,costofliving,orpoliticalasylumamongmany

others.Whatremainscompletelyunexplored,arguesCresswell,isthelinebetween

thepoints.Whatofthelineitself?Whatifneitherpointiscompellingenoughto

drawtheindividual?Whatifthatwhichisdesiredisthein‐between,nomadic

existence?Suchquestionsformtheessenceofthischapter.

Inpreviouswork,Cresswell(1993)conductedageographicalreadingof“On

TheRoad”byJackKerouactohighlighttheideathatmobilitycanbeaformofactive

resistance.Otherpublishedessayshavediscussedtheideathatmobilityasalife

choiceconcomitantlydemandsthattheformerlifestyleberelinquished(seeLeong

et.al.1997;Creekmur1997;Klinger1997).Toreadfilminthiswaytasksthe

observertofindthreethings:anacknowledgedformofdomesticityorstasis;

comparisonwithamobilelifestyle;andpersonalagencyinchoosingthemobileover

thefixed.ThischapterwillseektoshowthewaysinwhichTheMotorcycleDiariesis

accessibletothesetermsbyprovidingachronologicaldescriptionofthefilm’s

10

eventsandthefollowingwithseveralexamplesofmobilityasresistancefromboth

thefilmandGuevara’sdiary.

Theopeningtitlesofthefilmrevealascenefamiliartothestartofmostlong

journeys:thepackingofbagsinpreparation.Thescenecutsbetweenthetwomain

protagonists,the29‐year‐oldbiochemistandthemotorcycle’sownerAlberto“Mial”

Granadoandhisco‐

pilot,23‐year‐old

asthmaticmedical

student,Ernesto

“Che”Guevara,

loadingtheir

essentialgearinto

thefewbagsthey

willcarry.Guevara

explainstheir

intentionsin

voiceover:

Theplan:8000kilometersinfourmonths.Themethod:improvisation. Thegoal:toexploreacontinentwehadonlyknowninbooks.Theequipment: “TheMightyOne,”anaged,leaky1939Norton500.1 AsErnestodescribestheplantotheviewer,theshotsofpreparationcutto

thetailendofafamilymealintheGuevarahome.Cheisarguingwithhisfather

1WhenthedialogueisitalicizedandreferringtoCheitislinesfromthefilmspokeninvoiceover.

Slide2:LeavingBuenosAiresfortheopenroad

11

aboutthenecessityofthetrip.Hisfather’sresistancetoitisspurredbythefactthat

Cheisonlyonesemesterawayfrombecomingadoctor.Cheinsiststhiscanwait.

Thejourneyaheadismoreimportant.

Guevaracontinuestointroducethetravelersandtheirreasonsforleaving,

includingnarrationoftwoshotsshowingChe’sinterests:onasubwaywithaskull

toaidhisanatomicalstudies;andontherugbyfielddisplayingbothhisathletic

prowessandhisoccasionalasthma.

NextGuevaraandGranadomeetinalocalcaféandspreadamapofSouth

Americaoverthetable.Granadodrawsawindinglineinpenoverthecontinentto

showtheirproposedrouteofadventure.Hementionsthatheiswillingtomakea

slightdetourtotheArgentinecoasttoMiramar,thehomeofChe’sgirlfriend.Ashe

finishesthecontinuouslineatthetopofthemap,Granado’sjoyattheprospectof

thetripispalpable.

Mial:WelandontheGuajiraPeninsula.Thetipofthisgrand continent.Belliesfullofwineandtwotropicalbeauties,hopefully sisters… AfterabitofbanterandconfirmingthedateafterwhichChewillhave

finishedhisexams,Mialmakeshismainpointoftakingthetrip:

Mial:Checkoutthatguyoverthere.Doyouwanttoenduplikethat?

Thecameracutstoamiddle‐aged,chubbymanhunchedonhiscafétable

overanewspaper.Therearetwodirtycoffeecupsnexttohim.Heisasleep,upright

inhischair.

Mial:Youdon’twanttoenduplikethat,Fuser.

12

TheshotcutstothesceneoffarewellfromtheGuevarahome,asallof

Guevara’simmediatefamilyispresentinfrontoftheirstoop.Theexcitementfor

whatlayaheadmasksthedifficultyinbiddingfarewelltohisfamily.Manyhugsare

givenandafterseeminglyinterminablewellwishing,thepairrideoff.Luckily,they

makeitmorethanablock,barelymissinganon‐comingbusimmediatelyupon

departure.

Thecameracutstoanopenroad,straightandnarrowintothevanishing

pointonthehorizon.AshakycameraholdsthisviewaspartofaletterGuevara

wrotetohismotherisreadinvoiceoverbytheauthor:

DearMom, BuenosAiresisbehindus.Goneis“thiswretchedlife”,the uninspiringlectures,thepapersandmedicalexams.AllofLatinAmerica isaheadofus.Fromnowonweonlytrustin“TheMightyOne.”…Iam gladwe’veleft“civilization”behindandarenowabitclosertotheland. AbreakfromthefilmtextisneededheretodiscussthelanguageGuevara

andGranadouseinthefilmaswellasthephrasesinGuevara’sdiary.

Theplanofthetripisbeautifulinitssimplicity.Guevaramerelystatesan

amountoftime,adistanceinkilometersandanimprovisedroutealongandthrough

anentirecontinent.TherearenopointsAandBinthisarrangement.Indeed,their

journeywillbetheaforementioned,andasyetunanalyzed,linebetweenthetwo

points.

ConversationsaboutGuevara’sstatusinmedicalschoolalertstheviewerthat

Cheisveryclosetofinishinghisstudies.However,hemakesitclearthat“the

uninspiringlectures,thepapersandmedicalexams”areconsidereda“wretched

13

life”incomparisontothethoughtofexploringLatinAmerica.Thus,thethree

aforementionedobjectivesareachieved:1)aformofdomesticityorstasishasbeen

acknowledged(apromisingmedicalcareerinBuenosAires);2)avaluejudgment

hasbeenmade(betweenstayingandgoing);and3)themobilelifestylehasbeen

activelychosenovercontinuedsedentariness.

FurtherproofofChe’spreferencefortheroadovermedicalschoolisseenin

boththefilmandhisdiary.Guevara’sfatherchidesCheintheopeningsceneofthe

filmforleavingonatripwithonlyonesemesterofmedicalschoolremaining.Che

assureshisfatherthatitcanwaitandnotbeaffected,whichgainsaslysmilefrom

hismother.Che’sfatherstillarguesthepragmatismofthepoint,butasthetwomen

preparetosayfarewelltoeachotherthefather’sdispleasureatChe’sleaving

dissipatesandhistruefeelingsaboutthetripemerge.

Father:Toughtimesareahead.Buttotellthetruth,I’vealways dreamtofdoingsomethinglikethis.IconfessthatifIwereafewyears youngerI’dclimbonthatmotorcyclewithyou. Che:ImagineI’mdoingitforbothofus.

Whileheassuageshisfather,Chenotesinhisdiaryaseparateencounter

alongtheroadwherehisdecisionisadamantlyderidedbyafriendofAlberto’s.

…stoppingnextinNecochea…receivingagenialwelcomefromthe friend[ofAlberto]andanotsogenialwelcomefromhiswifewhohad spottedthedangerinourresolutelybohemianways.‘Youhaveonly oneyearleftbeforeyouqualifyasadoctorandyetyou’regoingaway? Youhavenoideawhenyou’llbeback?Butwhy?’ Wecouldn’tgivepreciseanswerstoherdesperatequestions andthishorrifiedher.(Guevara2004,p.38).

14

Granado’sdesiretoresistdomesticnormsisalsoseeninthesefirstfew

minutesoffilmaction.Hespeaksofparties,exoticwomenandrefusaltoendupafat

mansittingaloneinaquietcaféwhosegreatestchallengeseemstobestaying

awake.Guevaraconfirmstheparallelmindsetofthetwotravelersashespeaksin

voiceoverjustafterGranadomakesanexampleoftheportlycafépatron:Whatwe

hadincommon:ourrestlessness,ourimpassionedspirits,andalovefortheopenroad.

Chereaffirmsthismindsetlaterinthetripinhisdiary.

Inowknow,byanalmostfatalisticconformitywiththefacts thatmydestinyistotravel,orperhapsit’sbettertosaythattraveling isourdestiny,becauseAlbertofeelsthesame.(ibid,p.45,emphasis added). Returningtothefilm,thetwofriendscampalongtheroadforthefirstfew

daysastheymotortowardstheirfirststopontheadventure,Miramar.This

stopoverintroducesustoanewcharacter.Chichina,Guevara’sgirlfriendatthetime,

livedinthisporttown,sixhundredkilometerssouthbysouthwestfromtheirpoint

ofdepartureinBuenosAires.Shecomesfromamuchricherfamilythaneitherof

thetravelers.Thisisevidencedasthesceneopensonaperfectlymanicuredestate

lawnthatdisplayswhatwouldbemoreaptlycalledatwo‐storycastlethanahouse.

ThegaudyarchitectureofthemanorandthelandscapingevenpromptGranadoto

sayonscreen,“Wherethefuckarewe,Switzerland?”

Thejuxtapositionofthesmoking,foulsmellingbikecarryingdustcaked

ridersismadeevenmorestarkbythecuttoalavishdinnerparty.Theambianceis

fitwithcandelabras,agrandpiano,maidsandservants,andwhatappearstobea

15

rivalsuitortellingChichina’sfatheraboutarecenttriptoCambridgeandLondon

whereheattendedvariousseminars.WhenCheandMialascertainthathis

doctorateisinlaw,notmedicine,theychidehimsubtlyyetsarcastically.

Thesoundofapianobeingplayedmovestheactionintothelargeliving

roomfordancing.Granado,suaveonthedancefloor,whirlsChichinaaroundfora

fewsongs.Guevara,shyinthissocialsetting,iseventuallydraggedintoatangowith

hissignificantother.Assheguideshimthroughsomestepstheirpassionforone

anotherisrevealed.

Che:Tonight? Chichina:DadaskedAuntRosananottoletmeoutofhersight.And MompromisedtheVirginthatshe’dwalktohersanctuaryifwebreak up. Che:Don’tyourparentsrealizethatthedeeperyouburythe diamonds,themoredeterminedthepirateistotakethem? Chichina:Believeme,thisdiamondwouldn’tmindbeingtaken.

Granadohasliterallytangoedoutoftheroomandoutofsightwithoneofthe

attractivemaids.NotsoluckyisGuevara,whoshortlylearnsthathissleeping

quarterswillnotbenearChichina,butratheroutonthatnicelawninhistent.

Inthenextscene,CheandChichinaareseenwalkingtogetheraroundthe

estatewhileMiallamentsonarockwall.Thetwomenspeakastheylaterdosome

maintenanceonthemotorcycle.Granadoisfrustratedthattheirtwo‐daylayover

hasturnedintoasix‐daypleasurestay.Heurgeshisyoungercompaniontosayhis

farewellstoChichinaandcontinuethetrip.ThenextdayCheandChichinadriveone

ofthefamily’scarsintothewoodstobeintimate.

16

Chichina:(asshepusheshimaway)Ifyoustayedwecoulddomany things,Ernesto,butonlyifyoustayed. Che:Thatdidn’tsoundsogood. Chichina:Whatdoyouwanttohear?ThatI’llwaitforyou? Che:ItoldyouI’mcomingback. Chichina:(sarcastically)Ihavethedogtoproveit. Che:Youdon’tlikehim? Chichina:Whatdoyouwant,Ernesto?Whatdoyouwanttohear? ThatI’llwaitforever,thatI’llwaitmonthsonendforyoutoreturn? AgoodbyefollowsinthenextsceneasMialjumpsonthemotorcyclebehind

Che,whoislockedinakisswithatearfulChichina.Theygivethanksforthe

hospitalityandbothmen,oneexcitedandtheothertorn,rumbleofftheimpeccable

lawnandintotheremotehillsandvalleysofPatagonia.

Thelandscapeisbleak,rugged,vast.ThefrigidtopsoftheAndescallfrom

afar.Thewindingdirtroadsbeneaththebikebouncethetravelersalong,twobitsof

tumbleweedblowingacrossprimitivesurroundings.Che’svoice:Eachmoment

seemssplitintwo:melancholyforwhatisleftbehind,andtheexcitementofenteringa

newland.

Guevara’sresistancefromthestaidlifeofamedicalstudentis

understandable.Afteryearsofrepetition,hewastiredofit.Itisthefarewellfrom

hisbelovedChichinathatspeaksvolumesabouthiscommitmenttoresistdomestic

lifeandtraveltheendlesspathwaysacrossthecontinent.Itwasnotaneasytask.

Linesofapoemarereadinvoiceover,butthepoemisputintobettercontextinhis

diary:

Ourjourneywassuspendedinthathavenofindecision,subordinate tothewordsthatgiveconsentandcreatebonds.Albertosawthedangerand wasalreadyimagininghimselfaloneontheroadsofAmerica,thoughhe

17

neverraisedhisvoice.ThestrugglewasbetweensheandI.ForamomentasI left,victorious,orsoIthought,OteroSilva’slinesranginmyears…Myheart swayingbetweenherandthestreet,theroad.Idon’tknowwhereIfoundthe strengthtofreemyselffromhereyes,toslipfromherarms…Sheremained cloudedbytears,heranguishhiddenbytherain.(Guevara2004,p.36). Chichinaseemstemptedbytheideaofflightwhenshesays,“Thisdiamond

wouldn’tmindbeingtaken,”butultimatelyshestays,asthesocialconstraintsonher

aretoogreat.Astrictfamily,alavishhomesteadandadesiretosettledownfar

outweighanybriefdesiresofresistance.ShemerelysendsGuevaraawaywitha

kiss,tears,andfifteenAmericandollarsinthehopesthatChewillbuyherabathing

suit,shouldthepairmakeittoMiami.Thesefundswillbecomeapointofcontention

forGuevaraandGranado,whichwillbediscussedinduecourse.

Bothmenhavechosentotravelknowingthattheresultwouldbeabsence

fromtheirbelovedfamilies,denialofassuredcareersandtoughgoodbyesmixed

withtheon‐comingunknown.Despiteallthis,Guevarawouldpenthefollowing:

Oncampbeds,theonlybedswe’dknowfromnowon…westilllooked intothefuturewithimpatientjoy.Weseemedtobreathemorefreely,a lighterair,anairofadventure.Distantcountries,heroicdeedsandbeautiful womenspunaroundandaroundinourturbulentimaginations. Mytiredeyesrefusedtosleepandinthemapairofgreenspots swirled,representingtheworldIhadleftfordeadbehindmeandmocking theso‐calledliberationIsought.Theyharnessedtheirimagetomy extraordinaryflightacrossthelandsandseasoftheworld.(ibid,p.40). Themenchosethispathandchoseitgladly.Theywerenotfleeinganytype

ofpersecution.Instead,theyfledtheverycreaturecomfortstowhichsomanyofus

clingfordearlife.Whilethislineofactionmayseemcounterintuitive,the

18

protagonistssawitastheonlypossiblecoursetoinvigoratetheirlivesaswellas

shedtheirignoranceaboutthecontinentonwhichtheylived.

Resistanceisarelativeterm.Whatweretheyresisting?Moreimportantly,

howweretheyresisting?Iftheirchoiceofresistancewastobemobile,thentheir

rejectionwasofbeingsedentary.Ihaveshownclearlyinthechapterthatmultiple

practicesandroutineswerethecausefortheirflight.Chewasboredofclasslectures

andtextbooks.Hewasnotcomfortableimmersedintheglamorouswealthof

Chichina’sfamilyortheuppermiddleclassstatusofhisown.ToChe,thecomfort

andstatusheknewwere“thiswretchedlife”andtheroadwasthecureforthis

malady.

Chechoseflightovermanythings:apromisingmedicalcareer;timewithhis

family;arelationshipwithhisgirlfriend.Asisrevealedbyhisdialoguelaterinthe

film,noneofthesewereeasytoleavebehind.However,thedifficultyhehadin

leavingthemisproofpositivethattheroadhechoseinstead,themobilityforwhich

heopted,wasmanytimesstrongerthananyforcepullinghimtheopposite

direction,tryingtoanchorhiminplace.

LikeKerouac’sOnTheRoadortheinnumerabletraveloguespennedby

nomadicsoulstheworldover,theexplanationofflightoverstasisisatonceelusive

andconcrete.Noneoftheactorsinthesesettingscansaypreciselywhattheywant

toachieve,butcanusuallydescribethedrabroutinestheywishtoavoid.Mobilityas

aformofresistanceissomethingalmostethereal.Tobeinmotionistobealive.

19

Chapter3

MotilityandMoorings

Beforefurthertextualexplanationisprovided,thefirstofthetwokeyterms

exploredinthischapter,motility,mustbeapproached.Nomatterhowstrongthe

desiretodosomightbe,thereisalargegulfbetweenthepotentialtotravelandthe

actualityofmovement.Thischapter,inpart,willattempttooperationalizetheterm

motility,whichisdefinedbyKaufman(2002)as“thewayinwhichanindividual

appropriateswhatispossibleinthedomainofmobilityandputsthispotentialtouse

forhisofheractions”(p.37,emphasisintheoriginal).Underneathourmotivations

tomoveliepragmaticinfrastructuresthatenableorimpedeourabilitytodoso.

Thepurposeofthissectionistoshowthatmobilitymustbecontextualized

andexaminedonanindividualscale.Thefactorsthatenableanygivenperson’s

mobilitydiffergreatlydependingonawidearrayofvariablesandcircumstances.

Thissectionwillexplicatesomeofthefactorsthatenabledthisparticularjourney.

Tosetthepropercontexttobeginunderstandingmotility,wemustrevisit

thefirstsixandahalfminutesofscreentime.InTheMotorcycleDiariesthemise‐en‐

sceneusedbythefilmmakersexhibitsnolessthansixelementsthatmakeup

Guevara’smotilitycapital.

Thefirstisseenimmediately.Asbothmenpack,theviewerseesbureausfull

ofclothes,boxesofmedicalsuppliesandstacksofbooks.Beforeevenbeing

properlyintroduced,theviewercaninferbytheirsurroundingsthatthesemenare

ofatleastmiddleifnotuppermiddleclassstatus.Shortlyafterthissceneisonein

20

whichGuevaraargueswithhisparentsabouttakingthetrip.He,hisparentsandhis

foursiblingsarepresent,allcleancut,welldressedandsittingaroundadiningtable

litteredwithabundantfoodanddrink,afurthercluetoGuevara’selevatedsocio‐

economicsituation.

Second,thenextscenecutstoCheplayingrugby.Thisshowsthatdespite

being“occasionallyasthmatic”heisingoodphysicalconditiontoundertakealong

journeythatmayrequireagooddealofphysicality.Inaddition,Guevaraand

Granado’sphysicalprowesspaidthemdirectreturns.InoneentryfromChe’sdiary,

hedescribesasceneinwhichheandMialhitchedaridetotrainstationoutof

moneyandveryhungry.

Thereweencounteredagroupoflaborerspracticingforafootball matchwitharivalteam.Albertotookapairofrunningshoesoutofhis backpackandstartedtosoundoff.Theresultwasspectacular.Wewere signedupforthematchonthefollowingSunday;inreturn:food,boardand transporttoIquique(Guevara2004,p.83).Theirskillsontheplayingfieldresultedinaccumulationofmuchneededgoods.

Third,Cheintroducesbothmeninvoiceoverbyname,age,nicknameand

areaofspecialty.WefindoutthatGranadoisabiochemistandGuevaraisamedical

studentspecializingisleprosy.Whenthisfactisputforth,Cheisseenrather

anecdotallypullingaskulloutofhisbackpackonthesubway,muchtotheconfusion

ofhisfellowpassengers.Thisinformsviewersthatnotonlyarethesemeneducated,

butthattheyhavespecializedknowledgeinfieldsofmedicine.Aswillbeseenlater,

thiseducationwasusedasabarteringtoolmanytimestogainlodging,foodand

otherhelpfulitemsthatkepttheirtripinmotion.

21

Fourth,thereareonlyafewlinesofexchangeaboutit,butGuevarahasthe

abilitytotaketimeofffromhisstudieswithoutsacrificinghisfuturecareer.His

fatherdeclares,“You’reonlyonesemesterawayfrombecomingadoctor.”Towhich

Cheresponds,“Thatcanwait.”Thiscommentisreceivedbyaslysmileonthepartof

hismother.Thetrip’sdeparturedateisplannedforJanuary4thbecause,asGranado

confirmswithhistravelingcompanion,thisiswhenGuevarawillbedonewiththe

examsforhiscurrentsemesterofstudy.Lastly,asthepairmountsthemotorcycle

todepartGranadonotestoChe’smother,“Don’tworryma’am.He’llcomebackand

bethedoctorweallwanthimtobe.”ThisisahugepartofGuevara’smotilitycapital.

Manypeoplefeeltheycannotbemobilebecausethesocialconstraintsonthemare

toogreat.Guevarahasfoundthetimetogowithoutputtinghiscareerinjeopardy.

Fifth,theownershipofthemotorcycleitselflendsagreatdealofcapitalto

thetravelers.Withoutconsistentmeansoftransit,theywouldnotbeabletodictate

theirschedulenorplantheirownroute.Theywouldhavetorelyonpublictransitor

hitchrideswhenandwhereavailable,aswewillseelaterinthefilm.Tobeableto

storealloftheirrationsandgearinonemobilespaceandhavetheonlyconstraint

onthembetheavailabilityofaroadthemotorcyclecanhandle,theirmotilitycapital

increasesdramatically.

Last,andmostunderstated,istheirknowledgeoftheSpanishlanguage.This

isperhapsoneofthemosttakenforgrantedaspectsoftravelinthemodernworld.

WhileEnglishmaybethelinguafrancaoftoday’scruiseshipsandtourbuses,

GuevaraandGranadoareplanningontravelingthelengthandbreadthofavast

22

continent,oftensleepingin,eatingatanddrivingthroughcitiesandtownswhereno

onespeaksanythingbutthelocallanguage.Again,themise‐en‐sceneutilizedsubtly

displaystheirknowledgeofandplanningforthisdilemma.WhenGranadodraws

therouteonthemapofSouthAmericawhilethetwositinacaféinthefirstfew

minutesofthefilm,thelinenevercrossesintoBrazil.Theirgoalwastogettoknow

thelandandmeetasmanypeoplealongthewayaspossible.Thiswouldbe

inconceivableifacommonlanguagewerenotspoken.Onatriplikethis,theirnative

tongueaddsgreatlytotheirmotilitycapitalcache.

Nowthatsomeelementsoftheprotagonist’smotilityareunderstood,the

descriptionofthefilmitselfresumesasthemencrosstheirfirstinternational

borderintoChile.Thefilmtransitionsfromwide,imposinglandscapeshotsto

GuevaraandGranadoenteringacityandarguing.Theirtriphasnowmetsome

travail,andtheirneedforcreativesolutionsisatanall‐timehigh.Uponroundinga

curveGranadoexclaims,“Youcanfixanythingwithwire!”referringtoarecent

patchjobhehaddoneonthemotorcycle.Thebrutalreality,revealedsecondslater,

isthatwhenitcomestomotorcyclerepair,wiredoesnotinfactfixeverything.The

paircrashesandincurssomeminorinjuries.

Reducedtowalkingthebikeuntiltheycanfindapropermechanic,themen

setouttofindsomelodgingoutofthecoldwindthathasaccompaniedthemintheir

traverseoftheAndes.Inalettertohismother,readagaininvoiceover,Guevara

informsherthat“moneyandfoodarescarcebutwe’vemanagedtobumsomefree

food,thankstooursecretweapon.Alberto’simpeccablebullshitting.”Overthecourse

23

ofthenextfifteenminutesoffilmisatrioofrehearsedplayactionsbetween

GuevaraandGranado.Allthreesceneshighlightaninvaluableelementoftheir

collectivemotility:theirspecializedknowledgeofmedicinepairedwithan

audaciousandindomitablecapacityto“bullshit”peopletogetwhattheyneed.As

thesescenesareverytellingofhowpersuasiveandeffectivethetwotrekkerscan

be,eachwillbedelineatedinturn.

“Red

October”isthe

codename

Guevaraand

Granadogiveto

oneoftheir

playactions.

Thisdialogueis

usedtogain

lodgingforan

eveningwhentheirtentblewawayinastorm.Twotimesthepitchismadeinthe

filmandbothtimestheyareonlymeagerlyrewarded,butrewardednonetheless.

Theaimistoconvincethetarget(aranchownerinthesecases)thatthetwo

menareworldrenowneddoctorstravelingthelengthandbreadthofthelandin

searchofcuresfortheworstdiseasesaffectingLatinosandgivingtreatmentsalong

theway.Theonlyrecompensetheydesireisawarmbedinwhichtosleepanda

Slide3:Convincingarancheroftheirmedicalexpertise

24

decentmealonwhichtodinesothattheymightcontinuetheirunbelievably

importantresearch.Whilethediariesmentionthatthismethodhadameasureof

success,thefilmfindsthemresortingtoblatanthonesty;theirtenthasflownoff,itis

coldoutsideandtheyhavenothadmuchtoeat.Anythingthatcouldbesparedis

appreciated.Theresult:nightsinbarnsoutofthewindandsomesmallmealsfreeof

charge.

ThenextscenarioseesGuevaraandGranadostepuptheiraudacityseveral

fold.Inresponsetocriticismabouthisboldhonesty,Chestopswalkingthe

motorcycleandparksitinfrontofthelocalnewspaperofTemuco,Chile,thetown

themenhavejustentered.Notsurewhatheisupto,Granadofollowshisfriendinto

thenewspaperbuilding.Thenextscenecutstothetwomenagain,nowlyingdown

andbeingwokenupinthemorningbyaboysellingtheday’slocalnewspapersin

thestreet.TheirployisrevealedmomentslaterasGranadowalksthebikeastride

Chereadingthefollowingstory:

Yesterdayafternoon,Temucowashonoredbythearrivaloftwoofthe mostprestigiousleprosyexpertsinSouthAmerica.Dr.AlbertoGranados[a misspellingthatannoysMial]fromCordobaandDr.ErnestoGuevaradela SernafromBuenosAires,haveembarkedonanepicjourneyfromtheir nativesoiltothenortherntipofVenezuela.Thecharismaticscientists– adventurers,expertsintheirfield,havetreatedover3000patientsacrossthe continent.Theyexpecttocompletetheirmarathon‐trekinarecord‐setting fivemonths,justintimetocelebratetheyouthfulDr.Granados’thirtieth birthday. Withthemotorcyclereachingitslimitoffunctionalitythisdrasticactionwas

warranted.Thefactthattheycouldwaxphilosophiconmanymedicaltopics,

includingextensiveknowledgeonleprosymadethegambitextremelyplausible.

25

Becauseofthisnewsarticle,theywereabletoconvincealocalmechanictorepair

theirmotorcyclefreeofcharge.Theyconvincedhimhewasdoingitforthebenefit

ofmankind.Perhapshewasinaway,buttrulyitwastheirmotilitycapitalthat

providedaboonwhenitwasneededmosttokeepthetripmovingforward.As

Guevaranotesinhisdiary,“nolongerapairofmoreorlesslikablevagrantswitha

bikeintow;no,wewerenow‘TheExperts,’andweweretreatedaccordingly”

(Guevara2004,p.59).

Lastly,GuevaraandGranadousetheirsuavewaysofpersuasiontosatisfy

theirbaserinstinctswhileprocuringtheusualduooffoodandlodging.Evenwith

therepairsmadebythepreviouslydupedmechanic,themotorcyclefailsthem

again.Thenextscenehasthemenpushingratherthanridingthebikeintoanother

Chileantownwheretheyencountertwoyoungwomenatarestaurant.Aftersome

playfulintroductions,theybeginanotherprearrangeddialogue:

Mial:Doyouknowwhatdayitis? Jazmín:February26. Mial:February26.Soundsunbelievable,butit’sbeenayear. Jazmín:Ayearsincewhat? Che:Oneyearsincewestartedthistrip. Mial:Oneyearandwe’reflatbroke,wecan’tevencelebrate.Whata shame. Daniela:Whydon’tyouletustreatyoutoabottleofwine?

Astheyoungwomancallsforthewine,Cheimplantsparttwooftheriffto

produceamealaswell…

Che:Girls,don’tbeoffended,butIcan’tdrinkwine. Daniela:Whycouldn’tyoudrinkjustabit? Mial:There’sanoldcustominArgentina… Che:No,Mial,pleasedon’t…

26

Mial:Whatisit?Ithinktheydeserveanexplanation. Che:Theydo. Mial:AnoldcustominArgentinadoesn’tallowustodrinkonan emptystomach.Sincewe’reflatbroke,wecan’tbuyfoodandmust rejectyourgenerousoffer.That’sall. Jazmín(laughing):Comeon,lightenup.(Tothewaiter)Couldyou bringussomeempanadas? … (abitlater…) Che:Wishwecouldstay! Mial:Toobadwehavenowheretocrash.We’llsleepoutinthepark. Jazmín:Listen…myDad’sfondofArgentinians. Che:Nojoke! Jazmín:Honest.Hemightbeabletohelpyou. Daniela:SinceDad’sChiefofthefirebrigade,heknowslotsofpeople.

InoneconversationGuevaraandGranado,withoutacenttotheirnames,

withoutafunctioningmotorcycleandwithnootherresourcesbuttheirwitshave

procuredfemalecompanionship,abottleofwineandlunch,aswellasanofferto

lodgeatthehouseofthetwowomen,whoturnouttobesisters.Also,totheir

delight,theyareabletoleavethemotorcycletobeexaminedbyafriendofthegirls’

familywhoisamechanic.

Theextensiveuseoftheirmotilitytoolkitexemplifieshowdetermined

GuevaraandGranadoweretokeepthetripgoing,tostaymobile.ButitishereI

mustreiteratetheyintothemotilityyang:moorings.Whilemotilitysignifiesthe

capacityofanindividualtobemobile,mooringsareenablersofmobility.Theyare

quiteliterallytheinfrastructureofamobilewayoflife.

Scholarshaverecentlycalledattentiontotheinherentimportanceof

mooringsastheyrelatetomobility(seeHannam,ShellerandUrry2006;Adey

2006).Considerthemechanicsthatareshowninthefilm.Thefirstwasmentioned

27

inthesceneinwhichGuevaraandGranadoconvincehimtofixtheirbikeforfree

becauseoftheorchestratednewspaperplay.Surelyitwastheirmotilitythatgotthe

bikefixed,butitwasthemooring–inthisinstancethemechanic’sshopandthe

mechanichimself–thatdidthefixing.Motilityputtheminpositiontoforgeahead.A

mooringmadeforgingaheadafeasibleexpectation.

Theothermechanicshowninthefilmcomesinthenextscene,asadonefor

theprotagonists.Afterallthepatchworkandthousandsofkilometers,“TheMighty

One”isdead.Themechanicrelaysthisnewsunceremoniouslyandseemssurprised

theyevenmadeitasfarastheydidonsuchaclunker.However,thetripdoesnot

stopherewiththeendofthemotorcycle’srun.Ithasbeenclearlyestablishedby

nowthatthesemenwillnotletanything–lovers,hunger,weather,sickness,injuries

–comebetweenthemandtheirgoalofcrossingthecontinent.Mial,intears,asks,

“Whatwillwedonow?Goon?”Chereplies,withouthesitation,“Ofcourse.Wecarry

on.Amanonlyturnsthirtyonce,right?”WhileastrongfaceisshowntoGranado

becausehehastakenthelossofthemotorcyclesopersonally,Guevaraunderstands

howseriouslythelossofahugefactorintheirmotilitycapitalwillaffectthem.He

pensinhisdiary,“Toacertainextentwehadbeenknightsoftheroad;webelonged

tothatlong‐standing“wanderingaristocracy”andhadcallingcardswithour

impeccableandimpressivetitles.Nolonger.Nowwewerejusttwohitchhikerswith

backpacks,andwithallthegrimeoftheroadstucktoouroveralls,shadowsofour

formeraristocraticselves.”(Guevara2004,p.68)Therestofthetripwillrequirethe

pairtobeevermoreresourcefultocontinueachievingtheirgoalsoftravel.

28

Justasimportantly,thetwotravelerswillhavetocontinuetorelyon

moorings.Mooringsofallkindscanbeseenalongthewayinthefilm.Thetrain

stations,farmhousesandbarnsinwhichtheyhavesleptconstitutethesefixed

elementsofmobility.Withoutatent,thepairhasreliedonsuchthingsforlodging.

Now,withoutamechanizedformofpersonaltransportation,otherinfrastructural

mooringsmustbeutilizedtomoveforward.Toleavetownaftersayingfarewellto

“LaPoderosa”GuevaraandGranadoheaddownadirtroad.Alittlewaysdownthey

areabletohitcharideinthebackofatruck.Theshotcutstothepairinthecabofa

differenttruck,suggestingtheywereabletoprocureseveralridesalongthewayto

Valparaiso.

ValparaisowasadestinationforGuevaraandGranadobecausetheywere

expectingsomefundstocomeviathemail.Anelementoftheirmotility,asdiscussed

earlier,wastheirrelativewealthandthewealthoftheirfamilies.Mialisseen

openinganenvelopefromChe’smother.Whiletheamountisnotannounced,the

visualsuggestsitissubstantialtoreplenishtheiremptywalletsforawhile.Without

it,thetripcouldbeinjeopardy.Thus,onceagainanelementoftheircollective

motility,thewealthoftheirfamilies,keepstheirdreamtripalive.

Toendthechapteritmustbepointedoutthatmotilityandmooringsare

inextricablyintertwined.Thereareatleastfourwaysinwhichthetwotermshave

complimentedeachotherinthischapteralone.Allfourdemonstratethatwithout

motilitycapital,themooringisrendereduseless.Likewise,withoutthemooringin

place,noamountofmotilitywouldsufficetoextendthelifeofthejourney.

29

First,whenpushingthebikeintoTemuco,Cheisstruckbytheideato

publicizetheir“medicalmission”inthelocalnewspaperwithhopesofconvincing

thelocalsofanelevatedimportance.Bothmotilityandmooringsarecrucialhere.

Withouttheextensivemedicalknowledgetobacktheclaim(nottomentionthe

audacitytoattemptsuchascheme)theplanwouldnothaveworked.Likewise,

withoutanestablished,trustedsourcesuchasthelocaldailynewspapertheplan

wouldhavenotcometofruition.

Asecondtimewhenmooringsandmotilityworkedinconjunctiontobenefit

theprotagonistswaswiththeTemucomechanic.Usingtherecentlyacquired

newspaper–which,effectivelyisnowalsoapieceoftheirmotilitycapital–Guevara

andGranadoconvincealocalmechanictofixtheirbikefreeofcharge.Havingno

money,itwasthenewspaperarticle,andthatalone,thatconvincedthemechanicto

workprobono.However,itwasthemechanichimself,amooring,whichenabledthe

triptocontinue.Thenewspaperarticlealonecouldnotfixthemotorcycle.Itneeded

tobepairedwithamooring.

Third,thevariousotherschemestheduousedtoprocurefoodandlodging

givecredencetothemotility/mooringconjunction.Itwasdemonstratedinthis

paperthatthemen,especiallyGranado,wouldemployelaborateschemesto

convincepeoplealongthewaytohelpthemwhentheywerelowonrationsand

money.Akintothenewspaperneedingamechanic,eachoftheserehearsed

scenariosneededawillingactorwithgoodstoprovidefortheirmotilitytobe

30

relevant.Mooringssuchasbarnstosleepinandamealwithattractivesisterswere

onlyacquiredafteremploymentoftheirsometimesdevilishscheming.

Lastly,thehitchedridethatbringsthemtotheportcityofValparaiso,Chileis

evidenceofthisconnectivity.Thecity’spostofficeworksasamooring.Withouta

postalserviceandacentralpostalofficeinplace,GuevaraandGranado,notto

mentioneveryoneelse,wouldhavenowayofpre‐arrangingadropofmoneyfrom

theirfamilies.Themotilityoftheirfinancialmeanstotakethetrippairedwiththe

mooringofawaytodeliverittotheminaspecifiedlocationofthepostofficehas

onceagainextendedthelifeofthejourneyindefinitely.

Itisclearthatbothmotilityandmooringsplayedhugelyimportantand

connectedrolesinmakingthetripaviablesuccess.

31

Chapter4

ForcedMobility

Aricketytrolleycarcranksandlowersdownasteeptrackbetweenamosaic

ofrustedtinrooftops.Twofriendssitinsilence.Thetrolleydescendsintodarkness

andthesceneemergesframingGuevaracontemplatingaletterhehasjustreceived

atthepostoffice.Moneyhascomefromhismother,butalsoaletterfromChichina

hasarrived.Thesombermood,zerodialogueandtheshotsurroundingChewitha

vastoceanscapeallcluetheviewerinthatthisisaletteroffarewell.Aterse

exchangepassesbetweenthefriendsaskingiftheotherisreadytogoandquickly

Valparaisoisbehindthem.

Granadohaslosthisbelovedmotorcycle,Guevarahislover.Thefilmshiftsto

astarkermood.Reflectedinthisheavytoneisthesubjectmatterofthischapter,

forcedmobility.AsIwillconsequentlydemonstrateasthedescriptionofthefilm

textresumes,mobilitythatisforcedisdistinctfrommobilitythatischosen.Or,as

statedbyCresswell(2010),ifonechoosestobemobileone’sexperienceisvastly

differentfromanotherwhoisforcedintomovementoverthesamepath.Guevara

andGranadosharethesamepathasactorsthatareforcedtodosomultipletimesin

theforthcomingsection.AsthesectionendsIwilldeconstructthosescenesto

highlightthemanywaysinwhichtheirexperiencesdifferfromthosethey

encounteralongtheway.

Withthemotorcyclethismayhavebeenabumpybutbearabletrek.Onfoot,

thisterrainisaseverephysicaltest.Granado,whoseweightisarunningjokeinthe

32

film,isinsultedbytheideathathecannotmakethecrossing.Thetwotravelershave

amockingexchange,followedbyarenewedsenseofvigor,orperhapsvainpride,as

theypickupthepacetoprovetoeachotherwhomisthetougherman.

Dusksettlesin,andthetwomenarebutminiaturesilhouettessurroundedby

anemptylandscape.Atrucksaunterspast,raisingtheirhopesofrespitefrom

walking.However,itdoesnotstop.Theycurseitasitrumblespast.Inthedustof

thepassingtruck,GuevaraandGranadoencounteranotherpairoftravelersonthe

road.Theyintroducethemselves.

Thescenecutstoamodestfireofsticks.Thisplaceprovidespreciouslittlein

thewayoffuel.Itisenoughtomakesomemate,atraditionalArgentiniandrinkthat

GuevaraandGranadohaveconsumedthroughoutthetrip.

Granadohandsoveramaptothenewlyencounteredcouple.Themanpoints

outfromwhereheandhiswifehavecomeandwheretheyaregoing.Theytelltheir

storytoourprotagonists.

Man:Wedidn’thavemuch,justsometough,dryland. Wife:Itbelongedtohisgrandpa. Man:Itwasours.Untilalandspeculatorforcedusoff. Wife:That’swhattheycallprogress. Man:Sowehadtoleaveoursonwithfamilyandhittheroad,looking forwork,tryingtoescapefromthepolicewhowantedtotossusin jail. Mial:Why? Wife:Becausewearecommunists. Man:Nowwe’regoingtoamine.Ifwe’relucky,I’llfindsomework.It’s sodangerous,theydon’tcarewhatpartyyoubelongto. Wife:Areyoutwolookingforwork? Che:No,we’renotlookingforwork. Wife:No?Thenwhyareyoutraveling? Che:Wetraveljusttotravel.

33

Wife:(pause)Blessyou...Blessedbeyourtravels.

GuevaraandGranadoarehitbytheirwordslikeshockwaves.Theyare

stunned,speechless.Guevarahandsoverhisonlyblankettothewoman.Themeager

firecannotheatthefoursoulsthatsurroundit.Thewomanacceptsthegifteagerly.

Guevaraspeaksinvoiceover:

Theirfacesweretragicandhaunting.Theytoldusofcomradeswhohad mysteriouslydisappeared,andweresaidtobesomewhereatthebottomofthe sea.Itwasoneofthecoldestnightsofmylife,butalsoonewhichmademefeel closertothisstrange,formeanyway,humanrace. Ascene

shroudedin

darknesscuts

suddenlytoapalate

ofgray.Thecouple

thatsharedthefire

sitsamonga

smatteringofdusty,

downtroddenmen.

Theirclothesare

cakedwithsoot

fromthemonochromerocksonwhichtheysit,waitingtoseeiftheygainaday’s

employmentinthemine.Asaforemanbeginspickinghisworkforce,theshotcutsto

GuevaraandGranadoperchonaridgeoverlookingamassiveindustrialcomplex.

Slide4:Acoldnightinthedesert

34

ThisisChuquicamata,oneofthelargestminesinChile.ItisMarch15,1952.Cheand

Mialhavetraveledoverfivethousandkilometers.

Astheforemanfinisheshisselections,hetellstherestofthementogohome.

Morethantwiceasmanymenareleftwithoutworkthanareonthetruckgoing

downtothemine.ThemanwithwhomGuevaraandGranadosharedthecampfire

thenightbeforeischosen.Hiswife,pleasedhewillworkbutterrifiedforhissafety,

meandersoffwiththeotherworkersthatwerenot.Disgustedbythesurroundings

andtheimpersonalmanneroftheforeman,Guevaracannotresistverbal

confrontation.TheexchangebecomesheatedandultimatelyresultsinChe

screamingintodeafearsandtheforemanthreateningarrestfortrespassingon

privateproperty.

Theforeman,satisfiedhehasmadehispointandinahurrytogettothe

mine,walksoffandjumpsintothepassengersideofthetruck.Cursinghim,Guevara

launchesarockattheforeman’sdoortoventhisfrustrationatwhathehasjust

witnessed.

Thescenecutstoyetanotherruggedlandscape.Thetravelersarewinding

throughtheprecariousroadsoftheAndes.Inthecenteroftheframeofthisshotisa

smallfuneralprocession.Abumpyhandheldcameracapturesthescenefrom

Guevara’spointofview.Again,Chespeaksinvoiceovertocommunicatehowthe

progressionofthetripisaffectingheandGranado.

AsweleftChuquicamatawecouldfeeltheworldchanging,orwasitus? ThedeeperwegointotheAndesthemoreindigenouspeopleweencounter, whoarehomelessintheirownland.

35

ThescenemovestoCheandMialnowwalkingthosesameroadsupasteep

grade.Granado,againthebuttofjokesaboutbeingoutofshape,flopsontotheside

oftheroad.

Mial:(ToChe,outofbreath)Fuser…Thisisnothumanlypossible.

Thecamera,inonecontinuoustake,pansleftanddownthehilltoaman

approachingatasteadyclip.Heisanindigenousman,nativetothesemountains.He

carriesthreefullsatchelsandiswearingsandals.Hestridespasttheexhausted

protagonistswithoutbreakinghisgait,muchtotheviewer’samusementand

Granado’schagrin.

Aftermanyscenesofnaturallandscapes,GuevaraandGranadoenterCuzco,

“theheartofAmerica”,andencountermanylocalinhabitantswhosharebitsoftheir

cultureandhistorywiththetravelers.

Afterthisculturalexchange,thebackgroundchangesdrasticallyyetagain.

TheimposingstonewallsandornatechurchfacadesofCuzcoaretradedforthe

lush,verdanthillsabovethecity.GuevaraandGranadoareonthemove,againon

foot,andgreetingthepassingfarmersastheygo.Onefarmertheymeettellsastory

ofhardshipsimilartothatofthecouplewithwhomtheysharedafireinthedesert.

Farmer:Iwasworkingforatimeonsomeland.Andthelandlord kickedmeofftheland.Iwasdoingmyworkandhethrewmeout. Che:How’dhethrowyouout?Didhebringpolice? Farmer:Yes,hebroughtthepolice.Becausehe’srich,he’sgotlotsof money.Hewantsmetovacatehisland,togetout. Mial:Onceitwasalreadyproductive.

36

Farmer:Yes,itwasproducingwheat,corn,potato,allthat.Andhe keptmostofit.SoIcan’tliveinthepast.Ihavetomoveon…work, findthemoneytoeducatemykids— Che:Howmanykidsdoyouhave? Farmer:Ihavefivekids.

AlbertsenandDiken(2001)notethatwhereasmobilityisamatterofchoice

forsome,forothersitisafate.Somepeopleareconstantlyforcedtomoveonand

aredeniedtherighttosettledowninasuitableplace.(quotedinSager2006,pg.

472).Thisverityispresentinatrioofexperiencesdescribedinthischapter.All

threetakeplaceonadifferentpersonalscale,fromdetachedtoconfrontedtoshared

experience.Iwilldescribeeachofthethreeinturn.

Tobegin,Iwillforsakechronologyandoptforastartingpointthatplaces

GuevaraandGranadoatthegreatestdistancefromthesubjectstheyareobserving.

Asthepairbouncesalonginthecabofatruckinwhichtheyarehitchingaridethey

passafuneralprocessionwalkingalongthewindingAndeanroad.Chereflects,“The

deeperwegointotheAndesthemoreindigenouspeopleweencounter,whoare

homelessintheirownland.”Thisisareferencetothefactthatsincethecomingof

theconquistadoresthefateofindigenousSouthAmericanshasbeentobendtothe

whimofwhoeverisinpower.Guevara’ssentimentisgeneralized,notplacingthe

onusofculpabilityonanyspecificactor.Heissimplyobservingthatmanyofthe

peoplehehasencounteredinthejourneythusfardonotmovelikeheandGranado

do.Themobilityofthenativesisnotseenasachoice,butratheraconsequence.

GuevaraandGranadomaytravelthesameroads,buttheydonotsharethesame

plight.

37

Second,tobringtheactionastepmorepersonal,thefilmtextdescribedin

thissectionendswithaconversationbetweenGuevara,Granadoandashort

Andeanfarmer.Theleather‐skinnednativeexplainshowlandthatbecame

productivebecauseofhisownhandwastakenfromhimbyforcewhenhislandlord

demandedit.Thelandlordevencalledinpolicetoremovetheman,whobyall

appearancesseemsmeek,calmandgenteel.Thissuggeststwothings.One,thatthe

manlovedhisbitoflanddearlyanddidnotconsenttoleavewillingly;andtwo,that

thelandlordusedhisconsiderablewealthandinfluencetobeabletoremoveaman

whoproducedgoodsyetitwasthelandlordwhoretainedthemajorityofthe

harvest.Nowthefarmerisforcedtobemobileandsearchformeansofincomeboth

tosurviveandtofeedandeducatehisfivechildren.Again,theviewerseesthe

dichotomyofmobilefreedomandmobilenecessityclashonthesamepathway.

Finally,themostpoignantscenecomesattheclosestrange.Unabletohitcha

rideintheformidableAtacamaDesert,CheandMialencounteracouplewalking

towardstheirshareddestination,theChuquicamataMine.Thisscenerevealsthe

starkestdichotomyintheentirefilm.Afterbeingforcedofftheirlandbyaland

speculator,thecouplelefttheirchildwithfamilyandtooktotheroadtofindwork

simplytofeedthemselvesandsurvive.Onthissamewalkedpath,theyencounter

ourprotagonistswhowillinglychosetheroadforthesakeoftravelitself.Whilethe

coupleseemstodemurandnotunderstandwhyanyonewouldwillfullychoosesuch

alife,theyareultimatelypoliteandwellwishingtoCheandMial.

38

Inconclusion,mobilityoveragivenpathcannotbeviewedwithaone‐

dimensionallens.Multipleactorsmovingoverthesamespacecanprovidepolar

oppositeexamplesofthetypeofmobilitybeingexperienced.Inthecaseofour

nomadicprotagonists,mobilityisfreedom;asourceofcapitaltheyhavedecidedto

utilizeinexchangeforreleasefromtheresponsibilitiesofdomesticlife.Opposing

thisaretheindigenouspeopletheyencounterwhohavenosuchcapitalandmust

travelbynecessity.Mobilityisnotfreedom;itisseparationfromthedomesticlife

theydesired.Theirsocialcapitalhasbeentakenawayandbeenreplacedwith

uncertaintyontheroad.Differentpeople,sameroad,oppositeplights.Thisisthe

essenceofforcedmobility.

Thischapterprovidesmultiplesightsofthisdichotomyofforcedversus

chosenmobility.Inmanywaysitistheclimaxoftheclassicfive‐actstructureofa

play.Thefilm,thediariesandthispaperallreflectthisriseandfallofaction.Atfirst,

mobilityisseenastheexcitementfortheopenroad.Thescenesareplayfulandthe

difficultiesencounteredalongthewayaredealtwithasthoughtroublesomebut

neverlife‐threatening.Astheactionrises,GuevaraandGranadoencountermore

andmorepeople,learningoftheplightsoftheirfellowSouthAmericans.Here,inthe

centerofthefilm,thequintessentialsceneisrevealedwhenCheandMialsharea

coldnightwiththecommunistslookingforworkinaminethattheprotagonistshad

plannedtovisitmerelyasatouristsite.Itisinthisscenethatthestarkdifferencein

themobileworldviewofthosethatarefreetochooseitisdirectlycomparedto

thosethatareforcedtodoso.

39

Therestofthefilm,andtherestofthispaper,detailthefallingactionofboth

men,butespeciallyGuevara,beginningtounderstandtheimmensenatureofthe

problemsplaguingtheLatinAmericanpeople.Mobilityisnolongeraself‐interested

rejectionofroutines.Ithasnowtakenonanairofcriticalobservationand

discovery.

40

Chapter5

MobilityasDiscovery

Traveloguesarecaptivatingfortwomainreasons.Thefirstisthattheauthor

describesindetailaplaceorstringofplacesthatthereaderhasnotencountered

andthusmakesthisplaceofinterestinstantlyaccessible.Thesecondisthatin

almostalltraveloguesthereisasenseofdiscoveryofnewplaces,newcharacters

and,dependingontheauthor’sdepthofenrichment,newlife.Infact,Guevara’s

diaryendsitsfirstpassagewiththesewords:

Thepersonwhowrotethesenotespassedawaythemomenthisfeet touchedArgentinasoilagain.Thepersonwhoreorganizesandpolishesthem, me,isnolonger,atleastIamnotthepersonIoncewas.Allthiswandering around“OurAmericawithacapitalA”haschangedmemorethanIthought (Guevara2004,pg.32). ThischapterwillindicatevarioustimesandplacesinwhichCheGuevara

‘discovered’hishomecontinentinwayshehadnotevenanticipated.Tobegin,the

chronologicalpaththroughthefilmisresumedasCheandMial‘discover’oneofthe

world’sgreatestman‐madewonders:MachuPicchu.

Aftertheirconversationtheascentresumesintothemistymountainpeaks.

Thelandscapelooksalmostprehistoric;unspoiledbymankindinanyway.Asthe

shotcutstotheirdescentontheotherside,exasperationwashesoverthem.The

targetoftheirhikingquestisthenrevealedinfull.ItisMachuPicchu,thecityofthe

mightyIncabeforetheSpaniardscametotheNewWorld.ItisthefifthdayofApril

1952.Thejourneyhastraversedmorethanseventhousandkilometers.

41

ItishardtounderstatetheimpacttheIncanruinshadonthepairof

travelers.Guevaradedicatesfourteenpagesofhisdiarytotheancientcityandits

surroundings(Guevara2004,p.103‐117).LikewiseGranadopenssevenpages

(Granado2004,p.89‐96)discussingthecommonalitiesbetweenwhattheIncafaced

intimespastandwhatindigenouspeopledealwithinpresentday.Helamentsthat

despitetherichhistory,notmuchhasimprovedsincethearrivalofthefirstforeign

invaders.

Afterwanderingabouttheruinsforawhile,GuevaraandGranadositdown

towriteintheirrespectivejournals.Chespeaksinvoiceover:

TheIncasknewastronomy,brainsurgery,mathematicsamongother things,buttheSpanishinvadershadgunpowder.WhatwouldAmericalooklike todayifthingshadbeendifferent? ThenAlbertoengagesCheinarevolutionaryidea.

Mial:Fuser,here’smyidea;I’llmarryanIncadescendant.We’llstart anindigenousparty…encouragethepeopletovote,reactivateTupac Amaru’srevolution,theIndo‐Americanrevolution,Fuser.How’sthat sound? Che:Arevolutionwithoutguns?Itwouldneverwork,Mial.

Again,toChe’sthoughts:HowisitpossibletofeelnostalgiaforaworldInever

knew?

Guevaraisreflectiveashesitsamongtheremnantsofanempirenowvoidof

humanlife.Hadhenotjourneyedtothisplace,hecouldnothaveunderstoodthe

grandeur,theisolationorthetragedyofthisoncepowerfulsociety.Itisfitting,then,

thatthisisoneofseveralscenesinwhichGuevaraisseenwithhisdiaryopen,penin

42

hand.Eachtimeheisshowncontemplatinghiswriting,itisduringasceneof

discovery.

ThefirsttimeChepenshisthoughtsonscreeniswhileheiscampedouton

thelawnofMiramar.Castasidefrombeingwithhislover,Chewritesaboutthe

experienceatMiramarandthedefiniteclassdistinctionsheseesandwhyhethinks

themunjust.

Anotherinstancecomesattheendoftheactionbeingdescribedinthis

chapterwhileourjourneymenrideaferryintotheAmazonjungletowardsaleper

colonyatwhichtheywillwork.Beingtuggedbehindtheferryisaminisculeboat

crammedwithhumanity;“second‐class”citizensthatcannotaffordtheluxuryofthe

largervessel.Cheagainwritesinhisdiaryonscreenwhilecontemplatingtheforced

separationsofrichandpoorthatsocietyhasconstructed.

Additionally,whenGuevaraaidstheolddyingwomaninChile(after

meetingsthefriendlysistersthatprovidedhimwineandfood)hescribbleshis

thoughtsabouttheencounterandhowhelplesshefelttodiscoverthatasadoctor

hecouldonlytreatthesymptomsofpoverty.Hecouldnotgetatitscore.This

streamofthinkingbecomesconstantinhiscontinuedpursuitoftruthandjusticein

theworld.

Lastly,andtobringtheflowofthischapterbacktothechronologyofthefilm,

GuevaraandGranadositamongthetatteredbricksandlettheirmindswander.Itis

arareinstanceinthefilmwherebothmenareseenconstructingtheirdiariesatthe

43

sametime.Theycontemplaterevolution,poverty,theebbandflowofhistory.

Ultimately,Cheprovidesthevieweralastthoughtinvoiceover:

Howcanacivilizationthatbuiltthis…(ashotoftheIncanruins)bedestroyedtobuild…this? Theshotcutstoasmog‐ladencityscapeinavalley.Theonlygreeneryisa

handfuloftreesthatdotthedenseneighborhoodsandpavedstreets.Housesand

buildingsfilleverycorneroftheframelikesomanyjigsawpuzzlepieces.Thecityin

viewisLima,Peru;thecapitaltheSpanishconquistadoresconstructedafter

destroyingtheIncanEmpireandleavingitscapital,theawe‐inspiringMachuPicchu,

tocrumbleawayintohistory.

Thedinoftraffic,shopowners,hustlingpedestriansandmore,replacesthe

serenityofthemountaintops.Theexpansivelongshotsthatdisplayedthebeautyof

MachuPicchugivewaytohandheldclose‐upsofGuevaraandGranadoasthey

confusedlywanderthestreetsofLimainsearchofadoctorthatGranadohad

contactedbeforetheyleftBuenosAires.Thelabyrinthinequalityofthecityfully

exposesitselfwhentheythinktheyhavefoundtheirdestination,onlytorealize

therearemultiplestreetswiththesamename.

Mial:ThishasgottobeMercaderes[Street]. Che:Thatoneistoo. Mial:(toapasserby)IsthisMercaderesStreet? Passerby:Yes. Che:Andthatone? Passerby:Yes.

Confused,tiredandhungry,Granadonoticesafewbottlesofmilkonthe

othersideofagateatwhichtheyhavestopped.Thetravelersdecidetotake

44

advantageofthemilk’sownernothavingretrievedthemyet.Coincidentally,atthis

samemoment,andbespectacledmaninabowtieandthree‐piecegraysuitemerges

fromthehousethatthegateprotects.Luckilyfortheprotagonists,themanisthe

hostforwhomtheyhavebeenlooking.

Cheintroducesthisnewcharacter:ThebestthingaboutLimawasDr.Hugo

Pesce.DirectorofPeru’slepertreatmentprogram.Hegaveusclothes,food,moneyand

ideas.

AstheviewerhearsGuevara’svoice,CheandMialaregivenbookstoreadby

Dr.Pesce.Someareabouttheneedforandwaystoadministerarevolution.AsDr.

Pescedescribesthebooks,thefilmcutstoCheandMiallyingonhospitalcotsand

readingtheirnewliterature.Chereads7EnsayosdeInterpretacióndelaRealidad

Peruana(7InterpretiveEssaysofthePeruvianReality)byJoséCarlosMariáteguias

Dr.Pesce’svoicetalksofanoriginal,indigenousrevolution.Asthecamerapushesin

toChe,theshotsharplycutstoablackandwhitefilmstock.

Thismethodofsharplycontrastingscreenactiontothethoughtsina

character’smindisusedasamotifinthelatterhalfofthefilm.Thisisthefirstof

suchjuxtapositions.Here,twoAndeanfarmers,anoldermanandayoungerone,

presumablyhisson,standonagentlyslopingroadinthecountryside.Theshot

playslikealivingphotograph.ThefilmcutsbrieflybacktoCheandpushesincloser

stillasanother‘livingphotograph’takeshisplace.Thisoneisofalargegroupof

menallstandingonthegrayrocksoftheChuquicamatamine.Theyarealldressed

45

alike,plainlyandsedately,andlookdirectlyintothelensofthecamera.Itisas

thoughChe’smemoryisaddressinghimdirectly,yetsilently.

Morephotographs:Anelderlywomanwrappedinablanketsittingonastone

stepbetweenalargewoodendoorandacobblestonestreet.AgroupofQuechua

womenofthreegenerationsstandingtogetherinwoolponchosbetweentwostone

walls.Allofthesebleakhumanfacesareshowntoascoreofslowlystrumming

Spanishguitarand,asbookendsofthesequence,thewordsofDr.Pesce:

Mariáteguispeaksoftherevolutionarypotentialofthenativesandfarm workersofLatinAmerica.HesaystheproblemoftheIndianistheproblemof theland,andthattherevolutionshouldnotbeanimitation.Itshouldbe originalandindigenous. ‘Wearetoofewtobedivided’,hesaid.Everythingunitesus,nothing separatesus. Inasense,these‘livingphotographs’providetheviewerwithGuevara’sidea

ofwhatitmeanstobevoidofmobilitycapital.Eachshotrendersthesubjector

subjectsdeathlystill,fixedinhismemoryjustastheyarefixedintheirstationinlife.

Ironically,itisGuevara’sabilitytomoveacrossthelandscapethatallowshimto

instillsomanyindelibleimagesoffixityinhismindand,concomitantly,onour

screen.

ThepoignantscenecutstoCheandMialmakingroundsatthehospitalwhere

Dr.Pesceworks.Sincebothmenareinterestedinthetreatmentofleprosy,Dr.Pesce

andhisworkingenvironsweresought.

Notmuchscreentimeisspentinthehospital,asthescenecutstoPesce’s

homeandalargedinnerwithChe,Mialandhiswifeandchildren.Thehouseisclean

46

andornate.Manybooksspillovertheshelvesinthebackground.Dr.Pesceisa

simple,butwealthyandeducatedman.HeretrievesonebookinparticularforChe

andMialtoread.Itisanovelhehaswritten;thegreatloveofhislife,afterhiswife,

heassuresthem.Theyagreetoreadthetomeandgivetheirfeedbackupontheir

departure.

Thefilmwastesnotimegettingtothisnexttransitionpoint,asthenextscene

cutstoacrudedockyard.Localmerchantscarrytheirproducetowardsaboatatthe

endofarusted,elevatedpier.Smallone‐story,piecemealshackscrowdintoevery

spaceavailablealongthewaterlinesavethetinydock.ThetownisPucallpa,Peru.

ThebodyofwateronwhichtheboatrestsistheUcayaliRiver,alargetributaryof

theAmazon.ThankstoapairofticketsprovidedbyDr.Pesce,thisboatwill

transportGuevaraandGranadototheSanPabloLeperColonywherethehospital

staffsendthemostseriouscasesofleprosyintheregiontobetreated.Thetrekto

thecolonywilltakefivedays.Itisthe25thdayofMay1952.Thejourneyhasalmost

eclipsedninethousandkilometers.TheboatdepartsfortheheartoftheAmazon.

ThisisnotthefirstwatercraftthatGuevaraandGranadohaveutilizedon

theirtrip.Earlieron,inanattempttosavemoneyandgainmiles,thepairstowed

awayonacommercialvesseltransportingfruitandothergoodsalongtheChile‐

Perucoast.Itisherethatadiscoveryoftheirlife’spurposeisshared:

Atnight…wewouldlookoutovertheimmensesea,fullofwhite‐ fleckedandgreenreflections,thetwoofusleaningsidebysideontherailing, eachofusfaraway,flyinginhisownaircrafttothestratosphericregionsof hisowndreams.Thereweunderstoodthatourvocation,ourtruevocation,

47

wastomoveforeternityalongtheroadsandseasoftheworld(Guevara 2004,pg.75). Inconclusion,thediariesusedtomakethefilm’sscripttakeonatangible

presenceduringthemomentsofdiscoverydescribedinthischapter.Whilethe

scenesmentionedabovearenotthefirstinwhichGuevaraandGranadoareseen

jottingdowntheirthoughts,thejournalentriesarebeginningtotakeonaheavier

weightandtone.Thenostalgicandcontemplativevoiceoverdialogueusedby

GuevaraashesitsamongtheruinsofthefallenIncanEmpirerevealthatthis

journeyisnotmerelyoneofobservationbutasetofsojournsthatcontinuetoaffect

himmoredeeplythanhehadanticipated.

Thisisreinforcedbythe“livingphotographs”thatareshownatmomentsof

reflectionbyGuevara.Henolongerseesjustthepeoplehepassesby;heframesitin

thelargercontextoftheirplight.Theabsenceofcolorandmotionintheseshots

suggestthebleakoutlookhehasforthesepeople.Guevarahasbeguntodiscover

whatlifeonhiscontinentmeansforsomany.HismobilitygrantedGuevaraaccess

totheseplaces.Hisobservationoftheseplaceshasleadtodiscovery:ofplaces,of

plightsandofhisownpassiontomakeadifference.

48

Chapter6

MixedMobilities:TheSanPabloLeperColony

Thefinalchapterofthispaperrevisitseachtypeofmobilitytheprotagonists

haveencounteredalongtheirjourney.Inmanywaysthefinaldestinationportrayed

inthefilm,theSanPabloLeperColonydeepinthePeruvianAmazon,isamicrocosm

ofalltypesofmobilitiesdiscussedsofar.Asthevariousscenesencompassingtheir

timeatthecolonyaredescribed,Iwillinterjectattheappropriatetimeswherean

aforementionedtypeofmobilityarises.Tobegin,Iresumetheactionastheystart

theirjourneydownrivertowardsthecolonyandintotheremotejungle.

Athree‐tieredcruiserleavesthedockofPucallpawithasmall,woodenboat

intow.Thesmallervessel,whichsportsathatchedroofofpalmfrondsandcrude

woodensidings,isfilledtothebrimwithlaborerstoopoortoaffordthepassageon

theboatthattowsthem.Chewalksasternoftheyachttopeerdownatthecramped

conditionsenduredbythosetrailingbehindhim.Ashortmontageofhammocks

strungupinsidewithonlycentimetersbetweensleeping,sweatingfacestannedand

wrinkledbyyearsofworkinthesun.Basketsofchickensandbananasandchildren

lookingforaplacetostandareaccompaniedbyascoreofelectricguitarsplaying

notesindissonance.Themontagecomestoanabruptendasonceagaintheshot

turnstoblackandwhitefilmstock:anotherlivingphotographburnedintoChe’s

consciousness.Thatnightheisseenwritinginhisjournal.Thisisakintotheearlier

scenesinwhichChebecomesacutelyawareofthedifferenceinhismobilitywith

thatofthepeoplehehasmetalongtheway.HereagaintheviewerseesGuevarain

49

relativeluxury,newlyclothed,comfortableandonahighperchlookingdown

towardsamishmashofhumanityandcommercialgoods,spackledtogetherona

smallboatasiftheyareallthesamething.Checanwalkaway,whiletheyhaveno

spacetomoveamongstthemselves.HeretheviewerencountersbothChe’smobility

leadingtodiscoveryofyetmoreunjustconditionsandalsoofforcedmobility,asthe

ridersofthesmallerboatmustmovedownrivertofindworkandselltheirgoods

andmakealiving.

ThenextdayasChecontinuestoscribbleinhisjournal,hisbreathing

becomeslabored.Heishavinganasthmaattack.Hisanxietyovertheattack

worsens,ashecannotfindhissmallmedicalbag.Hecollapsesonthefloorofthe

ship,unabletobreath.Luckily,hisdearfriendMialcomestohisrescuewithashot

ofadrenaline.Granadostaysbyhissideuntilheissurehisfriendwillbeallright.

Asnightfallsagain,withhisfriendsafeinbed,Mialreturnstohiscarnal

desires.WhenChefellill,thefirstpersontohelphimupwasanattractiveyoung

woman.Mialextendshisthankstoherandinquireswhatherroleontheboatis.

Aftersomeplayfulbanterabouttheuncannilysimilarsexorgansofriverdolphinsto

thatofawoman,hesurmisesthatsheisaprostitute,andappealstoCheforthe

fifteendollarsChichinagavehiminMiramar.

Mial:Ineedthefifteendollars,Fuser. Che:What? Mial:HernameisLuz.ShetoldmeastoryofafishtheIndiansfuck andkissedme,I’msohornyIcouldexplode. Che:Ispentthem.

50

Mial:No,Fuser.Don’tbustmyballs.Wecrossedadeserttogether,we starved,froze,hadaccidents…MyneedscomebeforeChichina’s bathingsuit. Che:Idon’thavethem.Igavethemtotheminingcouple.

Nottobeleftunfulfilled,Granadoentersintoagameofblackjackwitha

singlesol,thePeruviancurrencyunit.Luz,thereasonforhisgambling,stands

behindanothermanatthetable,butstaysattentivetoGranado’splaying.Asthe

nightwearson,hecontinuestowinanddrawsasmallcrowd.BythetimeCheis

wellenoughtoseewhatthefussisabout,Mialhaswonsixtysolesandtherightto

spendaneveningwiththeobjectofhisaffection.

Therivercontinuestowindalongtheverdantshoresthroughrainandheat,

dayandnight.Finally,modestsets

ofbuildingsappearonthe

riverbank.Thisistheir

destination:theSanPabloLeper

Colony.ItistheeighthdayofJune

1952.Theyhavetraveled10,223

kilometerssinceleavingBuenos

Aires.

GuevaraandGranado’shostuponarrivalisDr.Bresciani.Heistheheadof

thecolonyandaclosefriendofDr.Pesce.HeexplainsthattheAmazonRivercuts

thecolonyintotwohalves.ThepatientsliveontheSouthbank.Themenstandon

theNorthbank,wheretheywilllodgewiththestaff,doctors,nursesandagroupof

Slide5:SanPabloLeperColony

51

nunsamongthevarioustreatmentbuildings.Whilethebuildingsarebasic,theyare

sturdilybuiltandkepttidy.Thosenearesttheriverstandonstiltsandare

connectedbyelevatedwoodplankpathways.Soon,thetravelersaresettledinand

meetingthevariouscharactersthatpopulatethecolony’streatmentarea.Mialis

takentothelaboratorytohelpwithsomesamples.Cheisescortedtoaroom

containingthepatientswiththeworstcasesofleprosy.Theyhavebeenbrought

overfromtheSouthsideforvigilantobservation.

LaterinthedayGuevaraandGranadoaretakenforasimilartourofthe

Southbank.Dr.Brescianiinformsthemofthebasicstatisticsoftheirdestination.

Mial:Doctor,howmanypatientsliveontheSouthside? Bresciani:Almostsixhundred. Mial:AllPeruvian? Bresciani:No,mostare,butwehavesomefromColombia,Venezuela, andotherSouthAmericancountries. WhilestayingwithDr.PesceinLima,GuevaraandGranadohadbeentold

thatthemostseriouscasesofleprosyseeninthehospitalinthePeruviancapitalare

senttothiscolony.Dr.Pescealsomentionsthatfamiliesandemployers,fearfulof

contractingthediseasethemselves,aremainlytheagentsthatmandatesuch

movement.Inotherwords,thelepercolonyishometoanentirepopulationof

forcedmobilities.Thesesickindividualscannotmaintaintheirplacein‘civilization’

andareforcedasoutcastsintothedepthsofthejungletoliveamongothersoftheir

kind.Thisseparationfrom‘society’livesonevenhere,asDr.Brescianiexplains

someoftherulesofvisitingtheleper’ssideoftheriver.

52

Bresciani:Isuggestyouwearthesegloves.Althoughleprosyisnot contagiousundertreatment,thenunsarequiteinsistentonthispoint. Che:Ifit’snotcontagious,thenit’sjustsymbolic,right? Bresciani:Yes,I’mjusttellingyousoyoudon’tmakeanymortal enemies. Che:Youknowwhat,Doctor,you’llexcuseus,butwe’renotgoingto wearthem. Bresciani:Don’tsayIdidn’twarnyou.

Asexpected,thispointdoesnotgooverwellwiththeMotherSuperior.She

chidesthemenforbreakingprocedure,whichtheybrushoffwithajoke.They

continuetheirtourwiththedoctor.Theleperscontinuetheirdailyroutines.They

haveadaptedtotheirnewlives,bybuildingtheirownhouses,farmingandraising

animals.

ThewalkingtourproceedstothehutofarebelliouspatientnamedSilvia.She

refusesasurgerythatisthelasthopeinsavingherinfectedarm.Cheasksifhecan

enterandspeakwithher.Ashebegins,hisbreathingisheavy.Hisasthmaisflaring

again.Silviadoesnothavemuchtoofferforpity;herpainful,infectedarmlies

betweenthem.Guevarainsistsitisnotsobadtohavebadlungs.Itgothimoutof

militaryservice.Hewillnothavetocleananyone’sboots.

Silviainquires,“Isthatwhyyoubecameadoctor?Becauseyou’resick?”

“Maybe,”Chereplies.“ThefirstwordIlearnedwasinjection.Iwanttobe

usefulsomehow.”

SilviaassuresCheheiswastinghistime.Shethinkslifeispainfromwhich

thereisnoescape.Whileheagreesinpart,Cheadvises,“Yougottafightforevery

53

breath,andtelldeathtogotohell.”Thetwoshareasilence,andthenChedeparts,

notknowingifshewillacceptthebadlyneededsurgery.

Backacrosstheriver,afterdinnerinalargemesshallwiththewholestaff,all

whitecladandchattering,GuevaraandGranadositintheirquartersreadingand

writinginjournals.Che’sstareisfixedonthefarbankoftheriver,theSouthbank.

GranadosharesthegoodnewsthatDr.Brescianiisgoingtowritehimaletterof

recommendationtoworkasaresidentintheCaboBlancoHospitalinCaracas,

Venezuela.Cheistoopreoccupiedtorejoiceforhisfriend.Hismindiselsewhere.

Mial:What’swrong,Fuser? Che:Haveyouseentheriver? Mial:Ofcourse. Che:Itsegregatestheillfromthehealthy.

Hisgazestaysfixedacrosstheflowingdivider.Thisexpanseofwater

preventsthepatients’accesstothosewithouttheirmalady.Theirmotilitycapitalis

allbutnil.Butforthemooringofadockandregularvisitsbythedoctors,the

residentsoftheSouthbankoftheriverwouldbecompletelyisolated.Guevaraand

Granado,ontheotherhand,haveutilizedtheirmotilitytoitsfullestcapacitytobe

here.Yearsofstudyintheareaofleprosyhavebothearnedthemtherighttovisitas

wellastherespectofthepatientswhoarebeingcaredfor.What’smore,their

relationshipwithDr.Pesceenabledthemtopaythefarenecessarytotraveltothis

remotespotandgainedthematrustedletterofrecommendationtoDr.Bresciani.

Thelepersweresentherewithnochoiceinthematter.CheandMialfoughttoget

54

herebyusingalltheirabilities.Itisstrikingtoseeyetagainthatthesameplacecan

bearrivedatbydiametricallyoppositepaths.

Thenextdayathunderstormwashesoverthecolony.Intheoperatingroom

wefindDr.Bresciani,assistedbyGuevaraandanothernurse.Thepatientonthe

tableisSilvia.Shehasdecidedtohavethesurgery.Shewincesthroughpainful

injectionsthatanesthizeherarmasGuevaratalksherthroughtheprocedure.The

scenecutstoherrecoveringinamosquitonetcoveredbed.Guevaraisnexttoher

talkingofthethingshemissesfromhome,namelyhismotherandfoursiblings.He

fallsasleepatherbedside.

ThisscenegiveswaytoChecaringforadifferentpatient.Theyoung

ArgentineisnowswabbingtheankleofPapaCarlito,theSouthbank’scommunity

leader.Headvisesthelepertowearshoesnexttimeheplayssoccerandalsoto

extendaninvitationtohiscaretaker.

Afterthis,weseeCheontheroofofoneofthenewhousesbeingconstructed

bythepatients.Heishelpingnailthepalmthatchinginplace.Granadoishelpingtie

thefrondstogetherandhandingthemuptotheroofers.Later,theentirestaff

engagesinanimpromptudrummingjamsessionandaspiritedgameofsoccer.The

longerthetravelersstayinthisplace,themoreinvolvedtheyaregettinginall

aspectsofthepatients’lives.

ThefollowingsceneexemplifiesjusthowmuchthetwoyoungArgentinians

meantothepatientsofthecolony.FromthedaytheysetfootontotheAmazonian

shoresofSanPablo,neitherGuevaranorGranadohadpaidheedtothearbitrary

55

rulessetoutbytheMotherSuperior,SorAlberto.Oneruleincludedattending

SundayMassinordertoreceivetheeveningmeal.SinceneithermanwenttoMass,

thenunsdishingoutthefoodabstainfromfeedingCheandMial.Thetwobrash

travelersconfronttheMotherSuperior.

Che:We’dliketoeat,ifpossible. Mial:Wedeservetoeatlikeeverybodyelse. SorAlberto:Butyoudidn’tgotomass. Che:No. SorAlberto:So,howdoyouexpecttofeedthebodyifyouhaven’tfirst fedthesoul? Mial:Ma’am,it’sunchristiantodenyusfood! SorAlberto:Wehaverulesinthishouse,andtheyhavetobefollowed. Che:Ididn’tseeanyrulebook. Mial:NeitherdidI.IthinkifIfindit,I’lleatit.

TheshotcutstoChe,hungryanddefeated,sittingonastumpandreading

overhisjournal.Anarmdropsintothescenewithabowloffood.ItisSilvia,the

cantankerouspatientwhomCheconvincedtoallowsurgerytosaveherarm.Within

afewseconds,severalotherpatientsareapproachingGuevarawithsimilarbowls.

Theyhaveallstolenanextrarationtogivetotheirforeigndoctorcomrade.

Afterthis,CheandMialreturntotheirsideoftheriverandtheirbunks.Their

timeinSanPablowindingdown,Mialhasnewstoshare.Hehasbeenofferedajob

atthehospitalinCaracas.Ashemullsoverthedecision,heaskswhathisfriend’s

plansare.WillhereturntoBuenosAires?Willhefinishmedicalschool?Chestates

thatheisn’tsureandthatifhecanfindawaybackheplansonit,probablyanyway.

Granado,inlightofthisjobnews,offersGuevaratheopportunitytojoinhiminthe

Venezuelancapital.Guevara,expectedlybythispoint,isresistanttotheideaofalife

56

ofstasis.WhileMialwaxesromanticaboutsettlingdown,findinganicegirland

settingupamedicalpractice,Cheseemsuncomfortableevendiscussingthefuture.

Hehasseentoomuchtositstill.Hemuststaymobile.Heisnotsureforwhatorto

whereexactlyyet,butheknowshemustresistonceagainthetenetsofdomesticity.

TheculminationofGuevaraandGranado’stimeatthecolonyisagoingaway

partythrownbythestaffontheNorthsideoftheriver.Everyoneishavingagood

time,drinking,dancingtothemusic.Fullofenergy,andprobablyalsofullofalcohol,

Mialdecidestoplayaprankonhistravelingcompanion.

Mial:(ToChe,asthemusicchanges)Hey!Thisisthetangoyoudanced inMiramar. Che:(abitdrunk)Ilikeit. Mial:Didyounotice?Youknowhowtodancetothisone. Che:Thisone’sabitfast,isn’tit? Mial:Youdanceitperfectly,andIthinkthere’sayoungladyinterested indancingwithyou. Che:(asthecamerapansrighttoaprettygirlandthenback)Ishould askher,right? Mial:Thebirdofyouthfliesawayanddoesn’tcomeback.Fly,man,fly!

Withbravado,andthinkingheknowsthesteps,Cheaskstheyounggirlto

dancewhathethinksisatango.Heconfirmssheknowshowtodanceandthen

beginsanawkwardsetofsteps,notingthattheversionheknowsisplayedtoslower

music.SoonCherealizes,withthewholeroomlaughingincludingtheseatednuns,

thattheappropriatedanceisactuallytheMamboandthathehasbeenhad.

Theembarrassmentdoesnotlingerlongluckily,perscreentimeanyway,as

theshotquicklycutstoeveryoneatthepartyencirclingGuevaraandsinginghappy

57

birthdaytohim.Heistwenty‐fouryearsold.Dr.Brescianisumsupthefeelingsof

theentirestaffinathankyoustatementtobothmen:

Ithinkit’stheperfecttimetoletErnestoandAlbertoknowhow gratefulwearetothem.Notonlyforhavingcomehere,butalsoforthe enthusiasmanddedicationtheyhaveshowntowardsSanPablo’spatients duringtheirthreeweekswithus.Toshowourappreciation,wehavealittle surpriseforyou.Tomorrowwe’regoingtogiveyouaraftsothatyoucan continueyourtrip.Thisraftwillbenamedaftertonight’snewlyinvented dance:TheMambo‐Tango. Uptothispoint,thetwotravelersdidnothaveaclearideaofhowthey

wouldleavethecolony.Asappreciationfortheirservice,thestaffofthecolonybuilt

araftandstockeditwithfruits,chickens,mosquitonettingandtrinkets.Rightwhen

theyneedtobemobileagain,thismooringappearsduetotheuseoftheir

knowledgeandskills.

Arousingroundofapplauseisfollowedbyacallforatoast.Thewaiting

crowdgoessilent.OnceChebeginstotalktotheonlysoundbetweenhispausesis

thesteadyhumandheaveofinsectsinthethicknightair.

Che:Well…it’smydutytothankyouforthistoastwithsomething morethanusualconventions.But,inviewoftheshabbyconditioninwhich wetravel,allwehavetoofferyouarewords.Employingthem,I’dliketo expressmysincerethanks,totheentirestaffofthecolony,who,although theybarelyknowus,haveshowntheiraffectionbycelebratingmybirthday asifitwereanintimatecelebrationofoneoftheirown.Tomorrowweleave Peru,sothesewordsarealsoourfarewellinwhichI’dliketoremarkhow gratefulIamtothepeopleofthiscountrywhohavegenerouslylookedafter usagainandagain.I’dliketoaddsomethingelse,completelyunrelatedto thistoast.Don’tworry,Iwon’tdance.Eventhoughwearetooinsignificantto bespokesmenforsuchanoblecause,webelieve,andthisjourneyhasonly confirmedthisbelief,thatthedivisionofAmericaintounstableandillusory nationsisacompletefiction.WeareonesinglemestizoracefromMexicoto theStraitofMagellan.Andso,inanattempttofreeourselvesfromnarrow‐ mindedprovincialism,IproposeatoasttoPeruandtoaUnitedAmerica.

58

Atthis,eventhecurmudgeonlySorAlbertoapplauds.Infact,sheisthefirst

todoso.Mialhastoworktoholdbacktears.Uponmanycheers,Cheexitsandthe

musicstartsagain.Hewalkstothedockandeyesthelightsonthefarshore.He

wantstospendhisbirthdaywitheveryonefromthecolony,especiallythepatients.

Theboatisnowhereinsight.AgainstGranado’sadamantinsistence,Guevarabegins

tostriptoprepareforalengthyswimtothesouthernshore.

Mial:Areyounuts?Atnight?Theanimalsintherewilleatyoualive! Che:Howmanytimesdidwethinkwewouldn’tmakeit?Andlook, hereweare. Mial:Butthisisdifferent,Fuser. Che:Why? Mial:BecauseIwon’tbetheretohelpyou!I’mnotgoinginthere. Che:You’realwaysgoingtobewithme,Mial. Mial:Comehereyoulittleshit,you’remother’sgoingtokillme!

Withthesamedoggeddeterminationhehaddemonstratedthroughoutthe

trip,Guevaraenterstheriverandbeginstoswim.AsMial,whomDr.Brescianisoon

joins,shoutsthatChereturn,manyofthepatientsbegintocongregateontheSouth

shoretofindoutwhatthefussisabout.Thecrowdsonbothshoressteadilygrows,

asdoestheanxietyoverwhetherornottheasthmaticGuevaraevenhasthephysical

abilitytocrosstheimposing,expansiveriverchannel.Demandsofhisreturnfrom

thenorthsidefadearesoonoverpoweredbyenthusiasticcheeringforhisarrivalon

thesouth.Muchtotheunabashedjoyofbothsides,Ernestoarrivessafelyand

spendstheremainderofthenightwiththecolonypatients.EarlyinthefilmInoted

thatphysicalconditioningwasamajorpieceofGuevara’smotility.Here,hedesires

tomoveacrossadifficultspacewithnomooringstohelphimachieveit.Hehasto

59

relysolelyonhisownphysicalattributes.Hadhenothadthestamina,itisclearto

seethattheresultseasilycouldhavebeentragic.

Thenextmorning,thedayoftheirdeparturefromSanPablo,Checanbarely

makeitouttotheboataseverysinglepatientwishestohug,shakehandsand

otherwiseimpartsometactileblessingonhim.Thegoodbyeispainful.Theseweary

travelershavenottreatedtheleperslikesecondtierhumans.Theyhaveshown

respect,empathyandgenuinefriendship.Theskyisasteelyblue.Nomorewords

arespoken.Asinglearmisraisedandwaved.GuevaraandGranadoknowtheymust

moveon,butliketheyhavefeltmanytimesonthejourney,thebattlebetween

excitementforterraincognitaandlongingforthatleftbehindragesintheirhearts

andminds.Theboatdriftstothemiddleoftheriver.SanPabloisnowbehindthem.

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Chapter7

Conclusion

Themaingoalofthispaperistoexplorenotjustwhereorhowpeoplemove,

butwhytheydoso.Thestructureofthepaperwasdesignedtocomplimentboththe

narrativeflowofthefilmaswellasasystematicconstructionofmyargumentasto

whyCheGuevaraandAlbertoGranadochosetobemobile.Asingleroadfilmwas

chosenasthesiteofinquirysothattheproperattentionintospecificdetailscould

bepaid.

Mobilityasresistancewaschosentoleadtheargument.EventhoughIopted

toomitanydiscussionofCheGuevara’spoliticallifebeforeorafterthetrip,his

actionsduringthefilmasthemainprotagonistprovidemorethansufficientdatato

beexamined.Indeed,manyinstancesofresistancewereidentifiedduringthecourse

ofthispaper.

First,GuevaraandGranadohadsteadycareersinfrontofthemiftheyhad

optedtostaywheretheywere.Theybothhadsupportivefamiliesofrelativewealth.

Theyfacednoreligiousorpoliticalpersecutionintheirdailylives.Yet,theychoseto

flee.Logically,thisiscounter‐intuitive.Thisiswhymobilityasresistanceissucha

fascinatingpointofstudy.Inthecasepresentedhere,itprovesthatadesireforterra

incognitacanandoftentimesdoesoutweighastaticlifeofcomfort.Thisshould

comeasnosurprise.Explorersforcenturieshavesetoffintounchartedwatersand

unmappedlandsonlittlemorethanrumors,legendsandpromisesofwealth.The

differenceisthatthewealthsoughtbyGuevaraandGranadowasknowledgeoftheir

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nativeland.Whentwolearnedmenhaveapassionatedesiretounderstand

something,theywillresistcreaturecomfortsofhomeandanypleasfromlovedones

tocontinueedifyingtheirunderstandingofplacesyetunseen.

Next,thepaperdiscussedtheelementsthatenablealongjourneytobe

executedproperly:motilityandmoorings.Aswasarguedinthechaptercontaining

theseterms,motilityandmooringsareundeniablyintertwinedandmustbe

consideredasapair.Thisiswhyeachwasnotgivenitsownchapter.

GuevaraandGranadohadmultiplefacetstotheirmotility,ortheirpotential

formovement.Eachofthesedisparateelements,fromphysicalprowessto

ownershipofthemotorcycletothemorecreativesidesuchas“Alberto’simpeccable

bullshitting”factoredintoanaggregatedcacheofmotilitybetweenthem.Inother

words,theirmotilitybecameaformofcapital.Andjustaseconomiccapitalis

uselesswithoutgoodsandservicestopurchase,motilitycapitalisrenderedmoot

whenvoidofcomplimentaryservices.

Theservicesneededherearemoorings,orsitesoffixitythatenablemobility.

Atvariousjuncturesalongtheway,GuevaraandGranadousedtheirwits,their

lettersofintroduction,theirskillsonthesoccerpitchandmoretoacquirelodging,

food,thehelpofmechanicsandhitchedridestokeepthemselvesinperpetual

motiononward.

Showingupatthemechanic’sshopwithouttheembellishednewspaper

articleinhandwouldhaveleftthemwithabrokenbike.Havingmultipleplay‐acts

rehearsedtoconvincepeopletheywereworld‐renowneddoctorswouldnothave

62

matteredifthetargetedpersonspokeaforeignlanguage.Whileperhapsmuchof

thegoodfortuneexperiencedbytheprotagonistscouldbeconsideredluck,the

viewercannotdiscredittheimpressiveandopportunisticemploymentofmotility

pairedwiththemooringsencounteredalongthejourney.Theirdesiretolearnand

explorecausedthemtoresiststasis.Motilityandmooringsenabledthemtomake

thetrippossible.

Third,animportantdistinctionwasmadebetweenmobilitythatischosen

andmobilitythatisforced.Differentactorsusingthesamemeansoftransitoverthe

samepathforthesameamountoftimearenotnecessarilytravelingforthesame

reasons.Atitscore,thispaperisinsearchofsuchdistinctions.Whiletransport

geographersmaycomputestatisticaldataofhowmanypeoplemovehowoftenover

agivensetofspaces,myaimismuchdeeper.Iseektounderstandwhypeoplemove

asmuchashowandwhere.Agoalforsuchdepthrequiresanalysisattheindividual

scale.

Themostpertinentsceneinthisanalysiscomesinthehumblestofmeeting

places.InthebarrenAtacamaDesertCheandMialshareaminisculefirewitha

communistpeasantcouple.Bothpairsareonfootinthedesert.Allfourareheaded

totheChuquicamataMine.Thesimilaritiesendthere.Whilethefilm’smain

protagonistsareamblingtowardsthemineasinterestedtourists,theAndeanman

andhisshiveringwifeareinsearchofanewlivelihood.Forcedofftheirlandfor

theirpoliticalbeliefsandtheirlackofpowertostopit,thecouplemuststaymobile

untiltheyfindsuitablework,albeitdangerousandforlittlepay.Thegoalofthe

63

chapterwastoilluminatethedifferencesinwhatmightotherwiseappeartobe

similarpathsofflight.IbelievethatdescribingsceneslikethenightGuevaraand

Granadosharedwiththiscouplefullyachievethataim.

Additionally,mobilityasdiscoveryisanideathatisparamounttothispaper.

Alongtheirjourney,CheGuevaraandAlbertoGranadodiscoveredmorethanthey

hadevenanticipated.Theydiscoveredplacesformerlyunknowntothem.They

discoveredideasbroughttotheirattentionbyindividualsforwhomtheyhadagreat

dealofrespect.Mostimportantly,theydiscoveredtherealityofwhatdailylife

meanstoaplethoraofsoulswithwhomtheysharethegrandcontinentofSouth

America.

Thediarieskeptbythetwomenarethecapsulesofthesegranddiscoveries.

Thisistranslatedinthefilmbyshowingeachmanscribblinginhisownjournalat

timeswhenitisclearthatnewideasarebeingworkedoverthoughtfully.Also,small

glimpsesintothediariesaregivenwhenChespeaksinvoiceover,projectinghis

thoughtsoverthelandscapesthatheiscontemplating.Mostpoignantly,drabflashes

ofblackandwhite“livingphotographs”remindtheviewerofChe’sperceptionof

manyofthedisenfranchisedpeoplehehasencounteredalongtheway.Their

colorless,staticpresenceonthescreenindicateshisunderstandingthathisfreedom

tomoveisnotavailabletoall.Thisisperhapshisgreatestdiscoveryofthetrip.

Finally,thepaperendswithacatch‐allchapterwhereinallthetypesof

mobilitypreviouslydiscussedareencountered.Thisisafittingconclusionforboth

thefilmandthispaper.Guevaraisresistanttotheseparation,bothphysicaland

64

metaphorical,ofthepatientsandthemedicalstaff.Hechosestobemobile,thistime

swimmingacrosstheAmazonRiver,tomakethepointthathedoesnotacceptthe

statusquo.Also,heresistsanofferfromGranadotojoinMialinVenezuelafora

securejob.Cheinsteadoptstokeepmoving.

Thelepercolonyactedasamooringbecauseitwasadestinationpointtobe

reached.IttookallthemotilitycapitalGuevaraandGranadocouldmustertoreach

thisdestination.TheyworkedwithDr.Pescetogainboatfareandlettersof

introduction.GranadoappliedhismedicalknowledgetosaveGuevaraasChefellill

ontheboattothecolony.Thisisnottomentionthevariousandsundrytimesthe

menemployedtheirwits,skillsandabilitiesmuchearlierinthetripjusttoput

themselvesinapositionwheretravelingtothelepercolonywasafeasibleoption.

Forcedmobilityisondisplayveryclearlyatthelepercolony.Everypatient

thatresidestherewassentthereeitherbecausetheircasewastooseveretotreatin

theirhomesorbecauseafamilymemberoremployermandatedtheybe

quarantinedtothejungle.Noneofthesepatientschosetobecomeill,butasa

consequenceeachwasforcedtomovetothisplace.

Lastly,Guevaracontinuesdownapathofdiscovery.Heisseenmultipletimes

whileatthecolonywritinginhisjournalandhehasmultipleflashesinhismindof

theblackandwhite“livingphotographs.”AsChecontemplatesthethingshehas

seen,bothinthelepercolonyandovertheentiresevenmonthsoftravel,thelast

sceneinthefilmplaysout.

65

Twomenstandinanairplanehangarnexttoarunwayinnorthern

Venezuela.Theirexchangeisbriefbutmeaningful.Thisgoodbyeisnotaneasyone.

After12,425kilometersviamotorcycle,hitchedrides,footpath,andboatslargeand

small,theirreluctancetopartisunderstandable.Theiradventurehasnotknowna

dayofseparation.Thenoisycargoplanethatwaitsnearbysignalsitsend.

Mial:I’dpreparedaspeechfullofanecdotesandgrandiosephrases,I can’tremembershitnow. Che:That’showitgoes. Mial:Che…It’snottoolatetocomeworkwithmeinCaboBlanco.You couldcomebackafteryougraduate.I’llwaitforyou. Che:Ijustdon’tknow.Youknow,Mial,allthistimewespentonthe road,somethinghappened.SomethingI’llhavetothinkaboutfora longtime.Somuchinjustice… Theplanemakesitslastcall.MialhandsCheamap.Itisthesameoneon

whichGranadohaddrawntheiroriginalrouteinthecafémanymonthsprior.The

twomenembrace,neitherwantingthemomenttoend.Theypart,thecargoplane

doorclosesandGranadostaresintothedistanthorizon.ThewordsofChe’sdiary

areheardonelasttime:

Thisisnotataleofheroicfeats.It’sabouttwolivesrunningparallelfor awhile,withcommonaspirationsandsimilardreams.Wasourviewtoo narrow,toobiased,toohasty?Wereourconclusionstoorigid?Perhaps.But wanderingaroundourAmericawithacapital“A”haschangedmemorethan Ithought.Iamnotmeanymore,atleastI’mnotthesamemeIwas. Mobility,onanyscale,impliesconstantdynamicmovement,whichinturn

suggestsconstantchange.Thegoalofthispaperwastooperationalizeseveral

concurrentnotionsinthemobilitiesparadigmusingaroadfilmascasestudy.While

thisstudyhasonlyscratchedthesurfaceofthepotentialscholarshipfilm

66

geographerscancontributetothestudyofmobilities,Ibelieveithasaddedapiece

totheframeworkthatcanbebuiltuponbyscholarsinthefuture.Filmisadynamic

andevolvingmediumthat

hopefullywillbe

dissectedandexplored

forgenerations.

Slide6:FerryingintoChile

67

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