The Weight of All Things

“His mother was especially devoted to La Virgen and had even named him after her. Nicolás de La Virgen Veras was his name in full.” 

The novel suggests that Nicolás was given protection from his mother’s devotion to La Virgen. She becomes a lifelike saint, appearing to Nicolás whenever he needs her. His mother ordained a special connection between he and the virgin through his name and the medallion he wears. The Virgin Mary may also represent Letty, as she gave birth to a son whose conception is immaculate in the eyes of the reader (there is no mention of the man or act who impregnates Letty), and Nicolás is compared to the lamb many times. He is portrayed both as a lamb in the flock in need of protection, and as a Christlike figure who performs miracles under the guidance of La Virgen.  

“Caught between their guns were the people, the ordinary people for whose supposed benefit the war was being waged. On one side was the right, claiming it fought against the tyranny of communism. On the other side, the left, struggling, it said, against the injustice of oligarchs and militarists.” 

This is an example of the novel’s genre: historical fiction. Benitez details the actual historical conditions of the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s. She accurately describes the opposing ideologies while pointing out that neither side is right. The fighting in general is catastrophically destructive to the people of El Salvador, mainly due to the use of heavy weapons.

“Was there anything in his life that the war could not touch?” 

Nicolás has lost his mother, his school, his village, his church, and his home. Truly there is nothing in his life the war does not affect, which is ironic given that he is a nine-year-old boy who has nothing to do with either side of the fighting. The only piece of his life that remains untouched is his spiritual connection to La Virgen and his ability to escape into his imagination.

“Nature itself had carved ledges into the walls, so that when candles were set out the cave resembled a chapel.” 

Caves and chapels are consistently compared and share a purpose: to protect Nicolás from harm. The cave saves Nicolás from literal destruction when the army bombs the rancho, and the chapel saves him from the surprise attack that kills Gerardo. Both the chapel and the cave save Nicolás form giving up hope as they provide respite and a means of escaping into his mind. Finally, a natural carved ledge will be the providential saving grace that protects him from the massacre at the Sumpul River. 

“We are the people’s army and as such we are an army comprised of the poor. At present, with revolution in its infancy, we are small, but daily we grow in number…we battle to eradicate poverty and ignorance and ill health. We battle to defend ourselves against the National Army, the Guardia, against Orden and other repressive forces.” 

Dolores speaks to Nicolás, providing an explanation for who they are and what they stand for. She hopes to convince him and Tata that they are fighting a just cause and hopes they will join her. She mentions that the Revolution is in its infancy, implying that she is the maternal figure for this group who needs to be nurtured and taught before they can overthrow the oppressive regime.   

“‘Tortillas y café,’ Dolores said when she walked in. ‘The sacred meal of the people.’” 

Dolores is interested in preserving the traditions of the common people and their ancestors. The Army is moving toward a more Western lifestyle, represented by their use of old American warcraft and training techniques from the American Army. At the garrison, the cook makes elaborate meals and the men live with modern luxuries. Dolores emphasizes the importance of remembering not only the traditions of the people, but the sacred stature of crops like corn and coffee which have been exploited and corrupted by the ruling wealthy class. 

“They carried also in their hearts the hope that what they did would reward them with a tomorrow far different from the reality they endured today.” 

The members of the FPL live day to day, never knowing when the next air strike will come or if they will survive the night. It is important to note the incredible hope it takes to continue fighting what seems like a losing battle, as your friends and family die around you. It would be far easier to give up and follow the corrupt orders of the regime in power. The novel is pointing to the bravery and hope inherent in any revolutionary movement, as well as the sacrifice made by those who instigate it. They may not live to see the cultural changes they are fighting for, but they go on in the hopes of a brighter tomorrow.  

“It gives a mother pause. To have four boys and all of them soldiers of some kind. What kind of thing is that? Ay, Dios Santo.” 

Gerardo’s mother is one of the loudest critics of the war in the novel. She sees that her sons have turned against each other along party lines, and her daughters are in grave danger. She feels a unique kind of loss as her sons are alive but absent from her life, and her daughter and unborn grandchild have been murdered. She cannot comprehend how any of this fighting can be good for the country if a mother loses all her children for no reason. Her son Gerardo is killed by the Army that two of her other sons fight for. She sees the fighting as futile and destructive. She does not subscribe to the notion of revolution as important.

“Throughout his life, it was unsolicited kindness that the scent of tangerines recalled.” 

Nicolás is deeply moved by the simple kindness and generosity shown to him by Señor Alvarado. The taste of the tangerine along with the help in writing a letter to his mother make such an impression on him that he remembers it all his life. This line is a testament to Nicolás’s ability to feel deeply, as well as an indication of how little real kindness he has experienced since the war began. 

“Simply put, he longed for still waters.” 

Nicolás often fantasizes about floating on a river where the tumult of war will not affect him. We know that the Sumpul River is rarely calm, so this line expresses his deepest longing for peace. His heart yearns for tranquility, rather than revenge or further destruction, demonstrating that his innate character is peaceful and wise beyond his years. Furthermore, the phrase “still waters” is a biblical allusion, referring to those that follow the teachings of Christ. 

“‘Ah,’ Carmen said when Elias brought the stash into the kitchen, ‘the enemy lives differently than us.’ That she was talking about their own native brothers hung unsaid between them.” 

The cook notices that the confiscated goods from the dead army men are much higher quality than what she can usually obtain. While her comment suggests that the “enemy,” or Army, have it better than them, the novel is quick to remind the reader that the soldiers on both sides are just young El Salvadorans. This points to the unique nature of a civil war—rather than one nation fighting another it requires brothers and sisters of the same nation to turn on each other. 

“Let’s not forget Che’s saying, ‘To grow hardened, yes; to lose our tenderness, never.’” 

Che Guevara is a famous communist revolutionary. In the eyes of the Left, he fought for the liberation of the proletariat from imperialist capitalist regimes. He inspired other developing nations to take up arms and revolt against corrupt government agencies. When Dolores references Che, we get a better idea of who she and the FPL are emulating. Che was a controversial figure because he espoused important ideals (like Dolores) while engaging in guerrilla warfare and extreme violence. He was captured and executed approximately 15 years before this novel takes place, so we can assume that in idolizing Che, Dolores is willing to suffer his same fate.

“We are caught in the middle. That’s what we are.” 

Tata tells Nicolás that in spite of what Dolores thinks, they are not revolutionaries, rather they are trapped. He often repeats this refrain of being trapped between two things. He is trapped between the Left and the Right, just as he was trapped between warring factions in Honduras as a young man and remains trapped between El Salvador and Honduras along the Sumpul River. As the eldest character in the novel, Tata has seen the fighting and the attempts by one side to conquer the other many times in his life. He understands that as a campesino, he is merely a pawn in the war games of others. He wants Nicolás to understand this truth so that he will not get swept away by rhetoric or herd mentality.  

“I am brave. I am strong. I am like a lion. Soy valiente. Soy fuerte. Soy como el léon. Each word buoyed and lifted him.” 

Nicolás must gather strength as his grandfather is too ill to protect him. He must not be like a lamb any longer, rather he needs to adopt the qualities of the lion. Miraculously, he finds the wooden sculpture of the lion in the cave which gives him the bravery he needs. Nicolás is very influenced by symbolic items like the statue of La Virgen and the little lion. They give him strength and a sense of optimism, without which he likely would not survive.  

“We’re going to Tejutla. The kid’s coming with us.” 

This is an example of the literary device phrase repetition. Here the Army lieutenant says Nicolás is coming with him just as Alvarado did earlier. The text repeats this to signify how powerless Nicolás is and to show how different the two men using the phrase are. Where Alvarado is kind and helpful, truly looking out for Nicolás’s best interests, the lieutenant is harsh and cynical, using Nicolás for the information he has.   

“Nicolás pictured the blackboard at school and how la Señora Menjivar would ask him to use the powder eraser and wipe the slate clean. He did the same with Tata’s face, with his mother’s…better not to focus on separation and homesickness.” 

Throughout the first half of the novel Nicolás focuses on conjuring up the images of his mother and grandfather. It brings him comfort to imagine them and their happy reunion. The shift marked in this passage, where he metaphorically erases them in order to focus on escaping the garrison, illuminates the changes occurring in Nicolás. He is maturing and becoming less lamblike, more lionhearted. He must not follow any longer. Rather, he needs to take charge of his life and he has only himself to rely on. 

“Chabela watched the boy going across the patio, bearing his burden…squinting back tears, Nicolás dragged the cross into the front patio and stationed it against the mango.” 

Nicolás carries the cross he has built on his back, alluding to Christ on the cross. This reinforces the shift he is experiencing internally, from a lamb to a lion. Both the lamb and the lion represent Jesus, but Jesus carries his cross at the end of his life on Earth. This scene suggests that Nicolás is nearing the end of his journey. 

“He liked this man Vidal, if for no other reason than Vidal seemed like a human being, not just a soldier with mayhem on his mind.” 

While the novel provides descriptions of the humanity of members of the FPL, Vidal is one of the only soldiers from the Army that we see this way. Nicolás likes and trusts him because he seems like any young man, stuck in a job he doesn’t love. It is telling that Nicolás responds to his humanity, in contrast to the soldiers who assume Nicolás is interested in carrying powerful guns. Nicolás is not drawn toward machismo or shows of power. Like Gerardo, Vidal treats Nicolás kindly simply because he is a kid.  

“The weight of the truth; the weight of all things crushed him, and he sat up and propped his back against the tree and gasped to catch his breath.” 

Finally, Nicolás accepts the truth that his mother is dead. He lets go of his childish fantasy that she somehow survived and will return to him. The weight of the grief is so heavy that it is clear he could not have borne it earlier. He had to become a lion first before he could let go of his mother. Nicolás grieves all through the night, and when he wakes, he knows that she is never coming back. 

“Now the boy had lost his mother, too, and the thought of it was like a hand squeezing his heart. He shook his head and had to ask, where are you, God, in all of this?” 

Unbeknownst to each other, Nicolás and Tata learn that Letty is dead at approximately the same time. Tata is overwhelmed by grief for Nicolás, and he questions God. Unlike Nicolás, he does not share a strong faith in religion. He is more in tune with nature, and so represents the cultural divide between the older generation and new. Letty and Nicolás are devout Catholics, while Tata speaks the language of spirits, land, and animals. Tata doesn’t understand how a God could allow so much destruction and harm to befall an innocent boy. 

“He would not allow himself to be captured again. He would not be caught in the middle of anything again. He knew what he must do…he would slip out and disappear.” 

After Alvarado helps care for Nicolás’s gunshot wound, Nicolás overhears a phone conversation and understands that someone is coming to pick him up in the morning. Having lost his faith in people, Nicolás decides to run away so that he will not be captured or trapped again. Although he doesn’t know it, this is another miracle. Had he stayed through the night, he might have been caught in the retaliatory raid that will occur in the morning. Instead, he walks through the night and reaches his grandfather, safely waiting for him on the riverbank. 

“At length the fish spoke back. They said, ‘It is a grand thing, destiny. Certainly we will consider your request,’ but they did not rush to his beckoning hook. Still, despite the fishes’ restraint, the old man knew it was only patience that stood between him and a filled turquoise pail.” 

This scene may offer a criticism of the FPL. Tata accepts his destiny as a poor man living in the mountains. He also seems to understand that the way to sustain both himself and his neighbors is through collaboration and patience. Ursula makes the tortillas, Tata catches the fish, and together they collectively get what they need. They gather what they can from their land and seek nothing more. Meanwhile, the FPL is aggressively attacking the powers that be, resulting in more casualties and destruction of the very land and common people they claim to fight for. Tata patiently waiting to fill his bucket with fish represents the self-sufficiency of El Salvadorans who Dolores calls ignorant and poor and whose lives she wishes to improve. Like Nicolás, Tata only wishes for still waters, not more land, wealth, or power.

“For Nicolás, the sight of such horror threw a switch in his mind. He lifted his machete and raised his free hand and made a claw. Once again, he was a lion. He charged around the shrubbery. He lunged and growled. He leapt and hissed. The buzzards rose up in an explosion of flapping wings. Nicolás lashed out with his knife at their departing talons. Some swooped off across the river, others lit on the bare branches of pines. They pulled in their wings. Arranged themselves. Patiently, they waited.” 

The buzzards metaphorically represent the Army, and Nicolás beating them back with his machete offers him a chance to rewrite the violence of his people. He is able to fight off the buzzards using only his machete, calling on his inner lion to give him the strength to do it. This cathartic experience allows him to enact a kind of rescue and offer protection to the dead soldiers he was not able to provide to his mother or friends. Though he feels triumphant, the buzzards, like the army waiting on the hill or in their helicopter, are waiting patiently for their next opportunity to attack.