Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons^™

A Contemporary Fairy Tale: García Márquez' "El Rastro De Tu Sangre En La Nieve", Arnold M. Penuel

Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature

The pattern usually found in fairy tales is for the hero or heroine to struggle against, and finally overcome, what seem to be overwhelming odds, after which he or she lives happily ever after. This pattern, according to Bruno Bettelheim, is emblematic of the struggle required of every individual in real life in order to develop the maturity to cope with, and thrive in, the world. García Márquez' story, "El rastro de tu sangre en la nieve," whose dominant intertext is the fairy tale, turns this pattern on its head. Handicapped by privileged upbringing, cultural narcissism, and the necessity of …