8/19/2019 A Marxist Reading of Pablo Nerudas the U

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Rhodaviv V. Avila

A Marxist Reading of Pablo Neruda’s “The United Fruit Co.

Pablo Neruda’s !oe" is a ver# vivid state"ent against the "ultinational $o"!an#% United

Fruit Co"!an# && to 'hi$h the author na"es the !oe" itself. (e begins 'ith a sardoni$ tone

"o$)ing the Creation% as *od !ur!osel# besto'ing the earth to "ultinational $o"!anies li)e

Co$a&Cola +n$ and Ana$onda Mining, “-hen the tru"!et sounded% it 'as All !re!ared on the

earth% And /ehovah !ar$eled out the earth 01&23 Noti$e ho' the 'ord “earth is in s"all letter 

4e’ 'hi$h !ertains to land% as o!!ose to 'orld. Neruda goes on to a$$use United Fruit Co"!an#

of neo$olonialis"5a$6uiring bountiful !ortions of his “o'n land 073% 8atin A"eri$a% b# hiding

 behind the ter" “9anana Re!ubli$s5see"ingl# hel!ing the i"!overished $ountries but is trul#

a self&serving entit# that bred the rise of “flies% the di$tators su$h as Rafael Tru:illo%

Maxi"iliano Martine; and /orge Ubi$o< and even those “da"! flies of "odest blood and

"ar"alade !ertaining% !erha!s% to the $orru!tion of the $o""on !eo!le as 'ell. 0=&>?3 (e

alludes to the !ro$ess as a “$o"i$ o!era 01=3% a hu"orous "usi$al dra"a or sho' i"!l#ing that

it is all :ust a fa@ade< and $alling it as su$h reverts to the ironi$ tone of the !oe".

The !oe" ends 'ith the death of the +ndian% referred to b# Neruda as “a thing and “a

fallen $i!her 027&23. The latter "eaning the# have no 'eight% 'orth or influen$e% or that their 

true 'orth has be$o"e hidden. (e further e"!hasi;es his use of the for"er in the lines “a $luster 

of dead fruit thro'n do'n on the du"!. (e e6uates the +ndian to a fruit&an ob:e$t% a thing&

non$halantl# thro'n as trash. Further"ore% b# using the ter"% “+ndian% he refers not onl# to the

death% !roverbial or other'ise% of the !oor but rather% it di"inishes the value of so$ial $lasses and

"a)ing it irrelevant. +nstead% Neruda isolates the suffering +ndian fro" the foreign $olonial rulers

 5su$h as The United Fruit Co.% 'hi$h is a UB&based $o"!an#. +t is in these last fe' lines then

that it be$o"es trul# a!!arent that it is not :ust the United Fruit Co. the !oe" alludes to% but in all

other foreign entities $ons!iring and !lundering 8atin A"eri$a.