The Che of the Motorcycle Diaires_Kerouacian Rebel or Marxist Revolutionary?

8/13/2019 The Che of the Motorcycle Diaires_Kerouacian Rebel or Marxist Revolutionary?

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Dbut: the Undergraduate Journal of Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies 3.1 (2012)

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The Che of The Motorcycle Diaries: Kerouacian rebel or Marxist revolutionary?

Ian David Martin

University College London, UK

[email protected]

Ian is a child of three cultures, having been born in the USA but raised in Spain and the UK.

Now studying Christian Apologetics at Oxford University, areas which particularly fascinate

him are the history of race relations, inter-cultural dialogue, and the merging of Christian faith

with wider life. His interests include music production, hip-hop culture, film, writing, reading

and spending quality time with his wife Celina.

Abstract

The image of Ernesto Che Guevara has been largely transformed in recent years from that

of a violent Marxist revolutionary to a pop icon devoid of true political relevance. Walter

Salles The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) has been seen as following in this trend, with the films

producer, Paul Webster, claiming that it depicts a Che more akin to Jack Kerouac [] than

Marx or Lenin. This article explores the film in light of Websters claim, analysing the

implications of and possible motivations behind its depiction of the Che character. Although it

is true that the film draws many parallels between Guevara and Kerouac, both through the

conventions of the road movie and the significance of their journeys, the two are ultimately

distinguished by their response to their discoveries. Salles Che is undoubtedly romanticised,

but unlike Kerouac, he is radicalised by his experience of Latin America and determined to

effect revolutionary change.

Article

The image of Ernesto Che Guevara de la Serna was forever emblazoned on the public

consciousness in Alberto Kordas 1960 photograph Guerrillero Heroico.1 This instantly

recognisable portrait, which is claimed to be the most reproduced in the history of

photography (Ziff 2006, p. 10), has for many seemed to encapsulate the very spirit of anti-

imperialist struggle; the low angle and pained, yet strong look of the subject serving to make

Guevara an enigmatic symbol of defiance. Kordas refusal to seek royalties, in keeping with

the ideals of the revolution, has also been highlighted as an important reason for the images

quick spread and popularity.

1 See for image and its history, (accessed 5/3/2012).


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It can be argued, however, that through

constant reuse and recycling in everything

from Pop Art to clothing, Ches image has

ceased to represent the militant

revolutionary ideology he espoused, and

instead, to younger generations in the West,

become but a mild symbol of teenage

rebellion. It is common now, for instance, to

find the Guerrillero Heroico included

amongst posters of popular celebrity icons,

thereby equating the revolutionary to such teen idols as James Dean and Kurt Cobain.2

Ironically, this represents Ches acceptance into the very capitalist consumer culture which

he hated and sought to overturn. Korda himself has decried such misappropriation of Chesimage, suing vodka company Smirnoff in 2000, for their use of his photograph in an

advertising campaign (BBC News, 2000). This apparent globalisation and capitalistic use of

Guevaras image can be seen as the result of romanticisation that has effectively emptied it

of its originally menacing ideological content.

Following in this trend, Walter Salles highly successful film Los diarios de motocicleta [The

Motorcycle Diaries] (2004) has been criticised for largely omitting explicitly ideological

content and focusing heavily on Guevaras positive aspects. In light of this, the films

producer, Paul Webster (former head of FilmFour), has claimed that the Che of the film is

more akin to Jack Kerouac [] than Marx or Lenin. This is to say that the character has

been somewhat tamed in the film, making him resemble the rebelliously cool, but relatively

innocuous hero of the Beat movement instead of a budding militant revolutionary. Upon a

cursory viewing this conclusion seems to be justified and many parallels can indeed be

drawn between the two. But through a closer evaluation of the film, this article argues that

such an interpretation may not be wholly accurate and fails to take into account all the films

implications. Universalisation, an attempt to make the character appealing to a wide-reaching

audience, was part of the expressed intention of the director, but although Salles Che does

mirror Kerouac in many respects, there are clear elements which hint at his revolutionary

future and ultimately set the two apart. The Che of Los diarios might begin as a type of

Kerouacian rebel, but far from merely adopting the individualised, apolitical trappings of the

Beat generation, he becomes radicalised and ready for action as a result of his journey.

On one level, Paul Webster is accurate in claiming that Salles Che is more akin to Kerouac

than Marx or Lenin. This non-politicised depiction of Guevara was the intent of the director,

who claims, We tried to see those characters as who they were in that specific time and

space, and not as who they would be much later in their lives ( Los diarios, DVD Extras).

2 An example of this fact can be drawn from websites such as www.allposters.co.uk, which offers over sixty different prints of Che Guevara alongside movie stars and

celebrities.


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There is therefore a deliberate distancing from the introduction of any direct political ideology

in the film, opting instead for un discurso inclusivo que se centra ms en el rescate de

valores ms bien universales [an inclusive discourse which centres on the redemption of

values which are more or less universal] (Daz, 2005). The film instead intends to depict the

character on his personal journey of self-discovery, which after awakening him to the

injustice of the world, will lead him towards a revolutionary Marxist ideology. Los diarios is

thus afforded the luxury of not delving into contentious politics by the fact that it traces

Ernestos journey prior to his adopting any official political affiliation. This reasoning might be

supported by the assertion of some scholars that Guevara, although having read Marxist

works, did not explicitly align himself with Communist revolutionaries until after this road trip

when he met with Fidel Castro in July 1955 (Piglia, 2008). If this is true, the film can be

interpreted as trying to realistically portray a specific moment in the intellectual development

of the young Guevara, before he consolidated his thoughts and focused on what he felt was

a concrete solution to the social problems he saw on his journey. The viewer therefore

witnesses only the awakening of a political consciousness and not its final revolutionary

expression. As Clover puts it, the film is Che before Che, before politics (2009, p. 7).

Guevara can therefore be seen to mirror Kerouac at this point in his life since both embark

upon journeys of adventure and discovery that show them the true condition of their

continents, yet thus far free from strong political attachments.

It is also to be expected that the film should reflect Kerouac, as his 1957 novel On the Road

is considered by scholars such as Laderman to be the formative literary sourcefor the road

movie genre (1996, p. 42). This is not hard to imagine, keeping in mind Kerouacsadventurous, unrelenting narrative as one watches the scores of road movies that have been

produced since the novel was published. Since Los diarios displays many common elements

of the road movie genre it therefore necessarily draws many parallels to On the Road.

The use of road movie topoi in Los diarios can be seen in various instances. Firstly, the

outlook of the road movie is based on the conception of travel as a route of escape from the

monotonous routine of daily life, breaking free from the confines of the city and traditional

family values into the idyllic, unspoiled countryside (Laderman, 1996). This is seen clearly as

Kerouacs openly autobiographical protagonist, whose name was later changed to Sal

Paradise, begins journeying across the United States, his Western trajectory intimately

wrapped up in questions of identity, freedom and future: I was halfway across America, at

the dividing line between the East of my youth and West of my future ( p.120). That this

freedom is inextricably linked to the land itself is also made clear as he peers across the

great raw bulge and bulk of my American continent (p.181). A similar view of travel is

expressed in the film as Ernesto and Alberto embark upon their journey with the goal of

broadening their horizons and discovering the true Latin America which their city upbringing

has denied them. Guevaras statement of intent, to explorar el continente latinoamericano

que solo conocemos por los libros [to explore the Latin American continent that we only

know from books] (Los diarios) is therefore in keeping with the genre and also with Kerouac.


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Secondly, the road movie also conceives of the journey as a quest for the essence of being,

a transforming process in which the traveller discovers the nations, as well as his own,

identity. An important way in which this transformation comes about is many times by contact

with native peoples, who are considered repositories of authenticity (Laderman, 1996, p.

43) and reflections of what Kerouac called the essential American (Campbell, 2001, p.

454). In contrast to the evils and complexities of modernity in the city, these native

communities are bastions of a simpler, pastoral ideal of life that harkens back to the nations

roots. On the Road displays this kind of vision in Sals episode of living and working with

Mexican cotton-pickers in California, whom he calls the great Fellaheen peoples (p. 199).

Contrasting working in the shadow of snowcapped Sierras in the blue morning air with

washing dishes on South Main street, Sal declares, It was beautiful I thought Id found

my lifes work (p. 197). Its almost as if Sal, who had come from the sad streets of New York,

finds the unconscious goal of his journey in the simplicity and purity of this environment. At

least for a moment, he feels as if he has found himself among the Mexican peasant workers.

Similarly, this aspect is made clear in Los diarios as the protagonists are radically changed

by their contact with indigenous peoples, who are portrayed as retaining the unique Latin

American essence. For example, Alberto and Ernesto are awakened to the loss of native

identity in the contrast between Machu Picchu and the modern city. By this, the film posits

that to reestablish native cultures is to return to the mystical essence of the continent. It is by

interacting with these native peoples and seeing their plight that Guevara is radicalised,

finding both the lost identity of his people and his own purpose for living.

Thirdly, Los diarios perpetuates the road movies typical glorification of modern transport,

whether car or motorcycle, as the figurative vehicle of transformation, which merges man

and machine into a single organism (Laderman, 1996, p. 42). This exaltation is apparent in

the film in the special bond established between the travellers and their motorcycle La

poderosa. Their affinity is stressed in the story to the point that Robert Redford, the films

executive producer, comments that Los diariosis really about three characters (Los diarios,

DVD Extras). Here the viewer can see echoes of On the Road, when Kerouac paints Neal

Cassady as being made complete by the car: Neal was happy again. All he needed was a

wheel in his hand and four on the road (p. 308). Apart from this, the film also employs many

visual techniques common to the genre, such as the contrasting of the travellers against the

expansive landscapes of the continent to achieve an awe inspiring effect in the face of

nature. Similarly, the use of montage sequences involving roadsigns and shots of the fast

moving scenery are used to give a sense of the thrill of travel. The above examples may be

taken to show that echoes of Kerouac are to be expected as the film perpetuates many of the

conventions of the genre that On the Road helped to define.

However, such incidental echoes of Kerouac due to genre commonalities say nothing of the

films apparent depoliticisation of the Che character. Even if these parallels are granted, it

must be asked why his more radical aspects are left out. From a more critical viewpoint it


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could be claimed that the concern for public appeal was the motive for the omission of

revolutionary content from the film. In this light, by coupling a dilution of his violent rhetoric

with an exclusive focus on his universal, human qualities, the film exemplifies the

commodification of Ches image. This, in effect, would represent a relativisation of his ideals,

removing any content which might offend the viewer in order to ensure a wider appeal.

Redford himself hints at this universal appeal when he claims that the film focuses on the

adventures of youth and the very real portrait of the human side of Ernesto Guevara ( Los

diarios, DVD Extras).

Writing for The Guardian, Sean OHagan denounced this dilution as adolescent

revolutionary romanticism, adding that Salles Che is a rose-tintedsun-kissed loveable

rogue on a road trip to political epiphany (2004). Indeed, both the script and the portrayal of

the character by Gael Garca Bernal offer an overwhelmingly positive vision of the man who

would become Che. He is presented as innocent in his dealings with the opposite sex;

honest in his inability to lie to the man with a tumour; faithful as he holds fast to his promise

not to spend Chinitas money (until coming across a higher cause); compassionate in his

solidarity with the lepers; and visionary in his dream for the unification of Latin America. One

could make the case that this is a deliberate reshaping of Che along the lines of Sal

Paradise, who displays many of the same qualities. Take for example Sals innocence as he

tries to prove to the nurse that sex is beautiful and relates to her his excitement about life

and the things [they] could do together (p.159); his honesty in refusing to back up Henri

Crus false story with the racetrack owner; his compassion as he prays to God for a better

chance to do something for the little people [he] loved (p.197); and his moments of solidaritywith the oppressed, such as his claim, They thought I was Mexican, of course; and I am

(p.198).

These examples show a close resemblance between the two characters in their positive

points, yet where On the Road offers a nuanced and often morally ambiguous Sal who is

aware of his inconsistencies, Los diarios presents a Che who is practically above reproach.

Many scholars suggest that this is a highly romanticised portrayal of Guevara that, even at

this point in his life, leaves out other less savoury aspects of his character which are found in

the original diaries. Duno-Gottberg, for instance, highlights Ches racist attitudes in his

encounter with a group of Afro-Venezuelans on the trip, where he describes el negro [the

black man] as indolente y soador [indolent and fanciful], spending sus pesitos en

cualquier frivolidad [his pennies on any kindof frivolity] (2005, p. 4). Similarly, as OHagan

reports, by the end of the real diaries of the journey, Guevara admits that he savoured the

acrid smell of gunpowder and blood, of the enemy's death (2004)! This kind of hatred is

nowhere presented in Salles Che and the convenient omission of such attitudes results in an

imbalanced, idyllic characterisation of the protagonist. This could be seen as a real

divergence between the films Che and Kerouacs Sal, as the latter, although betraying

similar attitudes, such as his threatening of San Francisco queers with his gun, recognises

and admits his prejudices: Ive never understood why I did that, I knew queers all over the


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country (p.176). But in Los diarios, both Ches incendiary political views and his less

attractive personal traits are left out, presenting a vision of the character which fits with the

trend of his romanticisation.

On the other hand, in considering the socio-historical context in which the film was made,

this universalisation might be seen as a reflection of the emerging importance of international

cinematic co-productions. As Alvaray demonstrates, since the 1990s, with the decline of

governmental funding for domestic Latin American cinema, it has become increasingly

necessary for filmmakers to turn to foreign partnerships and investment (2008). Such co-

productions secure the finances to produce the film, but also place demands on directors to

appeal to a global audience, and at times to alter scripts to include foreign actors, such as

the inclusion (due to Spanish investment) of Aitana Snchez Gijn in the Mexican film Sin

dejar huella (2000). Such practical realities lead Alvaray to conclude that co-produced films

are, undoubtedly, conditioned and thereby have the potential to seriously restrict the

directors artistic freedom (2008, p.56). It might therefore be possible that Salles decision to

focus only on the positive aspects of the character was influenced by the demands of his

various international co-producers. Thus, in presenting only the characters positive qualities,

and universalising his ideology, the film prevents the alienation of middle-class viewers within

international, capitalistic markets, for whom explicitly Marxist content may be offensive.

From a different perspective, a further criticism which might lend itself to a negative

interpretation of the film is that although Salles does touch on the social issues facing the

continent, including poverty and foreign exploitation, it can be claimed that Los diarios

oversimplifies the situation and adopts a decidedly bourgeois perspective. A distinctivefeature of the film, for instance, is the inclusion of numerous black and white stills of

indigenous peoples encountered through the course of the journey. These are powerful,

emotive shots which convey a deep sense of desperation and hopelessness, whilst

attempting to communicate the dignity of the subjects. Although these shots do not commit

Kerouacs error of creating a fantasy of thepastoral ideal, as the description of his stint as a

cotton-picker does, it must be emphasised that these are silent stills. The narrative voice

throughout the film is always that of Guevara, the middle-class tourist in his own land, and in

the same way as Kerouac, indigenous characters are stereotyped as repositories of

authenticity (Laderman, 1996, p.43). In accordance with Spivaks theory of the subaltern,

put forward in Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988), the viewer never truly hears the voice of the

oppressed, only his voice mediated through the bourgeois narrator. Although Guevara does

draw personally close to the Native Americans, they remain silent and detached, similar to

Kerouacs description of Indian chiefs wandering around in big headdressesreally solemn

(136). One possible reading of this aspect of the film is that it implies that only the educated,

Caucasian man can rescue the people of Latin America, since the voiceless indigenas have

no power or awareness of their own.

From this perspective, social revolution in Los diarios is not a grass-roots movement; it is

instigated and carried out on behalf of the masses by men of the same class as the


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oppressors. It is interesting to note in support of this that it is the rich, bourgeois Dr. Pesce

who furnishes Guevara with the revolutionary writings of Maritegui. Although the fact that

the migrant, mine-working couple are Communists might suggest that the revolution has a

foundation in the masses, it is the overall implication of the film that the indigenas are in

need of a white saviour to liberate them from oppression. Indeed, Ernestos heroic and highly

symbolic swim across the river to the leper colony is the historically dubious episode which

solidifies his status as saviour in the film. The crossing of the water is a metaphor for Ches

bridging the gap of inequality between the rich and the poor, thus making the asthmatic youth

a figure of Christ. De Ferrari concurs with this interpretation, highlighting not only the

dramatic river crossing but also that Bernals portrayal abounds in solemnidad [solemnity],

and is demasiado mesinico [overly messianic] in its lack of beligerancia, arrogancia (y)

omnipotencia [belligerence, arrogance and omnipotence] (2005, p.151). Since the film

suggests that the plight of Latin American society is due entirely to foreign exploitation, such

as the example of the Anaconda Mining Company, the implication is that the white man is

both the oppressor and the liberator. Los diarios may therefore be seen as adopting an

oversimplified, deeply paternalistic view of the problems of Latin America, which attributes no

autonomy or power to indigenous groups.

As has been shown above, it is possible from different perspectives both to justify the lack of

explicit politics in the film and to denounce the politics it does contain as imbalanced and

paternalistic. Many critics have taken a similar line with regards to Kerouac , as on one hand

he appears to be largely apolitical and individualistic, but on the other hand when dealing

with important contemporary political issues such as civil rights seems to be hopelesslyconservative, strangely naive, and senselessly self-destructive (Holton, 1999, p.14). Yet

whether the viewer of Los diarios decides to be won over by the mythical revolutionary, or

decry the inconsistencies of his depiction, there is one important aspect of Salles Che which

defies the assertion that he is akin to Kerouac: the Che of Los diarios does not shrink back

into Kerouacs apoliticalpassivity (Gelfant, 1974, p.417), but is radicalised and charged

for revolution by his experiences. It is in this aspect of the film that Che retains a measure of

his political significance. Although his portrayal might be seen as highly romanticised and

one sided, Ches fundamental ideals still represent a radical departure from those of his

North American Beat counterpart. Kerouacs Sal displays moments of solidarity with the

oppressed, which seem to offer glimpses of the way life should be and point to a desire in

him to help the downtrodden. But very quickly after such interludes he admits, I could feel

the pull of my own life calling me back (p.199). There is a brief moment of political

discontent and yearning for change, but soon the Fellaheen are forgotten and Sal is drawn

back into the individualistic call of the road.

In this sense, Kerouac can almost be seen as Guevaras antithesis. His apathy in the face of

political problems, which led him to the conviction that the causes of suffering were beyond

help but that everything would be all right, represents a kind of resignation to injustice that

Che would have despised (Gelfant, 1974, p.417). There is also a vehement anti-


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Americanism in Guevaras original diaries which is hinted at in the film by Ernestos

launching a rock at the metonymic mining company. Kerouac, on the other hand,ultimately

reaffirms American ideals in his declaration that America is as free as the wild wind out

there (Gelfant, 1974, p.417). This shows that even though Che and Kerouac both search

after the lost essence of America, their conception of what that America represents is

fundamentally and diametrically opposed. In the end they are both rebels, but their

manifestations of rebellion are completely different: one adopts an individualistic, alternative

lifestyle in his rejection of tradition; the other, radical solidarity with the subaltern and

revolutionary activism against oppression. Sal finds the essence of his America in the

freedom of the road, conquering terrain behind the wheel of a Cadillac; Guevara longs for

more than this and wants to extend freedom, which to him doesnt reside merely in such

capitalistic individualism, to all of hisAmericas peoples. Although it is true that on the

surface the two embark on similar journeys, their final destinations could not be more

different.

Along the same lines, in considering the film as a whole, it can be argued that Los diarios

breaks with road movie conventions in one important way: it does not ultimately glorify the

automobile, modernitys emblematic machine, but celebrates the resilience of the human

spirit. As Laderman explains, the conventional road movie exalts the automobile as a

fundamental expression of individuality, in which, as discussed above, the many lengthy,

poetic descriptions of riding in cars and driving cars suggest even a mystical fusion between

the character and the machine (1996, p.42). While there can be no doubt that Los diarios

does display this fusion between the riders and the motorcycle, there comes a point where

the film transcends this glorification and shifts its focus to a higher ideal. Whereas in EasyRider the death of the motorcycle is also the death of its rider Captain America, in Los

diarios the travellers eventually say goodbye to La poderosa and press forward on foot

(Laderman, 1996: 48). While this is indeed a simple historical fact, Salles uses it as a means

to go beyond the confines of the road movie genre to make a point. The subtle implication of

the film is that where modernity and machine have failed, the solidarity of the people will

carry on. This aspect of the film may be interpreted as expressing a Marxist persuasion

which, although toned down and heavily pacified, ultimately breaks with the road movie

genre, setting the South American traveler apart from the North American.

In conclusion, it has been shown that while Paul Websters description of Walter Salles Che

is accurate in some respects, it is certainly not the only way in which to interpret the film. On

one hand, it can be claimed that the lack of politics in Los diariosis justified as it attempts to

portray Guevara as a young man before he became a revolutionary. In this pre-political state,

he can be said to share much in common with Jack Kerouac, especially in that that they both

embark on journeys imbued with ideological weightings concerning national and individual

identity. One can also argue that Los diarios incidentally reflects Kerouac in its fulfilment of

many of the conventions of the road movie genre, such as its vision of travel as a process of

transformation and as a quest for the essence of a pre-colonial national identity in drawing

near to nature and native peoples. However, from a negative perspective, the films lack of


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politics can be seen as following the trend of the romanticisation of Guevaras image,

emptying it of revolutionary significance and focusing entirely on his positive attributes. While

it is true that the film attempts to portray the man in a period when his political thoughts were

but nascent, the character presented to the audience is undeniably heroic and admirable,

while it can be claimed the real Che had many unappealing attitudes and character traits

which the film ignores. Along with this unrealistic characterisation, the film is seen by some to

present a simplistic and bourgeois view of the problems of Latin America, suggesting that

indigenous people are in need of a white saviour. But the main thesis of this essay is that,

when all is considered, Salles Che radically departs from Kerouacs largely autobiographical

Sal in that he ultimately becomes a man of action. This is where Websters description can

be seen to fall short: whereas Kerouac remained decidedly apolitical and unresponsive to

suffering, Salles Che, however imbalanced and glamorous his portrayal, is transformed by

his journey into an active revolutionary. Even in this movie, Ches protest cannot be said to

be the same as Kerouacs. The two may begin at a similar point of departure, but the

difference in where their journeys finally leave them sets them apart as opposites and

perhaps even enemies.

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The Che of the Motorcycle Diaires_Kerouacian Rebel or Marxist Revolutionary?