Los Cuentos Hispanos (Muerto y Resucitado)

Los Cuentos Hispanos

"Muerto y Resucitado"

Written by Amado Nervo of Mexico 
Translated, and Summarized (to form a discussion with ninth grade students) by Sydney McKnight
    
         A soldier reads about his death in an army bulletin, and he felt a strange surprise. When a Yankee is dead on the battlefield, he watches his corpse mangled on the ground with eyes and mouth open. But the soldier didn’t see his corpse, nor did he feel lifeless. The soldier wanted to be a free man, and now he could be.
The soldier, now on a steam boat heading towards London, was told once more of his death by a passenger. He was also surrounded by other fugitives of all different nationalities on the boat. The soldier thought to himself for hours. He thought about his old life such as having a fat wife with a mustache, a nagging mother-in-law, and living in poverty. However, the soldier thought about making a new beginning that was full of his desires such as having an English wife who is thin with blond hair, no mother-in-law, and himself having a steady job.
         The boat finally docked, and the soldier felt like a blue bird. The soldier felt like a blue bird because he was free from his old life, and finally pursuing a better one; or so he thought. “Juan!” A man touches the shoulder of Juan Perez (the soldier). The man said, “My dear friend! Back from the dead! They gave your wife a medal to be placed on your portrait! We truly thought you were dead, but we are so glad that the news is false! Juan thinks to himself that the blue bird always returns home.
        The ninth grade students looked puzzled after I read the story. “Can anyone tell me what I have just read”, I said firmly. Many of the students’ responses were, “The soldier died and was reborn again”! “HA HA HA, his wife is fat with a mustache!” “The story is confusing because it went from one scene to the next without notice.” I thought about their responses and I decided to give the students a hint, “Remember Mrs. Duca’s ninth grade Spanish class to disregard the title of the story. Think about the old life as Juan Perez described in the story. Why was he planning on living another life?’ The students’ began to call out at once, and I had to suggest to them to raise their hands to give their reasons as to what the story was about.
        As a result of many of their conculsions, it was correct that the army mistaked Juan Perez as dead. Although Juan Perez was unhappy, he took advantage of the false news, and he was heading towards a new life. Juan almost got away until his friend identified him. For an assignment, the ninth grade students had to type a one page paper giving their explanations as to what they would do if they were thought to be dead. Would one start a new life, and if so, what were the reasons? Or would one go back to one’s old life, and explain. Short stories are always believed to be the most interesting for students because it helps them to think critically, and to have an open mind. 


Nervo, Amado. "Muerto y Resucitado". Repase y escriba, 5 ed. 2007: pgs. 1-3.