Our Story is as Good as The Witnesses - Piglia

 This novel was somewhat of a change in what we have been reading so far, I definitely enjoyed this one a lot. Piglia tells the true story of robbers and through his focus on their drug abuse and other reckless actions, he paints an image of what it means to be a criminal. 

Piglia's brutally honest depiction of the robbers worked to reveal their motives for this robbery, a desire to leave their old lives behind. They all seem to have some sort of affliction whether that be drugs, sexual perversions, criminal pasts, or mental problems. Piglia paints a psychological image of them which in turn offers as an explanation for their wild behaviour and blatant disregard for human life as shown during their robbery. Dorda is an especially afflicted character as he is a very nervous person as displayed in their escape. This brutally honest revealing of these characters gives us a slight passage into their past and shows why some people might enter this line of work. Piglia did not glorify these men to be these smart and conniving criminals. He showed the stupidity of some of their actions like the frenzied car chase, shooting their guns everywhere. This seems as though it wasn't very well thought out or thought out at all since it would draw so much attention to them. This is in part probably because they are all hopped up on drugs. 

Piglia's use of outside perspectives on the robbery was a unique way to add in another informational aspect to the story, even if the witnesses accounts weren't always true accounts. I think this shows how blown out of proportion some things can get when it is by word of mouth. One person says one thing and another adds 3 new aspects to the story as it gets passed along. Perhaps this could also make the reader question the narrator/author. After looking into Piglia's story regarding this novel, I found that he was actually sued by Droda's real life daughter for the way he was depicted in the story. This made me wonder whether or not Dorda was actually gay or not/how much of his story was true, or how much of other characters stories were altered for entertainment purposes. It also makes me wonder what the reasoning was to change their stories if he did? Was it in fact for entertainment or did it serve as a means to alter our perception of these characters. Of course our view of these characters would probably change had we been given more depth to their pasts, we'd probably be able to understand their reasoning for justifying their actions a little better. But we don't get that backstory, just as the public doesn't either. All those people who lived at the same time that this story happened didn't get to hear what made them this way. It's because of this that we only see half of the picture and think how could they be so sadistic? 

I am in no way justifying their behaviour btw, that shit was crazy.

My question for you: Would you have viewed their actions differently if Piglia had made the characters have remorse for those they killed? 

Comments

  1. Daniel OrizagaMarch 19, 2024 at 10:21 PM

    ¨I found that Piglia was actually sued by Droda's real life daughter for the way he was depicted in the story.¨ There are many parts of Dorda's history that we will never know, and that allows for speculation in fiction. In fact, many of these topics are touched upon in depth in Prof. Beasley-Murray's lecture. How important are the authors he talks about to understanding what Piglia is trying to show in this book?

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