Mario Vargas Llosa’s short story ‘ ‘The Challenge” is a seemingly straightforward story about a fight between two men, Justo and the Gimp. Although Vargas Llosa tells the reader little about them and thus does not fully develop any of the characters, he provides enough information about some of the characters to allow the reader…
Tag: Mario Vargas Llosa
The Challenge by Mario Vargas Llosa – Setting
Latin-American Literature Prior to Vargas Llosa’s arrival on the literary scene, twentieth-century Peruvian literature was dominated by the works of Jose Carlos Mari£tegui, Cesar Vallejo, and Jose Maria Arguedas. Maria’tegui’s work reflects his belief that Peru’s people provide the key to understanding the country’s past and future. Vallejo’s poetry, prose, and drama gained special recognition…
The Challenge by Mario Vargas Llosa – Literary Devices
Descriptions Julian, the narrator, provides detailed descriptions of characters’ appearances, settings, and actions. He also has a tendency to use similes in his descriptions. He remarks that the Gimp (once a friend of his) is “much taller than all the others. In the dark I couldn’t see but could only imagine the face armored with…
The Challenge by Mario Vargas Llosa – Themes
Loyalty Each character portrayed in “The Challenge” is loyal to either Justo or the Gimp. The battle lines are clearly drawn throughout the story, as no characters attempt to stop the fight or arbitrate the tension between the two sides. Although Briceno and Moses express doubt about Justo’s ability to win the fight, they remain…
The Challenge by Mario Vargas Llosa – Characters
Briceno Briceno is one of the young men in the central group of friends in the story. He speaks his mind, such as when he announces that he thinks the Gimp will kill Justo in the fight. When he sees Justo, however, he expresses nothing but confidence in Justo’s ability to win the fight. Chalupas …
The Challenge by Mario Vargas Llosa – Summary
As the story opens, the narrator, Julian, is sitting at the River Bar with his friends Leon and Briceno. Leonidas, an older man, arrives and joins them. He informs them that Justo (another member of the group) will be fighting the Gimp at the raft that night. When Leonidas leaves, Briceno says that Justo is…