essay on the handsomest drowned man

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World by Marquez

The Short Story Is a Moving Tale of Transformation

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Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014) is one of the most important literary figures of the 20 th century. Winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature , he is best known for his novels, particularly One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967).

With its juxtaposition of ordinary details and extraordinary events, his short story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" is an example of the style for which García Márquez is famous: magic realism. The story was originally written in 1968 and was translated into English in 1972.

In the story, the body of a drowned man washes up in a small, remote town by the ocean. As the people of the town attempt to discover his identity and prepare his body for burial, they discover that he is taller, stronger and more handsome than any man they have ever seen. By the end of the story, his presence has influenced them to make their own village and their own lives better than they had previously imagined possible.

The Eye of the Beholder

From the beginning, the drowned man seems to take on the shape of whatever his viewers want to see.

As his body approaches the shore, the children who see him imagine he is an enemy ship. When they realize he has no masts and therefore can't be a ship, they imagine he might be a whale. Even after they realize he is a drowned man, they treat him as a plaything because that’s what they wanted him to be.

Though the man does seem to have some distinctive physical characteristics on which everyone agrees -- namely his size and beauty -- the villagers also speculate extensively about his personality and history.

They reach agreement about details -- like his name -- that they couldn't possibly know. Their certainty seems to be both a part of the "magic" of magic realism and a product of their collective need to feel that they know him and that he belongs to them.

From Awe to Compassion

At first, the women who tend to the body are in awe of the man they imagine he once was. They tell themselves that "if that magnificent man had lived in the village… his wife would have been the happiest woman" and "that he would have had so much authority that he could have drawn fish out of the sea simply by calling their names."

The real men of the village -- fishermen, all -- pale in comparison to this unrealistic vision of the stranger. It seems that the women aren't entirely happy with their lives, but they do not realistically hope for any improvement -- they just fantasize about the unattainable happiness that could have been delivered to them only by this now-dead, mythical stranger.

But an important transformation takes place when the women consider how the drowned man's heavy body will have to be dragged across the ground because it is so large. Instead of seeing the benefits of his enormous strength, they begin to consider that his large body might have been a terrible liability in life, both physically and socially.

They begin to see him as vulnerable and want to protect him, and their awe is replaced by empathy. He begins to seem "so defenseless, so much like their men that the first furrows of tears opened in their hearts," and their tenderness for him also equates to tenderness for their own husbands who have begun to seem lacking in comparison to the stranger.

Their compassion for him and their desire to protect him put them in a more active role, making them feel capable of changing their own lives rather than believing they need a superhero to save them.

In the story, flowers come to symbolize the lives of the villagers and their own sense of efficacy in improving their lives.

We are told at the beginning of the story that the houses in the village "had stone courtyards with no flowers and which were spread about on the end of a desertlike cape." This creates a barren and desolate image.

When the women are in awe of the drowned man, they passively imagine that he could bring improvement to their lives. They speculate

"that he would have put so much work into his land that springs would have burst forth from among the rocks so that he would have been able to plant flowers on the cliffs."

But there is no suggestion that they themselves -- or their husbands -- could put forth this kind of effort and change their village.

But that's before their compassion allows them to see their own ability to act.

It takes a group effort to clean the body, to sew large enough clothes for it, to carry the body, and to stage an elaborate funeral. They even have to enlist the help of neighboring towns to get flowers.

Further, because they do not want him to be orphaned, they choose family members for him, and "through him all the inhabitants of the village became kinsmen." So not only have they worked as a group, they have also become more emotionally committed to each other.

Through Esteban, the townspeople are united. They are cooperative. And they are inspired. They plan to paint their houses "gay colors" and dig springs so they can plant flowers.

But by the end of the story, the houses have yet to be painted and the flowers have yet to be planted. But what's important is that the villagers have stopped accepting “the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams.” They are determined to work hard and make improvements, they are convinced that they are capable of doing so, and they are united in their commitment to realize this new vision.

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The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

Gabriel garcia márquez, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Story Analysis

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Discussion Questions

The story takes place within one day in a small coastal village in South America (specifically, Latin America). How does García Márquez use imagery and mythology to frame the story’s setting? Subsequently, how does the setting support the development of the story’s themes?

Using textual support, identify three literary devices and explore how García Márquez’s use of figurative language shapes the narrative .

“The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” alludes to several mythologized figures: Estevanico, Lautaro, and Quetzalcoatl. Conduct research on one of these corresponding myths and write an essay comparing the drowned man to the mythological figure you’ve chosen. How are they similar? How do they differ? Did your research change your understanding of the text?

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Man, 76, is Lake Lanier’s 2nd drowning victim of the year

Credit: Jason Getz / [email protected]

A 76-year-old Gainesville man drowned in Lake Lanier late Wednesday, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Jim Hansard was last seen around lunchtime at his dock in Forsyth County near Keith Bridge Park. Later Wednesday, a friend saw Hansard’s golf cart still parked at the dock and a water shoe floating nearby, a DNR spokesman said.

Investigators, including Forsyth County deputies and firefighters, were called to the area around 9:30 p.m. Using a boat-mounted SONAR device, wardens located Hansard’s body in 13 feet of water, the DNR said. Forsyth divers recovered the body.

Wednesday’s drowning was the second of the year on Lake Lanier, and both happened within the past week. In 2023, 13 people drowned in the lake, according to DNR data.

On May 29, a man who was fishing with his wife drowned after falling from his boat, the DNR previously said.

Investigators said they believe that when Matthew Mayo of Gainesville tried to sit in a seat on the bass boat, it became unbolted from the bottom, causing him to fall into the water. Mayo, 73, did not resurface.

His body was located in six feet of water, the DNR said. A remote-operated vessel was then able to recover Mayo’s body.

About the Author

Alexis Stevens is a member of the Crime and Public Safety team.

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A personal account of a paratrooper who jumped into Normandy on D-Day

Lt. Col. Gerhard L. Bolland was a proud Norwegian American from the farming town of Madison, Minnesota. He started his military career in 1926 in the Minnesota National Guard and was eventually accepted into West Point.

An excellent soldier who excelled both physically and intellectually, Bolland later became a qualified parachutist on July 4, 1942, after training at Fort Benning, Georgia. The paratrooper then took an officer post in the Special Operations Branch of the Office of Strategic Services.

As a lieutenant colonel, Bolland served as the regiment executive officer of the 507th Parachute Infantry from May 28, 1944, to Nov. 24 of that year. He would jump behind enemy lines on D-Day from the 82nd Airborne Division’s lead aircraft along with Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin, known as “The Jumping General,” and fought in Normandy continuously for 33 days.

Bolland later served in the Scandinavian Section of the OSS’s Special Operations Branch, as he had strong feelings about his ancestral land of Norway languishing under Nazi occupation.

“When Germany invaded Norway, it is hard to describe the level of grief that remained not only in my heart but, I’m sure, in the hearts of every Norwegian in the homeland or abroad,” he later wrote, “a pain that would endure until Norway once again tasted freedom from the tyranny of the Third Reich.”

Bolland retired from active service in 1951 due to a disability and, with Norway on his mind, penned his memoirs in 1966. He later entrusted his papers and wartime recollections to his son Matthew.

The following account of his D-Day experience alongside the 82nd Airborne is excerpted from the book derived from those memoirs, “Among the Firsts: Lieutenant Colonel Gerhard L. Bolland’s Unconventional War.”

To the Drop Zone

On our way [flying inside our cargo aircraft] to the drop zone, most of the [82nd Airborne Division] paratroopers did a lot of smoking, some squirmed quite a bit, checking and re-checking their equipment. Others sang quietly to themselves. Each man dealt with the high tension and jittery nerves in his own way. Although many paratroopers jumped into Normandy with their Garand rifles disassembled and stored in a padded case, known as a Griswald bag, my own regiment, the 507th, did not.

American paratroopers like Bolland prepare for their jump into Normandy beside a C-47 identified with “invasion stripes.” (National Archives)

Instead, we jumped with the rifle assembled and slung over our shoulders with the belly band of the parachute over it, securing it in place. Also, in addition to the bayonet and trench knife, a backup switchblade was carried into battle, partially inserted into the placket pocket of the M2 jump jacket. There was an assortment of these knives the soldier could choose from. I selected a 7-1/4″ Presto M2 with textured grips. All in all, the average paratrooper was loaded down with about 85 pounds of equipment.

About 20 minutes before we were to hit the drop zone, the plane’s door was removed. The cool air that billowed in felt good. Our first glimpse of France was filled with flak flashes and tracer lines streaking across the darkened sky. Seven-and-a-half minutes before we were to drop, the red light flashed on and we stood up and hooked up.

Jumping With the General

This was [Brig.] General [James M.] Gavin’s standard operational procedure. As soon as we crossed into enemy territory, he had his men ready to jump. That way, if our plane was hit by enemy fire, we could bale out [sic] at a rapid pace.

Since I was in the back of the plane, I started the sound off for equipment check. “Nineteen OK,” then slapped the next man in front of me on the shoulder, “Eighteen OK,” and so forth. Bullets were hitting the plane at this point and I’m sure each man wondered whether he would get hit even before he reached the ground? An entire lifetime of thoughts can pass through your mind between the time the red light flashes until the green jump light comes on.

Suddenly, we entered a dense cloudbank that was so thick you could not see the wing tips of the plane. The aircraft were flying in close formation, so this became a dangerous situation. Gavin thought it may have been a smoke cloud put up by the Germans. One always attributes anything unexpected in combat to the cleverness and guile of the enemy.

In an instant, the command was given by the jumpmaster, “Go!,” followed by Gavin yelling “Let’s Go!” as he jumped out the door. The men bailed out rapidly. Into the night sky, jumping straight down Hitler’s chimney. Because of the pilot’s apprehension with the density of flak around us, and the sight of burning planes going down, he was flying at a much higher speed and the initial prop blast shock was much more violent.

U.S. paratroopers fix their static lines for a jump before dawn over Normandy, France, on D-Day. (Army Signal Corps/AP)

Actually, exiting the plane was quite dangerous since each paratrooper was weighed down quite heavily with equipment. We carried a loaded M-1 rifle, 156 more rounds of ammunition, a pistol with three loaded clips, an entrenching shovel, a knife, a water canteen, a first aid packet, four grenades, reserve rations, maps, and a raincoat. There was little time to worry about the dangers of the undertaking, however.

Hitting Water

The red, green and white pencil lines of tracer bullets were visible everywhere. The Germans were throwing everything at us. Search[light] beams crisscrossed the sky looking for flak targets. Burning planes lit the countryside. The Germans were trying to kill us as we floated to the ground.

You could hear the bullets whizzing by. I pulled down on the front risers of my ‘chute to collapse it a bit, also called a ‘chute slip, a common practice we were taught in paratrooper school. This allowed me to drop at a greater rate of speed. I held this until I feared I was getting too close to the ground. Easing back on the risers, I slowed my descent to a normal rate. In the dark it is hard to estimate how close you actually are to the ground. I unfastened my reserve ‘chute and let it drop since the main chute had deployed successfully and it was no longer needed.

Within about five seconds after that, splash! I hit water and went completely under. After the initial shock, the struggle to reach the surface took every ounce of strength I had because of the sheer weight of my equipment. The wind and the current pulled the collapsed ‘chute and dragged me forward, face down. The water was too deep to stand.

Still in a state of shock, I instantly recognized the seriousness of my situation. I struggled to get out of my ‘chute right away by grabbing my M3 trench knife and cutting away the harness. That was a mistake. Desperation started to set in. My lungs felt like they were going to burst.

U.S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, left, gives the order of the day to paratroopers in England prior to boarding planes to participate in the first assault of the Normandy invasion. (U.S. Army Signal Corps/AP)

Saved by a Voice

I felt myself becoming light-headed and was to the point of going unconscious. I had a few quick words with the Lord and, despite what atheists may claim, I heard, in a very audible voice, “Roll over onto your back.” As soon as I did, the ‘chute that was drowning me by dragging me face down, was now planing me along the top of the water, keeping my head up so I could breathe. My heart was pounding, but I was alive!

Half gasping and half choking, I coughed up some of the water that had gotten into my lungs. Once I realized my head would remain above water, I slowly began to retain [sic] my composure. I paddled and kicked my way towards the shoreline until I could feel my feet touch. Once able to stand, on very shaky legs no less, I dragged my soaked and tired, but very grateful, body to the river’s edge and unlatched my ‘chute.

Sitting there alone catching my breath, I could hear the artillery and gunshots going off all around me. For the first time in my life I offered a sincere prayer of thanks to the Lord for sparing my life. At one point, a piece of shrapnel hit the ground and rolled within arm’s reach. “Well,” I thought, “that would make for a nice little souvenir to remember my first night into battle.” “Ouch!” The shrapnel lasted only about a millisecond in my hand. Today’s lesson learned. Shrapnel fresh from an explosion is still very hot!

Flooded by the Germans

I removed my equipment and began to get out as much water as I could to lessen the weight. I poured out my boots and squeezed as much water as I could out of the clothing. When I got to my mess kit, there was a minnow swimming around inside the container.

I learned afterwards I had landed in the Merderet River. … To make matters worse, portions of land surrounding the river had been flooded by the Germans to hinder airborne operations. Much of the surrounding area had been hidden from aerial reconnaissance because of high grass. It was disguised as solid ground. What should have been a smaller shallow river was now much deeper and turned into a thousand-yard-wide lake. Many other paratroopers were not so lucky. They drowned under the weight of their equipment when they hit the flooded waters in the dark…

As is well known, the 507th was spread out over a greater area than any other parachute infantry regiment, from Cherbourg to Carentan, over 60 square miles by some estimates.

Much as other units had suffered from disorganization and dislocation, we paratroopers of the 82nd dealt with our problems and proceeded to accomplish our missions to the best of our abilities. The feeling was the Germans had their chance while the paratroopers were on their way down. Now it was the Americans’ turn…

The Nazis were not Supermen

When the 82nd Airborne Division finally pulled out of the front lines to return to England, 16 of its 21 regimental and battalion commanders had been killed, captured or wounded. The Allied paratroopers landing in the dead of night did not have the advantage of a gigantic supporting cast just enumerated, nor the thousands of ships and aircraft spewing fire. They were on their own; small groups of courageous men, armed with little more than their rifles, dropping directly onto German defenses.

In Normandy, I had the privilege of serving under the proud banners of the 82nd Airborne Division. It gave richly of its strength and fought hard against the enemy. We fought for 33 days straight without let up or reinforcements.

In fact, from D-Day until D+33, it had ground up two German divisions which were never to fight as units again. The price was high. I can still see the morning report figures of those that remained and were present for duty from my own regiment, the 507th [Parachute Infantry Regiment] PIR. We dropped into Normandy 15 percent over strength (more than 2,500 men). Only 733 remained the day we went out.

Severe losses like these have paralyzed many divisions, but throughout the Normandy campaign, the 82nd never lost combat effectiveness. The division’s infantry companies did most of the bleeding during desperate night actions and bloody slogs through hedgerows.

Their dead lay strewn from Sainte-Mere-Eglise to Amfreville to La Haye-du-Puits. Their deeds and bravery captured the hearts of Americans as their D-Day assault, at the time, was one of the nation’s greatest successes. General Gavin had long been known to High Command, but now the press took to him and he became a public figure.

The 507th was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its assault crossing the Merderet River, holding positions on the west side and stymieing large German forces. We knew the fighting forces of the Third Reich were not the supermen they thought they were. They could be beaten.

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Husband Allegedly Admitted to Brutally Murdering Beloved Kindergarten Teacher Who Recently Had Their Baby

Robert Cooley, 25, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the June 1 death of Amber Morgan, 26

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An Indiana man was arrested and charged after police allege he killed his wife about a month after relatives say she gave birth to the couple’s baby.

Robert Cooley, 25, was arrested on suspicion of murder on June 1 after police responded to a call about a person shot inside an Indianapolis home, according to a Facebook post from the Indianapolis Police Department. When they arrived around 7:20 a.m., officers found a woman dead of apparent gunshot wounds. Police also said they recovered a gun inside the home and “quickly” took Cooley into custody.

While police did not share the victim’s name in the post, a probable cause affidavit obtained by WXIN identifies her as Cooley’s wife, 26-year-old Amber Morgan. According to the affidavit, Morgan was severely beaten, had her throat cut, and appeared to have been shot.

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According to The Indianapolis Star , the affidavit states investigators spoke with a witness who claimed the couple had “ongoing domestic issues” and argued the day prior. 

Amber’s father, Corey Morgan, told WISH-TV , that he and Hart believe something upset Cooley, who Hart accused of “verbally abusing” Morgan.

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The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

By gabriel garcia marquez, the handsomest drowned man in the world themes.

The story is interested, as many of Marquez's works are, in the concept of community and how people live among one another. In the story, the drowned man brings everyone in the small village together – from the children playing with his corpse on the beach to the women who clean him for burial, and eventually the men who carry him to the cliff. The appearance of the corpse on the beach becomes in many ways a respite from the mundanity of the life the community has cultivated – one in which days are predictable and every face is familiar. With the introduction of Esteban, the community is shaken and forced to reckon not only with death but also with the way they are collectively spending their shared life. As such, the community is transformed by the process of caring for and burying the drowned man, even though he is a stranger to them.

Latent Desire

As the title of the story indicates, the drowned man is attractive, strong, and virile. All of the women in the village are immediately taken by his appearance once they clean his body, and they all imagine the kind of wonderful life he would have lived had he occupied their own village. The men, too, are eventually absorbed by the drowned man as they recognize his superior form and splendor. In this way, the drowned man – whom they decide cannot be named anything other than Esteban – becomes a vessel through which the people of the village can express their latent desires and aspirations. His intriguing appearance leads the village community to idealize his character and strive for the same, vowing to raise their village to a standard worthy of Esteban's presence.

Death and Narrative

The story showcases the villagers' response to the drowned man's corpse. Though they do not know anything about him, and though they confirm he is a veritable stranger to their village and the other surrounding villages, the community nonetheless imagines an entire life for Esteban, so sure are they of his character after standing in awe of his physique. The story therefore presents the idea that death itself can create narrative, and that it is a distinctly human impulse to create stories and idealized versions of people after they have died. This habit, the story suggests, is what gives other people comfort in the face of loss, and hope in the face of uncertainty regarding life after death. That the villages work to increase the splendor of their town shows how crafting these posthumous stories serves a purpose for those still living.

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

what might this suggest about the villagers values?

The story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel García Márquez suggests that the villagers value physical appearance and material possessions. When the body of a handsome and well-dressed man washes up on their shore, the villagers...

What are the character traits of Esteban

Esteban is obsessive, violent, and materialistic. He devotes his life to his business and political careers, determined first to become rich and then to become powerful.

Why aren't the villagers repulsed by the corpse?

The dead man would been a very large, strong, and handsome fellow in life- he made a beautiful corpse!

Study Guide for The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World and Other Stories study guide contains a biography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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Essays for The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World and Other Stories essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of short stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

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Analysis of Marquez’s "The Handsomest Drowned Man in The World"

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Recreating a jump into Normandy D-Day zone 80 years later, British paratroopers face French customs

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There was a contemporary twist for British paratroopers, who parachuted into the historic D-Day drop zone in Normandy to recreate the airborne part of the battle to wrest western France from Nazi Germany’s control 80 years ago: They had to go through French customs and passport control upon landing.

British paratroopers who had landed near the Normandy village of Sannerville, assembled their parachutes and walked across a field to a makeshift border post – a desk, with a passport scanner and two laptop computers, manned by about half a dozen French border officials, some wearing uniforms of the country’s customs agency.

Since the United Kingdom has left the European Union in 2020, border checks in France and the rest of the 27 EU member states, have been tightened for British visitors and residents.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense confirmed that the incident took place and but were unruffled by the matter.

Videos of paratroopers’ border checks on a Normandy field quickly went viral on social media with users’ comments falling on the 8-year-old Brexit divide - some still bitter over Britain’s exit from the EU and others mocking the French zest for rules as two staunch allies commemorate the start of the battle that has led to liberation of Europe from Nazis.

British tabloid The Sun called the incident, a ridiculous moment” and said paratroopers on a D-Day jump were “forced to show PASSPORTS to French border chiefs after anniversary drop.”

More than 300 British, Belgian and U.S. paratroopers took part in the jump on Wednesday to recreate the events of June 6, 1944.

On Thursday, King Charles III honored the 22,442 British troops who died in the Battle of Normandy and a generation that sacrificed and fought. The king told a commemorative ceremony in northern France that while the number of living veterans was dwindling, “our obligation to remember what they stood for and what they achieved for us all can never diminish.”

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