An Analysis of “One Day of Life” By Manlio Argueta Literature Essay

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An Analysis of “One Day of Life” By Manlio Argueta
The book “one day of life” is a fictional documentary on a peasant's struggling life focusing on the early years of the El Salvador Civil War. The story revolves around a rural family and their hardships to survive. It also reflects the revolutionary struggle of peasants against government forces. Even though the tale of the novel is fictional, the issues highlighted are real depicted enlighten the reader about the horror of poverty at the start of civil war (Mimilooc). This analysis elaborates on the rural class's endless social struggle in opposition to military forces, the ruling class, and poverty.
Problems Which Peasants Endure
One day of life demonstrates the number of hardships that peasants endure in their lives. Government oppression, economically weak conditions, capitalism, corruption of priests, threats, bloodshed, and the continuation of everyday life in the face of brutal repression are some significant problems. The exploitation of the working-class can be witnessed with the act of taking fruits by the upper class. The priests also represent capitalism. Priests’ education of the poor’s shows their corruption and lust, which kept the poor away from the awareness of their rights. They were used to “control” the working class by saying that poverty is a blessing, and the struggle would be rewarded in “Heaven.” When the new generation’s priests tried to bring change by saying that “To get to heaven first we must struggle to create a paradise on earth.” (Mimilooc), it gave rise to violence.
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