The November 15, 1922 Strike as a Historical Antecedent of Joaquín Gallegos Lara’s Las cruces sobre el agua (1946)

Abstract

Las cruces sobre el agua by Joaquín Gallegos Lara and the November 15, 1922 strike serve as a historical background for the author’s novelistic realization. This event was an expression of protest motivated by the discontent of a sector of the population of Guayaquil, tired of the constant abuse of the “powerful” towards an impoverished social class that reacted in defense of its interests torn by abuse and injustice. This fact touched closely on a pressing problem in labor relations and the tragic takeoff that had to take place. This novel presents Alfredo Baldeón as the prototype of the hero who motivates an uprising that urgently seeks an illuminating change in the daily life of a population marginalized in its most essential interests. In order to reach a mixed population, the author uses several “narrators” so that this unworthy environment is better visualized, thus offering us a conclusive social and political background that justifies a testimony of social realism.