Tuesday Siesta Review by Isaac Burton
The short story Tuesday Siesta, by Gabriel García Márquez, tells the story of an old, poor woman accompanied by her daughter to find her recently deceased son’s grave. They start out on a train passing banana farms on the way to a town where her deceased son’s grave is believed to be. They arrive in a small town during their siesta time (Nap time).
Upon arriving, they go straight to the Priest’s home, to only be greeted by a Sister, who informs them that the priest is about to take a nap. The old woman protests until the Priest comes out and she demands the keys to her son’s grave. The old woman informs the priest that her son was Carlos Centeno Ayala, a thief who was shot by an old woman that killed him. The priest criticizes the old woman, who responds that he was a good man that did what he could for his family. The Priest then understands that her son stole for his family, but the Preist still frowns upon being a thief. The Priest then gives her the key and points in the general direction of the grave. The old woman and child leave the house only to find that a crowd has gathered around the house. In Tuesday Siesta, Gabriel García Márquez uses complex characters and culture to show the overall theme of perservearance.