Magical Realism: Comparing the Merits of "Bon Voyage, Mr. President," "Maria dos Prazeres," and Field of Dreams Anonymous 10th Grade

Authors write in the genre of magical realism every day. Magical realism is the use of surreal elements in the midst of a realistic situation. The authors utilize the surrealistic aspects to convey messages in ways specific to that genre. In the book Strange Pilgrims, Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses styles of description to reveal messages to the reader in each of twelve stories. “Bon Voyage, Mr. President” is most effective in conveying it’s message to the reader, because it has abstract magic, Field of Dreams is least effective, since it has easily detectable magical elements, and Garcia Marquez's “Maria dos Prazeres” is an average of the two. The stories’ usefulness in informing the reader illustrates the power of authors in the modern world.

Subtle magical realism in the form of luck is most effective in conveying a message to the reader. For instance, Mr. President in “Bon Voyage, Mr. President” is unusually lucky. He almost fell to his death in the train tracks after trying to catch his cane, but the conductor saved him. “‘My God...nothing can kill that man’” (Garcia Marquez 34). Magical realism is when surreal elements are seen in realistic settings. So, it’s logical that most people would not see the magical realism in this...