The World of the Rosas' dictatorship as seen in "The Slaughterhouse" and the film "Camila."
It is necessary to give a background to the rule of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877) in Argentina from 1829 to 1852. He was a Federalist war hero that had amassed large amounts of land during the civil war between the Unitarians and the Federalists. As a military leader as well as a landowner, he gained the support of the poor, who had served during the war; and the richer land oligarchy. Rosas' era is perhaps best marked with the ideas of death squads and red caps. Rosas was the head of "a loose alliance of Federalist caudillos," and he ruled with the strong arm tactics that were common to caudillo rule. Rosas was "capable of diplomatic compromises, but intolerant of opposition and unforgiving to his enemies." Although Rosas believes that he was saving the country from anarchy, his opponents saw him as a dictator.
It is clear that Esteban Echeverría (1805-1851) saw Rosas as the latter of the two. In his short story, "The Slaughter House," Echeverría portrays the whole situation of Rosas' rule through the description of a slaughter house. The Slaughter House "is located in the southern part of Buenos Aires, on a huge lot."(70) Rosas was Governor of Buenos Aires 1829-33 and also 1835-52. The fact that the lot of the slaughter house is described as huge, represents the fact that Rosas had extensive powers and that some of this arose from the lands he had amassed during the civil war. The slaughter house clearly represents the power base of Rosas' rule, as we see fiercely loyal supporters of the "Restorer" who are ever-willing to crush political opponents. To supplement this idea of Rosas' power, we also hear how all the blood from the slaughter house is collected in one ditch. This could be said to represent how ultimately all power and responsibility lies with Rosas, the dictator of Argentina.
Rosas has delegated "the highest power" to the judge of the slaughter house. One of the important roles in the Slaughter House, is the collection of "fines for violation of the rules"(70) It is a recurrent motif of the piece that there are rules that must be obeyed in order to show support for the Federalists. This takes the form of insignia, mourning sash, haircuts and the slogan "Death to the savage Unitarians." The posters that are pasted on the walls are indicative of what Echeverría calls "the political and religious faith of the Slaughter House folk." The idea of a religious cult being built up around the Restorer, appears to refer to the cult of personality that the Mazorca, Rosas' "unofficial secret police" , or "the terrorist society of Rosas' henchmen,"(71) established. This cult is heightened by the propaganda against his opponents that adds to Rosas image. Echeverría also tries to show a link between the Church and Rosas, as he mentions that the Heroine is marked for her "Christian virtues and her Federalist heroism"(71)
Rosas was keen that he was seen as the Restorer of order, security and laws. This had been abandoned after Independence was gained and to regain it, Rosas had to "exercise personal influence on the masses." Echeverría uses the term "the Restorer" in a somewhat ironic way, as the reader discovers through progression through the piece. For Echeverría, Rosas was a Restorer but not of anything that Echeverría wanted to be present in Argentina. This criticism of Rosas is what led to Echeverría's exile.
The hierarchy of support for Rosas' is highlighted through the "group of people of different skin colors"(71) that are to be seen in the Slaughter House. There is the butcher, a gang of children, Negro and mulatto women, offal collectors, mastiffs, horsemen and gulls. This shows the range of people that was attracted to the support of Rosas, from the powerful landowners to the poor who looked up to him because of his power and out of hope that he could change their lives. The gulls who are "attracted by the smell of blood"(71), and whose cries drown everything else, seem to represent the group with whom Echeverría had most problems - the people who unthinkingly support Rosas' regime for the violence that is intrinsic to it. This idea is repeated with the portrayal of Matasiete as "a man of few words and quick action."(72) It is then summarized by the Unitarian stranger who speaks of how "force and brutal violence"(73) are the arms of the Slaughter House folk.
Clearly the story seeks to show how any opponent to the Restorer is bullied, threatened, forced and frightened into a change of opinion. The Unitarian tries not to get involved in a fight with the men, in fact he seems almost unaware of any danger as he is described as "fearless,"(72) but the Slaughter House folk seek to punish him for not having conformed to the orders of the Restorer. Even in the Slaughter House itself, groups dissolve and then new ones are formed. This could represent opposition being crushed and then having to be reestablished.
The Slaughter House claims to support the restorer who has brought back law, security and order, and yet there seems to be disrespect for law in that the judge's room is where the drinking and cards playing occurs. Echeverría shows that these men are not concerned for laws but instead for the violence and bravery that are encapsulated in "innumerable feats of valor," (76) of which the incident that ends in the death if the young Unitarian is said to be one. Echeverría wants to make it clear that he considers these people as slaves to Rosas. There are no personal liberties under Rosas, but conformity to a way of acting, dressing and thinking. The Unitarians had wanted power so that they could develop a system of government in Argentina that was more like the one existing in the United States. Echeverría shows us that these men had ordered the wearing of a mourning sash in honor of the Heroine, so that they might "flatter your master and pay infamous homage to him."(75)
When the young stranger has died the Judge talks of how they had just wanted to amuse themselves with him and that the young man had taken these things too seriously. He is described as "scowling tiger-like"(76) and this refers to the stranger's comment that his attackers were like wild animals. It is as if they had been playing with their prey but not actually wanted it dead. Echeverría sums up his ideas about the regime in his final paragraph in which he talks of how quick people were to consider others as opponents to Rosas and so to the country. As shown by his comments about mourning, the young stranger cared deeply for his country and so could not support Rosas. Another religious reference is made through the comparison of the supporters of Rosas to the apostles, except that Rosas men use the whip instead of the Word.
The link between Echeverría and the film "Camila" is blatant, as it his books that Camila seeks to read. The film is set in Buenos Aires in 1847, and at this time Echeverría was in exile due to his opposition of the Rosas government. His books are banned and it is only through a certain bookseller that Camila is able to obtain them illegally. We see the way that Rosas deals with opposition to him in that there is strict censorship of intellectuals and this means that the bookseller loses his life.
The whole atmosphere of the film suggests that people feel pressure to conform to the governing body. Camila is not allowed to express ideas of her own at the dinner table as she is a woman, but also because her ideas could have severe consequences for her. The film again shows the importance of insignia - Ladislao is reminded that he must wear the red ribbon when he first arrives. The film highlights the theme of faith and transgression. It is clear that the Church did have a lot of power at this time, but that it had forgotten that this power had been bestowed on them through their alleged representation of God's Kingdom on earth. The elopement of the priest with an heiress, and the realization of Ladislao that he cannot run from God, shows that even combined, the Church and Rosas could not control people's hearts and minds.
When the couple have been captured, it is shown that no one really cares for the human element of the story. Adolfo, Camila's father is not concerned to help his daughter but only for his name. The Church is concerned for its reputation rather than helping these sinners find a way back to God. Rosas just wants to demonstrate his power and does so by overthrowing the law against the execution of pregnant women.
With what Echeverría says in "The Slaughter House" and the portrayal of the era in Maria Luisa Bemberg's 1984 film, it seems difficult to understand how people could consider that Rosas was running the country in a beneficial way. Peter Winn considers that the void that was left by the end of colonial rule was filled with caudillo rule in local areas. Rosas managed to unite these areas with his model of caudillo rule in the province of Buenos Aires and throughout the country, but he did not go to any effort to enhance the liberties that people had hoped would be gained with independence from the colonial powers.
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