The Reality of Violence and the Violence of Reality in Mario Vargas Llosa’s Novels

Mario Vargas Llosa’s work explores the structures and mechanisms of power, either political or social, the Peruvian writer constantly placing his characters in the complex context of a world dominated by violence. But violence does not always guarantee success, on the contrary, it often brings about loneliness and rejection of some of his major protagonists either by their friends and family or, at times, by the entire community they live in and wish to represent. All these can be analyzed in his novels centered upon contemporary historical issues, such as The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta (1984) and Death in the Andes (1993), where the central characters have to face death and to find the most adequate answer to the challenge of various violent forces. The real Peru is turned into a symbolic domain of fear and mystical practice, suggesting a new kind of fictional reality, expressing a society mentally blocked within its own traditions and practically unable (or unwilling) to get over them.