Talking to Strangers
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Afterword
Themes
All Themes Default to Truth Limitations of Transparency Coupling Theory and Context Self vs. Stranger
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Malcolm Gladwell Sandra Bland Brian Encinia Ana Belen Montes Tim Levine Harry Markopolos Florentino Aspillaga Montezuma II Hernán Cortés Brian Latell Neville Chamberlain Adolph Hitler Eugene Carroll Reg Brown Scott Carmichael Bernie Madoff Michael McQueary Jerry Sandusky Larry Nassar Amanda Knox Brock Turner James Mitchell Bruce Jessen Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) Sylvia Plath David Weisburd Larry Sherman George Kelling Charles Remsberg Joe Paterno Tim Curley Allan Myers Jennifer Fugate Sergio Jarillo Carlos Crivelli El Alpinista Winston Churchill Nat Simons Solomon Sendhil Mullainathan Emily Doe Brian Bree Dwight Heath Rudy Guede Gary Schultz Jonathan Dranov
Terms
All Terms Coupling Theory Displacement Theory Hermanos al Rescate Mismatched Myopia Theory Preventative Patrol Reid Technique The Second Mile Transparency Truth-Default Theory
Symbols
All Symbols The Holy Fool Sandra Bland’s Cigarette
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Talking to Strangers

by

Malcolm Gladwell
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Hernán Cortés Character Analysis

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador. When he and his people reached the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in 1519, they were the first Europeans to set foot in Mexico. Cortés ordered his army to execute Aztec leader Montezuma II after a series of poor translations between Cortés and Montezuma (who spoke only Nahuatl, an Aztec language) led Cortés to believe (incorrectly) that Montezuma deemed him a god and gifted him the city. Montezuma’s execution resulted in a bloody war that took the lives of 20 million Aztecs. Gladwell presents this historical scene in the Introduction to show how misunderstanding strangers can result in deadly consequences.

Hernán Cortés Quotes in Talking to Strangers

The Talking to Strangers quotes below are all either spoken by Hernán Cortés or refer to Hernán Cortés. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Default to Truth Theme Icon
).
Introduction Quotes

Today we are now thrown into contact all the time with people whose assumptions, perspectives, and backgrounds are different from our own. The modern world is not two brothers feuding for control of the Ottoman Empire. It is Cortés and Montezuma struggling to understanding each other through multiple layers of translators. Talking to Strangers is about why we are so bad at that act of translation.

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Montezuma II, Hernán Cortés
Page Number: 11-12
Explanation and Analysis:
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Hernán Cortés Quotes in Talking to Strangers

The Talking to Strangers quotes below are all either spoken by Hernán Cortés or refer to Hernán Cortés. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Default to Truth Theme Icon
).
Introduction Quotes

Today we are now thrown into contact all the time with people whose assumptions, perspectives, and backgrounds are different from our own. The modern world is not two brothers feuding for control of the Ottoman Empire. It is Cortés and Montezuma struggling to understanding each other through multiple layers of translators. Talking to Strangers is about why we are so bad at that act of translation.

Related Characters: Malcolm Gladwell (speaker), Montezuma II, Hernán Cortés
Page Number: 11-12
Explanation and Analysis:
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