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Ernesto’s father
The stranger is a political activist that Ernesto meets in Venezuela. Although Ernesto provides almost no concrete details about him, he hints that he’s from Europe and was involved in a Communist movement there. The stranger is waiting for the chance to be involved in a South American revolution, and he believes that the success of revolutionary movements is paramount, meriting the sacrifice of innocent lives. Talking with the stranger solidifies Ernesto’s commitment not just to political activism but to violent revolution.
The Stranger Quotes in The Motorcycle Diaries
The The Motorcycle Diaries quotes below are all either spoken by The Stranger or refer to The Stranger. 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:
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Chapter 46 Quotes
The terrible thing is the people need to be educated, and this they cannot do before taking power, only after. They can only learn at the cost of their own mistakes, which will be very serious and will cost many innocent lives.
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Ernesto is staying in a remote hill town outside of Caracas when he meets a stranger, a fellow traveler about whom he gives very few details besides that he was somehow involved in Communist movements in Europe and fled the country because of his beliefs. The stranger talks to Ernesto about revolution, presumably speaking from his own experiences. Most importantly, he talks about what he sees as the necessarily messy process by which the proletariat must assume power. No amount of theory or forethought can prevent violence in revolution, violence which the stranger implies will affect civilians and innocents. Until Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas
I knew that when the great guiding spirit cleaves humanity into two antagonistic halves, I would be with the people. I know this, I see it printed in the night sky that I, eclectic dissembler of doctrine and psychoanalyst of dogma, howling like one possessed, will assault the barricades or the trenches, will take my bloodstained weapon and, consumed with fury, slaughter any enemy who falls into my hands.
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In the final paragraph of his memoir, after parting with the stranger, Ernesto asserts his absolute commitment to pursuing political activism through revolution. He uses a heightened and emotional tone that differs from his usual, even language, showing that this is a climactic moment for him as a person. Indeed, after wondering for the whole trip who he is and what he will do, he finally defines himself as a revolutionary. He’s entirely different from the young medical student who set out on vacation before resuming preparation for a bourgeois career. This moment represents the culmination of a process of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earu
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The Stranger Character Timeline in The Motorcycle Diaries
The timeline below shows where the character The Stranger appears in The Motorcycle Diaries. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
46. Anotación al Margen (A Note in the Margin)
...[has] melted away” and he is engulfed by darkness. In this village, he meets a stranger. Although Ernesto only gives a vague description of this man and his practical circumstances, he...
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The stranger gives a long speech about revolution, which Ernesto transcribes verbatim onto the page. He says...
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After saying goodbye to the stranger, Ernesto experiences what he describes as a personal “revelation.” He, too, now views revolution as...
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