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Reflection by John Bradfield
For the presentation, we decided to divide the older generation down into the individual characters and how they contributed to the cultural context and the history of the country. We felt that this would be an efficient way to portray an image of the older generation as a whole. We then pieced together our findings using Padlet.
I was assigned the character of Andrés. I found that the most effective way to analyze the older generation was focus on their dialogue seeing as they only appeared in a handful of scenes in Vientos de Cuaresma, and Quatro Estaciones en La Habana. I relied heavily on the novel, which provided a more personal and detailed verbal exchange between the characters, as they discussed their lives and their childhood. Tertiary sources describing the history and culture of Cuba in a general sense, allowed me to deduce my own conclusions regarding Andrés’ cynicism.
I found the Padlet to be an effective and efficient way of presenting material, and our findings to the class. It was easy to use, and we could all contribute to the Padlet and update our presentations as we saw fit without the complication of putting it all together. I found this project very intriguing and it has made me a lot more eager to learn about the culture and literature of Hispanic nations.

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We were assigned the topic of the old generation for our padlet project. I felt that this was a good subject to focus on as these characters convey cultural context and insight into Conde´s character. We began our project by creating a group chat and choosing characters to focus on; I chose El Conejo and the general summary of The Old Generation.

I felt this specific topic was a good challenge because the lack of secondary sources online made me deeply analyse the characters and become a detective myself. I found the Netflix series very useful as well in this case as the book often refers to the old generation together as one group, however the series made it easier to get a good depiction of the individual characters.

I really enjoyed making the padlet and doing group work, I found it to be a more enjoyable way of learning. Presenting was a good way to constructively criticise and compare our project to the rest of the class. Our project was short which was good as it was to the point, but on the other hand, it would have been beneficial to use the spare time to put in extra relevant information or be more creative.

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For the presentation we closely analysed the old generation of Vientos de Cuaresma. This was a great topic to present because I feel the old generation of the book were vital in Padura’s depiction of Cuba; its culture and its history. Personally I had to cover the character of El Flaco Carlos. To do this I read the book but also watched the movie and series at home to better understand his character and his specific relationship with Mario Conde. This was actually quite fun as while I was analysing a character for a presentation, I also got to unwind and watch the tv which I don’t get to do much nowadays! We worked together to put the presentation together, texting on a group chat prior to the day we presented. As jesssica said, a video clip would have been nice to have for the presentation but overall I’m really happy with the work we put in and the actual presentation itself.

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For the presentation, as a group once we had received our topic of The Old Generation, we created a WhatsApp group to communicate and decide which characters we each would discuss. I picked the character of Josefina, Flaco’s doting mother. I began my research by re-watching scenes she had appeared in, in the movie, as well as key conversations she had had in the novel. I examined her relationship with Flaco and how this contributed to his friendship with Conde. I used online resources to help me with my findings as I found it difficult to find information on Josefina as she is a minor character. I enjoyed using the padlet to add pictures and quotes to my character and I felt that this made it more interesting. The most challenging part for me was the overall in-class presentation, I’m not that confident speaking publicly but I felt that as a group we delivered an assured presentation. Something that I would’ve done differently after seeing my classmate’s presentations would be adding a video clip or a piece of music to our padlet. This would have made ours stand out amongst the others. Overall, I was happy with how our presentation went.

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When examining the relationship between the main protagonist Conde and the old generation of Vientos de Cuaresma, it’s clear to see that he shares a very close friendship with ‘El Flaco’ Carlos. Throughout the first chapter of the book we are introduced to both characters through the Padura’s use of dialogue between the two;

‘Yo me voy pal carajo..’ - Conde

‘Yo siempre lo he dicho, bestia, me encanta verte así: entusiasmado y con alegría..’ – Carlos

It’s clear through the banter that Conde and Carlos have that they are close life-long friends, often saying things in jest or making a joke out of each other i.e. the way he refers to his figure by calling him ‘el flaco,’ Also it’s through the use of the character that we learn of the culture surrounding this Cuban setting. This can be seen in the movie when Conde is having dinner with his friends and they recount growing up and getting jobs. It’s clear by aspects like his involvement in the war that El Flaco Carlos is instrumental to the portrayal of Cuba as the setting of the book and he's also important in understanding the friendships that Conde holds during the course of the story.

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Andrés is different to the rest of the group in the sense that he is a lot more cynical, and doesn't seem to hold their childhoods in the same esteem as his friends.
"Somos una generación jodida."
While El Conejo, and Conde look back over their younger years with some fondness, it is clear that Andrés felt suffocated and burdened by the conditions under which his generation grew up. He questions the system that made them who they are. "Porque decían que seríamos mejores. Y ahora, ¿Qué caranjo somos, caballeros?" Having been born and raised during the cold war period whereby the country faced many difficulties, their generation were given a 'live with or leave' ultimatum which seemed to instill a sense of subordination in them.
Andrés' cynicism gives balance to the group regarding characters such as Flaco, who loves life despite being wheelchair bound.
Andrés is the only one in the group who's childhood dream profession became a reality, studying medicine before becoming a doctor. This suggests that there is something resembling a realist within him, unafraid to call things as he see's them. "No te hagas el tonto, tú querías ser escritor y terminaste siendo policía.
He detests his blind following of societies rules, and views his formative years as misspent.
He regrets only ever doing as he was told, studying, marrying, being a good son and then being a good father.
“Porque siempre había algo que era lo correcto hacer, algo que alguien decía que yo debría hacer y yo lo hice: estudiar, casarme, ser buen hijo y ahora buen padre.”

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Conde´s close peers have an important role in the novel. Most of the scenes they appear in give us an insight into Cuban culture. For example, the Cuban revolution, with the subtle reference to the black market and food rationing. The conversation amongst the friend group is often reminiscent of the past which gives us an insight into the past culture of Cuba, such as the Angolian war. “Desde que recibiera el tiro en Angola y quedara definitivamente inválido, el Flaco Carlos, que ya no era flaco”

The existence of the friend group gives Conde´s character more dimension.  It makes Conde different to a typical hardboiled detective, who would stereo-typically be mysterious and keep to himself, and makes him more fitting to the neopolicial genre. His friends humanise him, making him a more relatable and down to earth character. Their friendship is realistic like any other which consists of inside jokes, nicknames and constant slagging, “Eres una cabrona tiñosa.”  This also adds an element of humour to the book and film.  They add layers to Conde´s personality and show that his life is not all based around his work

The presence of these characters also serve to highlight the differences between the two generations of the old and the young.  They give a perspective on the changes in youth and society today in comparison to their nostalgic times in the past.

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“se hicieron adultos mientras empezaron a conocer el sentido de la traición y también el de la maldad, vieron crecer arribistas y frustrarse a ciertos corazones cándidos, se enamoraron apasionadamente y se emborracharon de dolor y de alegría, y aprendieron, sobre todo, que existe una necesidad invencible que a falta de mejor nombre se conoce como amistad.”

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Interestingly, we aren’t ever told his real name, he is only referred to as El Conejo meaning the rabbit. This is an interesting nickname, as it is never explained such as Flaco´s nickname is. It may have something to do with his hippyish image. There is little physical description of El Conejo, however, Conde refers to him as a hippy, “No había hippies ni estos friquis de ahora.Este — y señaló al Conejo”, and he is portrayed in the film as a hippy from his appearance with his bohemian shirt and hair. El Conejo is also described as someone who is tight with money, “el Conejo, con su parsimonia invencible”. He comes across intelligent, in the film he briefly mentions he studies philosophy, he also brings books as a gift to the dinner “el Conejo, él le traía unos libros”. He quotes Shakespeare´s Hamlet faultlessly in the book, “Algo anda mal en el reino de Dinamarca —sentenció el Conejo y bajó otro trago de ron.”, However in the film he quotes it but adds that says doesn’t remember who said it. He is a minor character but together with Andres and El Flaco he forms an important steady and solid friendship and support system for Conde.

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The character of Josefina is portrayed as the loving, mother of 'El Flaco' Carlos, Conde’s sidekick. She dotes on her son and shows off her impressive culinary skills throughout the novel. She is described by Conde as being ‘es invencible’. In the book, there are many references to Cuban cuisine which gives us an insight into the Cuban culture. The kitchen recipes are detailed: Ajiaco to the sailor, Madrid stew and fried chicken. ‘Esto lo hacía mi abuelo, que era marinero y gallego, y según el este ajiaco es el padre de los ajiacos y le saca ventaja a la olla podrida'. The friends always meet together to eat Josefina’s dishes. Flaco is very dependent on Josefina, he looks up to her as a mother figure to him and his friend thinks that when she dies, it will be El Conde who decides to take care of his well-being even if Flaco refuses.

We are given little insight into the personality of Josefina in both the novel and the movie as she is one of the more minor characters but from our understanding she has a key role in cementing the relationships between the friends, especially that of Conde and Carlos.