Green Prison Novel Essay

The following essay shows a summary of the novel “ Prisión Verde ” by Ramón Amaya Amador, with
which we try to show part of what this great story that happened here in Honduras is, as well as being able to
learn about all its most important points and reflect in the best possible way to understand the plot and
everything that this novel entails.

Being one of the most coveted literary works in Honduras, and which in its time served as evidence to
be used in the courts because it recounts all the suffering and injustices that occurred at that time, it also shows
the corruption that existed, both in the ruling classes of the economy, as well as in the government, who was
submerged by the dictatorship of Tiburcio Carías Andino.

But most importantly, the process that leads to the formation of class consciousness among workers,
from resignation to power, passing through the short-range state, until arriving at the proposal of a radical path
in society making the ruling working class. From Amaya Amador Green Prison he spoke to the resistance of
our days through Máximo Luján; In politics we need something different from the traditional caudillismo, the
compadrazgo, the paternalism of the “ gorgueras ”. We need the desires of our working masses to be expressed
in a political ideal, and this ideal in a true workers' party, a truly revolutionary party. Since we should not
believe in men-idols: our political history is full of their promises.

Green Prison is about banana companies that exploited workers. Mr. Still, who was a gringo investor,
and the lawyer Párraga, who was a Honduran politician, wanted the best lands in the lower Aguan area and
wanted to buy them from Mr. Sierra. Mr. López and Mr. Cantillano, who were the landowners with the best
lands in the area, the gringos tried to negotiate with the three landowners but only two of them accepted the
proposal, Mr. Sierra and Mr. Cantillano. It was their dream to go live in the city. They negotiated and sold their
land, but Mr. Lucho López refused this request and rejected the offer even though it seemed good to him.
Furthermore, all the people from the South of the country left for the North coast after the banana companies
ruined their properties. These people left what the insurance had to go to a place where the only thing there was
suffering for the workers and their families. At that time there was a war between the liberals and the
cachurecos in which many people died.
It is also mentioned about the payment that the workers received, which was 20 cents. According to Máximo
Luján, who was a worker at the company, it was a green prison because the workers were tied to the clusters
and the clusters to them.

All people from illiterate to graduated professionals saw their work efforts under the green and gold sign
of the banana. Professor Damián Cherara was a prisoner in the banana fields, who before being a figure in the
personality of the national teaching profession, suffered humiliations as a result of his honesty.

The workers lived in terrible and inhuman conditions which were called “ Cusules ” which were houses
made of bamboo covered with sheets of newspaper and with dirt floors in which many people were housed. The
workers are desperate to go to work very early as are their wives to make him food. They spent their nights
under the star-filled sky.

The workers work non-stop and as soon as they left the banana plantations when it was time for lunch,
their blue poison-colored clothes came out, their hands were dirty, and they looked for the strange shadows to
eat. Pardo, who was one of these workers who had experienced what it was like to confront the military, and
who had experienced what it was like to be on strike, told his colleagues what happened when this happened.
He wanted them to make a protest but it made him a little nostalgic and afraid when he remembered what he
had experienced.

All the workers thought that what happened with the one in Trujillo, which raised anchor and left when
it had already exhausted all the resources in the area, was going to happen with this banana company. But
apparently they were wrong because this continued for a long time. The company brought workers from home
(the United States) or from abroad, who were paid double what they paid the locals. The workers said that when
they tried to form unions or demand from the company, then the government escorts took care of them. For this
reason they did not make many demands regarding their work since at first they were a little afraid.

It is also mentioned in a chapter how Lujan saw Catuca Pardo (who was his wife) being unfaithful to
him with Mr. Foxer. So I couldn't do anything about it. Later he is mentioned in a chapter as Mr. Foxer rapes
Catuca, causing her to become pregnant.

Later he talks in a chapter that all the workers plan to take revenge on Mr. Still for being so evil towards
them for exploiting them in that way and it happens that one of them causes an accident on the train that Mr.
Making him leave the tracks and causing his death. The other commanders who survived the accident were able
to see who caused the accident, which is why they later ended up torturing and murdering him.
 Then they punish those who acted as a revolutionary movement when the banana strike began and in the
end the actions they take are very unfair. They realize who the leader of the movement is, Máximo Lujan, and
they assassinate him. And the end of the book remains like this when Lujan is unjustly murdered and followed
by the Banana Strike.

Finally we see that this book is based on real events that happened in Honduras in my own experience
after having lived in the banana fields of Olanchito (Yoro). The author of this book wanted to make us aware of
everything that was happening and happened in the banana fields, how the workers were exploited during those
times when the banana strike took place. This story makes us reflect on the injustices that occurred in the
banana fields of that time but as a result of these injustices many people died, which is why it occurred after the
banana strike. Therefore, it is believed that the Standard Fruit Company was a exploitative managing her
workers like slaves in the banana fields.

Citations and References

 This essay has been prepared on the book of Prisión Verde

(To the 2nd Edition, 1974, by Longino Becerra).

And supported by some online documents that summarize the events of this book. The purpose of this essay is
to highlight the most important points about the book which is in accordance with APA standards.

Reference List

Book comprised of 31 chapters and essay based on:

 green prison
Editorial “ Ramón Amaya Amador ”
Editorial.raa@gmail.com
 Juanchot-larcas@gmail.com