MARTÍN FIERRO FOR STUDENTS · THE RETURN · 1879
Canto 18 Explained: After Old Vizcacha's Death: Fear, Burial and Abandonment
A source-linked English study guide alongside José Hernández’s original Spanish poem.
What happens in Canto 18?
The younger son stays alone with the dead Vizcacha and his dogs while others arrange the burial. Although his guardian mistreated him, the boy places a scapular on the body and prays for him. Frightened by the animals' howling and stories about supernatural signs, he abandons the hut. He later hears that Vizcacha was buried without a proper wake and that a dog damaged the exposed corpse. The boy continues to suffer from memories and nightmares.
Original verses: three passages worth studying
The following stanzas are taken directly from the repository's original-text corpus, without modernization. Explanations elsewhere on this page are interpretation, not translation.
Me saqué el escapulario,se lo colgué al pecador,y como hay en el Señormisericordia infinita,rogué por la alma benditadel que antes jué mi tutor.
Ahi dejé que los ratonescomieran el guasqueríoy como anda a su albedríotodo el que güerfano queda,alzando lo que era míoabandoné aquella cueva.
Y me ha contao ademásel gaucho que hizo el entierro-al recordarlo me aterro,me da pavor este asunto-que la mano del dijuntose la había comido un perro.
Main characters and voices
Martín Fierro's younger son narrating; the deceased Viejo Vizcacha; a worker who later buries him; neighbors whose beliefs and reports the boy recalls.
Literary themes to identify
Orphanhood and isolation; compassion despite abuse; burial and mourning; superstition; reported accounts versus firsthand knowledge.
Gaucho vocabulary in context
escapulario (devotional scapular); rosario (rosary); güerfano (orphan); finado (deceased person); guasquerío (leather straps); peón (hired rural worker).
What to notice in the narration
The boy witnesses the lonely vigil but learns the circumstances of the burial later from someone else. The neighbors' beliefs about the dogs are presented as folk superstition, not established supernatural events. His compassion for Vizcacha does not negate the guardian's previous neglect.
Reading-comprehension and discussion questions
- Why does the younger son pray for a guardian who treated him poorly?
- Which events does he witness and which are reported to him afterward?
- What role do the dogs' howling and the neighbors' beliefs play in the frightening scene?
- How do the boy's recurring dreams show the aftermath of his experience?
Support answers with details from the original canto. Different interpretations may be justified if the quoted passages and narrative context support them.
Sources and further reading
Primary source: José Hernández, La vuelta de Martín Fierro (1879), Canto 18, reproduced from the site's structured Spanish corpus. Summary and questions are original English educational commentary, not quoted authorial explanations.
Original canto · Summary of both parts · Character guide · All study guides