When he got lost in the jungle, Bartolome, himself, described it as “topographical ignorance”. His failure to learn his surrounding area led to his near death in the beginning. Which was obviously not enough for survival since it failed to save him from his sacrifice. For Bartolome Arrazola, three years in a foreign place only resulted in a “fair knowledge of the native tongue”. The three year time gap that Bartolome Arrazola spent in Guatemalan jungle demonstrated the insufficient use of this time when compare to the two hour it took for his demise. Ultimately, Monterroso’s toying with the concept of the time starkly demonstrates how the knowledge from centuries ago that the Europeans so heavily rely on, does not even allow them to survive more than 2 hours against the primitive Mayan knowledge. Monterroso’s time gaps emphasize Arrazola’s incapacity to learn the language or even learn the geography of the forest he has spent three years in.
However, Monterroso also implies that within that time frame Arrazola had not accomplished anything in order to survive in the Guatemalan terrain or amongst the Mayan people. Monterroso describes in, “The Eclipse,” that Bartolome Arrazola, the protagonist, is a Spanish priest who has lived among the Mayans for three years. “The Eclipse” by Guatemalan author, Augusto Monterroso uses time gaps in order to prove that the Europeans are inferior to the Mayans, despite their arrogance and superiority complexes.
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