Secondly, Márquez criticizes the bishop in the village for his wildly grand prestige over the village, his general lack of care for the citizens, and his presence being an interference to the village. In the novel, the bishop only appears when he is coming down the river in his boat, and draws the cross in the air. Márquez illustrates the bishop’s boat as having "two smokestacks instead of one, with the flag painted on them like armbands, and the wheel made of planks at the stern [which] gave it the drive of a seagoing ship" (p. 17). He also juxtaposes the bishop's boat with some of the few paddle-wheelers that remained in service at the time, recounting the boats as, "no longer [having] player pianos or bridal staterooms and were barely able
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Furthermore, Márquez compares the boats to creatures and humans to describe the glory and majesty of the ship, interpreting it as "snorting like a dragon", and having "a flag painted on [the chimneys] like an armband" (p. 16, 17) to describe how the ship is almost a royal possession to the bishop. By emphasizing the riches and influence of the bishop through the description of the boat, Márquez is likely criticizing the great amount of power the bishop holds. Additionally, during the bishop’s brief appearance in the village, he “began to make the sign of the cross”, and “kept on doing it mechanically afterwards, without malice or inspiration” (p. 17). The words “mechanically” and “without malice or inspiration” present an attitude of disinterest, showing that the bishop lacks care and feelings for the village. The lack of care for the town from the bishop is demonstrated more so when he refuses to disembark while he sees the town briefly, and when Santiago says, "he hates this town" (p. 8). Lastly, Márquez chronologically puts the bishop's arrival immediately before the killing of Santiago, suggesting that the arrival of the bishop in the town drew attention towards the bishop and away from the murder of
Furthermore, Márquez compares the boats to creatures and humans to describe the glory and majesty of the ship, interpreting it as "snorting like a dragon", and having "a flag painted on [the chimneys] like an armband" (p. 16, 17) to describe how the ship is almost a royal possession to the bishop. By emphasizing the riches and influence of the bishop through the description of the boat, Márquez is likely criticizing the great amount of power the bishop holds. Additionally, during the bishop’s brief appearance in the village, he “began to make the sign of the cross”, and “kept on doing it mechanically afterwards, without malice or inspiration” (p. 17). The words “mechanically” and “without malice or inspiration” present an attitude of disinterest, showing that the bishop lacks care and feelings for the village. The lack of care for the town from the bishop is demonstrated more so when he refuses to disembark while he sees the town briefly, and when Santiago says, "he hates this town" (p. 8). Lastly, Márquez chronologically puts the bishop's arrival immediately before the killing of Santiago, suggesting that the arrival of the bishop in the town drew attention towards the bishop and away from the murder of