Jordyn

In his poem "The United Fruit Co.", Neruda condemns United States corporations for their political and ecological exploitation of Latin America, and for the cost of this exploitation in human lives. Using the United Fruit Company as a symbol for the entire body of U.S. corporations, the poet draws the attention of his readers to the relationship between the capitalism introduced by the United States and the dictatorships in Latin America at the time, and the manner in which the U.S. appropriates resources for itself. He accomplishes this making use of diction and allusions to varied sources, including the Bible and Latin American history, as well as elements of the ironic and the grotesque.

The English translation of the poem by Jack Schmitt is divided into three stanzas. In the first and longest, Neruda points out the assumptions that are made in the brand of imperialism illustrated in the poem and emphasizes the human casualties that result from it. He accomplishes this through the use of biblical, historical and other allusions, in addition to the introduction of the symbol of the fly for the power-hungry dictator and the use of visceral imagery. Neruda begins the poem with an ironic reference to God's partitioning of the world, changing its recipients from mankind to a select few U.S. companies. Not only does this serve to satirize the idea that the capitalist corporations mentioned have a right to certain parts of the world, it uses the idea of stewardship intrinsic in the handing over of the world to man to underline the fact that the corporations have, in fact, propagated the opposite of this in Latin America. In addition, the association of religion with the seizing of power suggests the hypocrisy in the actions of the United States as a land founded originally by those seeking refuge from rulers ordained by God. The names of the companies mentioned in this scene- "...Coca-Cola Inc., Anaconda,"- are also significant in that they represent Latin American resources which have been appropriated by the capitalist invaders for their own uses. The name Coca-Cola derives from //coca//, an Andean plant that was originally used in the beverage, while the anaconda is a large snake inhabiting the jungles of Central and South America. The poet goes on to narrate the re-baptism of the lands as "the Banana Republics". The use of this religious term illustrates the significance of conference of a name upon a region by the conqueror in declaring its owner, purpose and value. It also recalls previous colonial forces in Latin America and the initial introduction of Christianity to the continent, as well as the violence that came with this.

The poet then goes on to depict the influence of the capitalist corporations on the political atmosphere in Latin America, referencing theater and history to portray the introduction of greed and its consequences. Such phrases as "regaled Caesar's crowns" and "unsheathed envy" refer to the United Fruit Company's actions in promoting capitalism, using verbs associated with heroics and warfare to emphasize the manner in which this occurs. Neruda makes use of the contrast in tone between serious and melodramatic statements such as "and upon the slumbering corpses," and the idea of comic theater to portray the trivialization of Latin America by the fruit companies and the disparity between the cost and product of the Fruit Company's involvement in Latin America.

The symbolism of flies is used at the end of the first stanza to expose the link between the introduction of capitalism and the greed and inhumanity of Latin American dictators. Neruda uses the phrase "drew/ the dictatorship of flies" to indirectly compare the land and presumably the profits reaped from it to something sweet and decaying. The list of flies- "Trujillo flies, Tacho flies,/ Carías flies, Martínez flies,/ Ubico flies," functions as a list of references to Latin American dictators- "Tacho" Somoza was president of Nicaragua from 1937 to 1956; Rafael Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, and so on. Their depiction as "soaked/ in humble blood and jam,/ drunk" establishes them as perpetrators of violence against the people of their countries, or at least responsible in some way, and reinforces the image of greed and satiation.