Money to Burn - Is Money Really Worth It?

 Money to Burn by Ricardo Piglia is such an interesting read!!! I loved the thriller element of the story which is a different genre of what has mostly been covered in class. Honestly, this was refreshing to read especially since thriller is my favourite genre to read. The story describes the events that unfold from September to November 1965 about an armed gang that robbed a van taking $7,000,000 in Argentine pesos of money (which is equivalent to around $30,000 to 50,000 US dollars). It also describes how it starts from a bank to the town in a municipality on the outskirts of Buenos Aires which ends up with them having to kill a courier and a police officer in the process.  I think it was really fascinating that in the epilogue, Piglia mentions that “This novel tells a true story” (204). I thought that it was really interesting that Piglia used a lot of sources that allowed him to “orchestrate the different versions of this same story from a variety of descriptions and evidence” (207). As a writer myself, I think it was really cool how Piglia used elements of the book itself to ensure that it was true whilst also adding new things to the story to make it more relatable and interesting. For instance, he portrayed a homosexual relationship between the two gangsters, Gaucho Dorda and Kid Bignone. I think that he really evokes a sense of pathos within the story through Dorda holding Bignone in his arms, “embracing him, half naked” as “the Kid was dying.” I think the romantic relationship is further reinforced by the kiss between the two and how this precious moment made it feel so real to the readers. The image of tenderness and humanization between the two gangsters was something that was created by the author, but was so impactful and important. 


I think the author also shows how every character is imperfect and has flaws, yet there is also a sense of humanity within them. Gaucho Dorda is known to be violent, however his gentle self and humanity is revealed through his relationship with Kid. 


It also made me think about how much money is worth it to risk yourself and your loved ones to be rich. It made me also think about how in the world we live in there are people who are like Gaucho Dordo. My question is to what extent are we supposed to be understanding and empathize with him but at the same time not justify his actions?


Comments

  1. Daniel OrizagaMarch 16, 2026 at 12:42 AM

    "The image of tenderness and humanization between the two gangsters was something that was created by the author, but was so impactful and important." Someone already commented on their blog that this is the most "romantic" couple in the RMST course novels, or something like that. Maybe. They certainly show the deepest relationship between the characters. It's also true that someone already mentioned Bonnie and Clyde in the conversation. But I can't help but think of Romeo and Juliet too... Am I imagining things?

    ReplyDelete
  2. NerissaMarch 16, 2026 at 11:31 AM

    I agree with the author showing humanity to all the characters, it definitely made me think harder about whether the problem was really the robbers or society's structure. That kind of points to your question, I think they are too comfortable with killing and raping and etc to ever be innocent, but we do see how they come to be that way, so it's an interesting mix.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jon Beasley-MurrayMarch 17, 2026 at 4:46 PM

    Remember to use labels to indicate the author (Piglia), and the key concepts or topics that you cover in your blog post (money, truth, humanity?).

    ReplyDelete
  4. RomeoMarch 18, 2026 at 7:43 PM

    I also found that when we got a glimpse of humanity and tenderness it was impactful in showing that even some of the meanest and nastiest individuals have more than just those qualities. I still found it quite hard to sympathize with many of them as the terrible acts they had committed were revealed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sydney HyndmanMarch 18, 2026 at 9:57 PM

    Hi Hasfariza,

    Your statement that the author “really evokes a sense of pathos within the story through Dorda holding Bignone in his arms” aligns closely with the idea that when we gain insight into the lives of individuals - even those who commit criminal acts - we begin to recognize their humanity and as result, become more capable of empathizing with them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What was that about?March 19, 2026 at 11:57 PM

    I think Piglia attempted to make us feel empathic and sympathetic towards the characters. He gave us their internal dialogs, their conversations and so on to help us see them as human, just regular, mundane human beings. He also attempted to make the robbery sound justified by crafting the bank teller's thoughts on stealing the money himself. Not to say that the murders are not gruesome but there's a perspective given to us make their logic a little bit easier to grasp!

    ((this is Por!))

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Book of Chameleons - Reincarnation is so interesting

  The Book of Chameleons was such an interesting read! It focuses on two characters, Felix Ventura and a gecko. This is very fascinating because the gecko is the book’s narrator and is unnamed for most of the book. I haven’t seen a book do this before, so it was a nice shift to read. In the book Atonement by Ian McEwan, there was a plot twist at the end of the book where the real narrator of the whole book is Briony. I was reminded of the book because how the narrator’s identity was a plot twist. Ventura described the gecko to be “the creature.” I thought that title showed how the gecko how power in paving the story and about what was going to happen next in the story. From the other books we’ve read so far in class, I liked how this book explored different themes that weren’t heavily focused on romance. The exposition of the plot is when a mysterious foreigner, a war photographer, wants Ventura’s help. I like how this story surrounds the theme of self-journey. As someone who alway...
Read more

Marcel Proust Edited Version Because my formatting was wrong :(

  I found Marcel Proust's "Combray" to be really interesting. It made me think about how dreams can be intertwined with memories. The opening of the story portrayed how the author was walking through memory lane and how dreams are associated with revealing your innermost thoughts and memories. This made me think about how sometimes I dream about things or people that I haven’t thought about in a long time. When I wake up, it makes me think about my past and memories. The long sentences reflect the journey that the author is going through to unlock the memories within him.  At first, when I was reading this book, I found it confusing and difficult to understand because the author started to go through different time periods and memories which made it seem scattered. At the same time, it made me think about how memories, especially of our childhood, are not always clear or precise.  However, when the author was describing his action of sipping the tea and eating a madeleine...
Read more

Agostino : You Don't Think This About Your Mother

  Theme: Love?! I feel like in this course, I have read about the most unusual characters and that says a lot because I read A LOT of books. Agostino by Alberto Moravia was such an interesting read which says a lot because I have never read a book that explored Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex. Freud asserts that “while he is still a small child, a son will already begin to develop a special affection for his mother, whom he regards as belonging to him; he begins to feel his father as a rival who disputes his sole possession” (Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis).  I remember in my A-levels Psychology class, learning about the Oedipus complex and thinking how could this theory be even real. That’s where it surprised me that this book untangles Agostino’s sexuality and attraction for his mother (which I never knew was possible to occur).  In the beginning of the novel where Agostino went out to the sea with his mother, he was proud because it seemed as if “all the...
Read more