To Patagonia in leak-proof shoes : a critical interpretation of The old Patagonian express

Abstract

"The Old Patagonian Express" is author Paul Theroux's most important work, for the self-revelation it contains, and it is an important American text, because it contains the story of an American who resists his county's colonialist past. "Patagonian" is different from other travel narratives because it is a realistic account of a traveler's experience. Travel is defined as the journey between places, including each day's details, rather than only the occurrence of traversing space. A travel narrative functions like a work of fiction, following the conventions of narrative. Travelers' goals are defined as escape, adventure, and contemplation. The author of a travel narrative functions as authority over the text and over his or her experience of travel. In "Patagonian," Theroux defines people of other countries in terms of national identity, but he often ignores his own American identity. He colors his experience of travel with interpersonal encounters, and he constructs foreign places and people as "other." Theroux experiences poverty on a large scale, and deals with feelings of solitude as he reaches an empty space at his journey's end.