4. What cadet does the narrator of Part Two, Chapter 3 describe as having been seen in town in a “big red car and he was wearing a fancy yellow shirt”?

5. Whose quote opens Part Two of the novel (“I’m twenty years old. Don’t let anyone tell me it is the most beautiful period of life.”)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the character of Ricardo Arana represent symbolically in The Time of the Hero?

2. How does Alberto effectively get out of school early in Part Two, Chapter 1? On what days does he leave the campus?

3. How is the Slave injured in the novel? What is the status of his injuries in the opening of Part Two?

4. Who is the narrator in the opening of Part Two, Chapter 3? What does this character describe?

5. How does the meeting between the Colonel and the Poet end in Part Two, Chapter 6?

6. What is Alberto’s theory regarding the death of the Slave in Part Two, Chapter 4?

7. Who is the narrator in the beginning of Part Two, Chapter 2? What does this narrator describe?

8. What are revealed to be the Jaguar’s objectives in Part Two of the novel? Why are his objectives not met?

9. What encounter takes place between Alberto and Teresa in Part Two, Chapter 3?

10. Who is the second narrator of Part Two, Chapter 1? What does this character relate in the chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define “narrative point of view,” and discuss the narrative style of the novel. How many different narrative perspectives are employed by the author? Why does the author choose to employ different narrative perspectives? Who are the various narrators?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of friendship in The Time of the Hero. Which characters in the story relate to this theme the greatest in Part One? How is friendship defined by the different cadets in the story? How do the friendships in the narrative evolve?