3. 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”?

4. When meeting with the colonel, Alberto says he believes that General Temple is from where in Part Two, Chapter 6?

5. The narrator of Part Two, Chapter 2 says that his godfather “lived a long way off, out by” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the outcome for Lt. Gamboa in the Epilogue of the novel? Where is he going?

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

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

4. How is the theme of masculinity explored in Part Two, Chapter 5?

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

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

7. How does Lt. Gamboa respond to the Jaguar’s confession in the Epilogue of the novel?

8. Why does the colonel meet with the officers in Part Two, Chapter 2? What decision is reached?

9. Where do Skinny and Alberto go in order to perform their first robbery together in Part Two, Chapter 3? What are Alberto’s instructions?

10. Who is the narrator in the beginning of Part Two, Chapter 1? What does this narrator describe?

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?