"Mad Toy" - Roberto Arlt

Hello everyone, this week I read Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy”. Seeing that the protagonist is just a teenager, I found this book more bleak than I expected as it discusses heavy topics such as class and betrayal. 

Silvio as a character was relatable in a sense. Silvio experienced rejection, failure and losing friendships during his teenage years which are fairly universal experiences. I especially related to Silvio’s thoughts on being a paper merchant. The line that to sell, one must “not lift an eyebrow or take it personally if some gross remark is made” resonated with me. While my working conditions have never been as harsh as Silvio’s, I have also had similar thoughts when dealing with customers who complained at me for something out of my control.  

The abrupt change from Silvio being hopeless to being overcome with the joy of being alive was fascinating. I think Silvio’s failed suicide attempt sparked the change, with the phrase “I don’t have to die … but I have to kill myself”. In episode 4, Silvio turns Rengo in and refuses to accept any money for it, deciding to start a new life for himself down south. By letting go of his past desires and simply appreciating life itself, Silvio metaphorically kills his old self who had dreams of being admired by others, rich, and with a girlfriend. This metaphor of killing himself relates back to Silvio thinking to himself that betraying Rengo would make him “beautiful like Judas Escariot” who is said to have committed suicide after betraying Jesus.

Silvio’s betrayal of Rengo was surprising, seeing as Rengo has been the first proper friend he made since he was fourteen. However, I thought it was understandable considering his life so far. The book’s separate episodes make it feel like much time has passed between the first episode and the final episode, but Silvio is still only seventeen at the end of the book. Silvio has already been failed by many adults at a young age. In the same chapter, Don Gaetano had him working in horrible conditions and Señor Souza promised him a job but broke his promise. As well, the army let him go because he was too intelligent which caused him great anguish. Perhaps part of his betrayal was a learned response to the adults throughout his life who let him down. 

My question for the class is: What do you think caused Silvio to become so appreciative of life in Episode 4?