Perception of Poverty – A discussion surrounding the life of Silvio

Hey everyone! I finished reading Roberto Arlt’s “Mad Toy” this week and it was so interesting to see the life of Silvio Astier unfold. It is a classic story about wanting more while stuck in a troubled space such as poverty. This is an old piece of literature and I believe it is also Arlt’s first novel which makes it that much better in hindsight. 

One thing I found interesting about the novel was the structure itself. Arlt explains Silvio’s life through a series of episodes. The story is not exactly entirely straightforward forward yet each episode adds to the reader’s understanding of Silvio’s desires for self-discovery. We learn more and more about Silvio in each part about his desires, frustrations and the struggle between reality and imaginative desires.

What I took from the novel was that Silvio was aiming to be against the grain of those in poverty which is what led him to have interest and fixations on weapons and thievery. For example, he formed a “thieves’ club” and I feel the fact that he founded it means more than he was just wanting to steal. I think it meant more to him than simple thievery. He stole things such as books from a library which shows that it wasn’t just about the money as well. 

Speaking of money, I also found it interesting to analyze Silvio’s relationship with money. Arlt kind of showed that Silvio has a specific connection the money that was gained through stealing or illegal practices and values it in a specific way.  It makes you question what is truly valuable if the money inherently costs so much internally or in a moral sense. 

I also found it interesting that his connection with money is so intertwined with his connection with the idea of love. I think what I liked about it is that it really shows the contrast between the life he desires in comparison to the life he lives. Coming from poverty it is understandable to desire much more, yet the methods he goes about it sort of contradict the life he wants to live in a way in my opinion. 

I am really curious as to why the novel is titled “Mad Toy” and the significance behind that. The third part is also titled “Mad Toy” which mainly focuses on Silvio’s suicide attempt, so im wondering how that relates and if maybe Arlt is trying to compare Silvio to a sort of toy that is aimlessly operating?

Regardless, it was definitely a good read and an interesting one to see all of the aspects of Silvio’s life. I think also living in Vancouver and taking into consideration the hundreds of people in poverty here, it really makes you question what they go through and if some of them perceive the world similarly. I think for me it also puts my own life in perspective and gives me a lottttt of things to be grateful for. 

A question that could further discussion could be:

If you’re from Vancouver, how has this novel changed or impacted your perception of the population in Vancouver that is in poverty? If you are not from Vancouver, are there a lot of individuals in poverty from back home? How has this novel impacted your perception of that population in poverty?