Almost 30,000 Argentines "disappeared" between 1976 and 1979, the most oppressive years of the military rule."
The most impactful part of this statement is actually its placement in the novel; by imparting this information right at the beginning, in the Introduction, it is impossible for the reader to then read the novel and to learn of Portnoy's experiences without then multiplying the atrocities done to her by thirty thousand. Hers was not an isolated experience, punishment inflicted on a small group of dissidents who were problematical for the regime, but an experience that thirty thousand people were suffering at the same time. It shows that a dissident was not someone who was making trouble for the government or inciting people to rise up against the regime, but basically anybody who had shown a history of supporting someone else. The terminology is also interesting in that the kidnapping of a person was termed a "disappearance" but in reality, they had not disappeared, but been forcibly removed from society in order to keep them quiet and dehumanize them. "Disappeared" is also a euphemism here for "executed" as the majority of the people who were kidnapped at the same time as Partnoy did not ever leave the prison.
Beware : in little schools the boundaries between story and history are so subtle that even I can hardly find them.
This is a very interesting statement by Partnoy because by her own admission the novel is part autobiography and part fiction. Her truth is stated clearly and from her own memory, and not just from memory as the experiences of what was done to her are with her every day as if they are still happening. However, because she was blindfolded, and not able to communicate with others, gaps in their stories had to be filled in. Portnoy is also observing that some of the things done to the prisoners were so heinous and brutal that it is difficult to believe that they really happened and they themselves blur the line between reality and fiction as it seems incomprehensible that any of these experiences could be real.
I, Alicia Partnoy, am still alive.
This statement pertains to one of the main themes of the novel, that of retaining individual humanity when the objective of the prisoners' captors was to dehumanize them. Throughout the book, Partnoy describes the many small things that enabled her to cling on to her identity and her humanity; the feeling of rain against her face, the opportunity to recite poetry to fellow prisoners, the enjoyment she felt when using an already-used toothbrush once during her imprisonment. These small things helped her to retain her sense of self, and by stating that she is still alive she is also making the statement that she is still a person, an individual; the character that is Alicia Portnoy is still alive as a person with humanity not just alive as a number on a prison roster.
