Cruces sobre el agua: Representación de la denuncia social y la lucha obrera.

Abstract

This research examines Joaquín Gallegos Lara's novel "Cruces sobre el agua" (Crosses on the Water) (1946) as a literary representation of social protest and workers' struggle in 20th-century Ecuador. The work, part of the Social Realism movement, addresses the massacre of November 15, 1922, in Guayaquil, denouncing exploitation, inequality, and government reprimands. The study contrasts the historical context, symbolism, characters, and narrative style, highlighting how literature becomes a vehicle for collective memory and resistance. The study employs a qualitative methodology with a hermeneutic approach, based on textual analysis, a bibliographic review, interviews, and a focus group. This allowed for the triangulation of historical, legal, and social perspectives with Gallegos Lara's narrative. The findings highlight class polarization, the criminalization of protest, and the use of symbolism such as crosses floating in the estuary to reinforce social protest. The play also projects indignation and class consciousness through characters such as Alfredo Baldeón.