Character Analysis of Eva Duarte de Peron – She was a saint

Evita Peron was the paradigm of the political and revolutionary woman in the twentieth century, she was deemed a saint by her people and her character gained her world recognition. Evita was a very artistic and clever individual fueled by ambition. She set goals early in life that would lead her to be the rich “bearer of the poor”. She came from a poor background, which should have humbled her, but she was not humble. She was not satisfied with her situation and wanted more out of life. Her quest to find her self started when she was only fourteen years old.

Evita wanted her first taste of wealth and power and started by attempting to be an actress. She was given the opportunity to flee the dusty town, and she grabbed it. Evita ran off to Buenos Aries, the cultural mecca of Latin America, in company of a young tango singer (there is a lot of controversy over who she went with, but this theory is the most widely excepted version of her trip to Buenos Aries). Her opportunities took a huge leap forward when a rich manufacturer fell for her and provided her with her very own radio show. Shortly thereafter, Evita’s voice became a popular presence on the airwaves of Radio El Mundo.

This was a significant indication of Evita’s appetite for power. She obviously is very determined and plays life like a game of chess. The men in her life turn out to be pawns in this game of chess. She became a social butterfly, making friends in high places. She was a meteoric actress and singer but she had a talent for making friends. Among her admirers were the president of Argentina and, more importantly, the Minister of Communications, Colonel Imbert, who controlled all radio stations in the country. She had a fetish for men with authority. If she controlled the man she controlled the authority.

Evita met Colonel Juan Domingo Peron, a prestigious figure in the new military government, at a fund-raising event for victims of the devastating 1944 San Juan earthquake, in which thousands died. She quickly befriended the colonel and later left the fundraiser with him arms ties together. It seems that she was constantly trying to compete with her self. It was obvious to many people that her confidence and personality was practically worshiped by men with authority and wealth. It seemed that she fit the part of high society so why not invite her into it.

Evita helped Juan Peron to power shortly after their engagement to be married. Evita and Juan believed the poor working class citizens needed a leader. It was still a man’s world at the time so she influenced Juan in many ways leading to his rise to power. He was arrested along with many other labor leaders for giving too much back to the working class people. Somewhere around 200,000 descamisados entered the capital city and demanded that Juan Peron be their president. The colonel accepted the mandate of the Argentine people. Evita and Juan married shortly after that.

It is possible that Evita’s plan was to bring Juan to power so that she in-turn would have wealth, fame, and fortune. However, I believe that at some point she abandoned her ambitions when she realized that her husband was truly a powerful leader for their people. Juan Peron was no longer this man that would simply lead her to her next goal. He was her completion and the love of her life. She could not stop the cult-like faith from the people who admired her personality and strength. She was enveloped with love from the working class people. In turn Evita showed a very selfless side of her.

In the early 1950s Evita Peron was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She became week and frail. It was no longer competing with herself but was fighting the course of nature. It was a fight that she would not win. Despite the fact that she became more and more ill she continued her busy schedule to provide love and support to her people. It was noticeable to everyone that Evita was going to be short lived. Her last speech was in 1952 in which her husband would have to hold her up on the podium. Finally on July 26th 1952 Eva Duarte de Peron had lost her fight to survive. It was quite possibly the world’s most famous fairytale coming to an end.

The poor working class girl that struggled against poverty, tested her talents, challenged the male dominated world, brought forth a leader in her husband, created a higher standard of life for the working class, battled nature and finally demonstrated selflessness was gone forever. It is clear to me that in her strive to give to her self, she discovered that it was much more worth while to give to others. Evita is still the most celebrated heroin of all time, and after analyzing the content of her character it is safe to say that she has another working class admirer in me.