This article views Gabriel Garcia Marquez's (1972) "La increible y triste historia de la cándida Erendira y su abuela desalmada (The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother)" as not simply rhetoric but a portrait of the human experience of power. The story, style, structure, and social geographical context of the book are contrasted with those of other works by García Márquez. The psychology of the grandmother in the books is tied to that of the mythical dictator in El otoño del patriarca (The Autumn of the Patriarch; the author modeled this personality type on numerous Latin American and historical dictators, with parts drawn from Shakespeare and Italian neorealist films. Religious, sexual, and material symbols of power in the story are discussed.