The narrator expresses contempt for the phoniness of the president's visit, which she thinks of as too little too late and far too insincere to be adequate to the magnitude of suffering.

It is in the nuances of her language that we detect her contempt. She writes that the president arrives on the third day in his "tailored" safari jacket to "confirm" bombastically that this is "worst catastrophe of the century." The help he offers is largely pointless: he orders a "state of siege" and has instructed the army to shoot anyone stealing, as if there is anything left to steal after the mudslide—and as if theft is anyone's first concern, with death all around. He announces that since they can't recover the corpses, he will have the area designated holy ground. We can almost hear the narrator muttering "big deal" under her breath.

When the president approaches Azucena, he waves to her "limply" and speaks to her in a phony way with an

emotional voice and paternal tone as he told her that her courage had served as an example to the nation

He promises, too late, to personally see that a pump is sent to save her.

The president's visit, all for political show, is a sharp contrast to the deep, caring investment Rolf has made in Azucena.