En esta obra, se había impuesto retratar los efectos del dominio de United Fruit Company —en las novelas la Tropical Platanera S.A.— tanto para Guatemala, reducida ya a una «república bananera», como para el mismo emporio frutero, que pugnaba por dirigir la política norteamericana en Centroamérica. Y todo ello girando sobre su turbulento protagonista, Geo Maker Thompson, el Papa Verde; un personaje cuya ambición, como en los héroes de la tragedias griegas, es el germen mismo de su desventurada existencia. Y si esta estampa que nos ofrece El Papa Verde resulta imprescindible para entender el drama social y político de América desde mediados del siglo pasado, tanto más lo es para comprender la evolución de la narrativa hispanoamericana por su prosa abigarrada y térmica, donde surge, tan de improviso como natural, el gran hallazgo literario de Miguel Ángel Asturias: el «realismo mágico», que le granjearía, en 1967, el Premio Nobel de Literatura.

George Maker Thompson decides that he's not making enough money as a pirate and moves inland.

He meets with Jinger Kind, a businessman from New Orleans. They feel that the local people are backward. Their idea is that by taking land and building roads, they are exchanging crivilization in return for their personal wealth.

Thompson meets and falls in love with a young native, Mayaris.

Later, he meets with Mr. Kind, Mayaris' mother, Dona Flora and a person called The Commander. They set about buying land from the natives and don't hesitate to use force.

Things go smoothly until Mayaris realizes that Thompson is taking advantage of her people. She dresses in a wedding outfit and jumps into a river as a protest. Dona Flora doesn't seem too upset at the drowning and later marries Thompson, herself.

Thompson represents greedy corporations in the United States that try to take over the land and government in South America, just to make money.

This was translated from the Spanish and the book was dry, without suspense. It seemed more like reading a journal or a newspaper. Many of the characters were just called by their titles so it was impersonal. However, there was the message of greed and attempting to take what doesn't belong to a corporation from the uneducated poor. ( )

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