Luisa Valenzuela’s short story titled “I’m Your Horse in the Night” is a
thought provoking piece of literature. The story is written in such a way
that the reader must interpret what is meant by what is being said. Although
it is easy to go into depth when describing the elements of this piece, the
storyline is rather simple. The story contains an assortment of characters;
with those characters being Chiquita, Beto, Andres, and several policemen.
The time and location are unknown. The telephone tells us that the time
period is of somewhat modern times, and the Spanish ethnicity would most
likely relate to the setting being that of a Spanish colonization. The
narration of the story is first person persona told by Chiquita throughout.
Aside from the geographic location of the setting, it is the home of a woman
who lives on her own. She is in love with a man who she calls Beto. The
woman hasn’t heard from Beto in months, but she practically fantasizes about
him every night. One morning she is awaken by a mysterious phone call. She
thought it was a man she calls Andres, but then the man hangs up and she is
left hearing that Beto is dead. Chiquita called the police. They showed up
only to harass her and tear apart her house, asking questions about Beto,
which Chiquita was unable to answer. The police conclude their search by
taking Chiquita to jail. She is left to ponder what is going on with Beto,
the man she loved. The short story summarized above illustrates the common
stereotypical theme of a female wanting to be loved by a man who in turn
only wants the woman for her sex.
The characters in this short story would have to be…
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…ng and complexities, making it into a complete literary piece.
Certain areas of the story were open for interpretation, giving the story
line more than one path to go by, making it an ambiguity within itself.
Every sentence adds to what the reader is able to see and comprehend as far
as this particular story goes. Overall the theme is clearly that of a female
simply wanting to be loved, and a male wanting sexual pleasure. This piece
just glorifies the common occurrence with the verisimilitude of the main
characters making the story come to life for the reader. The main characters
within the story are a good example of reality when it comes to seeing the
differences between males and females during an event such as this.
Valenzuela’s story does a good job of taking a common theme, and turning it
into an exciting, thought provoking piece to read.
Intertwined Themes of Margaret Atwood’s Dancing Girls
The Intertwined Themes of Margaret Atwood’s Dancing Girls
Dancing Girls is a collection of Margaret Atwood’s short stories. Each story captures a different aspect of society, different people of different ages, culture and status, with different attitudes, emotions and behavior; all in different locations and life circumstances. Yet there are many connections between the stories and these links are primarily found in Atwood’s portrayal of women. As Atwood says:
By and large my novel’s center on women…None of them are about miners in the mines, seamen on the sea, convicts in the jail, the boys in the backroom, the locker rooms at the football game…How come? Well, gee, I don’t know! Maybe because I am a woman and therefore I find it easier to write as one.
Each story focuses on a different female character and explores her thoughts and her reactions to her social environment. Throughout the collection of stories there are a number of underlying themes that reveal Atwood’s insight and understanding of why men and women are different. These themes include the questionable definitions of femininity proposed in society, the idea of escapism through fantasy and the conflict that exists between men and women.
One concept Atwood explores to explain the differences between men and women is simply that there are biological differences between each gender. This difference is highlighted throughout a number of the stories, significantly in “Giving Birth”. Atwood comments that for women there is some salvation from a male dominated society in that, through the process of giving birth a woman is allowed some connection with her body which men simply cannot experience.
They still have some connection with their o…
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… capable of seeing connections between apparently disparate circumstances.
Ingersoll-Earl.G., Margaret Atwood: Conversations, Virago Press, London, 1992, pg. 195
Ibid., pg.17
Atwood-Margaret., Dancing Girls, Vintage, London, 1996, pg. 225
Ibid., pg. 227
Ibid., pg. 229
Ibid., pg. 229
Ibid., pg. 240
Ibid., pg. 239
Ibid., pg. 239
Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg.141
Ibid., pg. 142
Aspin-Lois.J., Focus on Australian Society, Longman, Australia, 1996, pg. 14
Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg. 102
Atwood-Margaret, op. cit., pg. 63
Ibid., pg. 69
Ibid., pg. 69
Ibid., pg. 69
Ibid., pg. 131
Ibid., pg. 138
Ibid., pg. 143
Ingersoll-Earl.G., op. cit., pg. 32
Ibid., pg. 31
Ibid., pg. 245
Atwood-Margaret, op. cit., pg. 98
Ibid., pg. 98
Ibid., pg. 87