Ahsriana Joseph

In the story “The Handsomest Drowned Man” a small village discovers the body of an unknown man on its shores. I believe professor Conway assigned this as our first class reading because this stories ending was very unexpected. The villagers, especially the women created the story of Esteban. Although he was an unknown man they knew his size and handsomeness made him an outsider wherever he was. They understood that “Esteban” was misunderstood and lived a sad life because he never could fit in. Another reason I believe this was given as the first reading in this course is because this stories writer had an descriptive way of expressing the emotions this villagers felt about this unknown man. Not only were the women smitten but after seeing Esteban’s face, the men knew that he was also very special. Although no one spoke at the end, the villagers would all agree that Esteban’s story would live on. They would make sure he was remembered through inclusivity.