The story the most handsome drowned man by Gabriel Garcia Marquez shows various examples of commonplace but precise language because of the frequent use of descriptive language. For example, when the drowned man washed up to the shore, they explained briefly that there was no way the drowned man was from their village. “So when they found the drowned man they simply had to look at one another to see that they were all there.” (Marquez 2). Another example of the use of this type of language, was when the narrator was describing the state of the dead corpse. “Only his shape gave one to suppose that it was the corpse of a human being, because the skin was covered with a crust of mud and scales.” (Marquez 1). The use of common and easily understood language throughout the story helped me to paint a clear image in my mind of what the corpse may actually look like. Which helped me to understand the characters reaction to the corpse. The common place language in this story is extremely necessary and helpful seeing as this story contains strong aspects of magical realism which may be a hard concept to grasp.
3 thoughts on “keona lewis discussion board 13”
Hello Keona, I loved how you chose this story to write about it was one of my favorites because of how detailed and descriptive the work is. The way the author used his words carefully to allow the reader to imerseve themselves with the village people to gain appreciation for the corse versus their reluctancy at the beginning. The simplicity of the language made it very easy to digest and create a clear image of the corpse and the eventual beauty we came to appreciate.
I agree on Gabriel Garcia Marquez really nails it with the use of simple yet precise language, which makes the imagery and emotions in The Most Handsome Drowned Man pop. I love how you highlighted specific quotes, like when the villagers realize the body isn’t from their community and the way the mud and scales are described. Those details really ground the story. Your connections between this straightforward language and the magical realism theme is super insightful and clearly explained.
Keona, although this is a magical story in many ways, you are right that some of the language is quite commonplace, which allows readers to put themselves in the scene and cross that line between reality and the fantastic.