I think the reason “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the world” story was chosen first is to remind us that there are still good people in the world. Even though the “Handsomest Drowned Man” was a stranger to the villagers, they took it as their active duty to make him feel special and accepted by “dressing him, combing his hair, cutting his nails and shaving him” (4) regardless of him being a corpse. This story reminded me that, for example, in the subway station, when we see someone in dying need, we need to find the time to assist instead of using our phones to make a video and post it on social media to show the world what’s happening to that person. Also, because of his appearance, the Villagers made it their duty to beautify their village. As quoted in the story, “everything would be different from then on, that their houses would have wider doors, higher ceilings, and stronger floors so that Esteban’s memory could go everywhere” (9). This quote reminds me that regardless of the loss of Esteban, his memory lives on. This story also makes me think of what is currently happening in our country when it comes on to Police brutality. Several protests across the country because of the recent killing of “Tyre Nichols.” I think to myself if strangers in a small village could have been this kind and welcoming to a corpse, why is it that we in society can’t do the same to each other? We protested and requested reform, but nothing but the “Handsomest Drowned man” was rescued from the water and treated with dignity, changing strangers’ way of life. This story is powerful.
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3 thoughts on “Ann-Marie Higgins Discussion 2”
This story is very powerful. I love your statement about seeing a homeless person because I think a huge part of the reason people are so disconnected now, is because everyone is so concerned with posting on social media to the point of cruelty. There will maybe be that one person in a thousand people to stop and consider the fact that the person they are actively humiliating, has feelings too. Everyone deserves to be celebrated and everyone deserves to be treated with respect and at the very least, decency. I don’t know why we as a society continue to belittle each other instead of trying to lift each other up but I know that there are still people who, like the villagers, will go out of their way to make a random stranger feel seen and heard.
Ann-Marie, you raise good questions about the brutality of human beings, as seen in the horrific murder of Tyre Nichols, which is in stark contrast to the goodness and compassion of the villagers in this story. As I mentioned to another student, I also think of the immigration issue in the U.S. I don’t understand why we cannot have a more welcoming, humane approach to accepting newcomers. What the villagers do in this story is related to an act of imagination and creativity. They humanize the dead man by creating a story about him. This, in turn, brings life to the village. I think this story shows the power of stories to change lives.
I loved to see how you interpreted this story. I feel like this story brings out many different experiences through its telling. I enjoyed how you brought the story into real world problems that are happening all around us. I agree that the villagers made it their duty to help Esteban’s memory live on and in the most positive way possible. This story IS really powerful and it brought together so many ideas and your interpretation helped me see it through a different way along with your real world connections.