I think this story was assigned as the first in this course because it is a story that invokes a sense of wonder and emotion which draws the reader in and can make the student excited about the class ahead. The story causes the reader to visualize everything in detail, from the characters to the scenery, as well as to reflect on the feelings and reactions of the villagers. I, myself, really enjoyed reading this story and I am eager to read more in the coming months. Also, being a short story, “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” provides the opportunity to briefly introduce the class to some of the topics we will potentially be discussing this semester, without be too overwhelming at the start. For instance, we are able to start considering how to write a thesis statement on a piece of literature without having to read an entire novel first.
Daily Archives: February 2, 2022
While reading this story, it really caught my attention. I feel like this was assigned as the first story because it shows us that the stories we will be reading from now on will be similar but different. Similar in the way that every story will be eye-catching and you’ll want to keep reading. For example, I was able to imagine a big blue sea and the village just being a little ahead. I wanted to watch Titanic after reading this because of the way it was described and this movie was the first to come to mind. It will be different by all the themes and settings that all the stories will be held at. I believe that the stories ahead will all have the similarity of being interesting and there will be a deeper explanation to it. Them seeing Esteban really changed the way they wanted to live and this shows how one person/thing can impact many people for the better.
I think you’ve assigned this interesting story because you want us to realize the importance of independent thinking. As we follow the plot of the story, we can detect there are generally three different categories of people having their own treatment for the drowned dead man. First group is the children who make him as their entertainment. “They have been playing with him all afternoon, burying him in the sand and digging him up again.”(Marquez 1) Obviously, we are not children anymore. We are supposed to have the ability to think and find out the cause of the man. When the drowned man is handed over to the adults, they diverge into two attitudes. Because finding no answers from outside, the men urgently wish the drowned man to disappear as soon as possible.(Marquez 5) On the contrary, the women have taken their time to imagine the drowned man’s life. Dead can’t tell, but the details can tell the truth. The women started to endow him a name, Esteban, to construct the image of how big his house is and his embarrassment as a guest for visiting other people’s houses.(Marquez 3,4) If we relate Esteban to our class, personally, he would be our readings and writings the professor has given us, and we, the readers and writers, are the villagers in this story. At the beginning of the class most of us might be the men who are incapable of retelling the stories and making the writings beautiful. As long as we would like to take our time in thinking patiently, we will gradually dig out the moral of stories and embellish it to our writings just as the women empower a new meaning of life to Esteban.
