they must make sure that their characters are worth knowing, ond that the acquaintance will be of benefit and interest to the reader. By ‘the mere fact that we read their stories, thus spending time we might otherwise poss with actual people, authors owe us that assurance that their fictive people are worthwhile. This does not mean that they are necessarily better; they may be worse. But they should, ot all times, be more clearly significant of certain interesting elements of human noture, more thoroughly representative of certain aspects of human life that are well for us to know. The character must be representative of a large type of humanity. Don Quixote is representative of an idealist wanting to reform society; Barnabas is representative of those of simple faith; Pinin and Rosa represent helpless children suffering from poverty. There are two general types of characters: (a) the static charac- ter and (b) the dynamic character. The static character remains un- changed throughout the narrative. The dynamic character changes because of the effect of circumstances or people upon him or her. Ory Analyze the character in “Platero and I.” 1. What is the author's attitude toward Platero? 2. How does the author show Platero’s character? under? Why? Soh Amerign tert Creole Democracy mh Ever ant Rufino Blanco Fombono (1874-1944) sfotiic: Blaned Fombotic- came omy ettecrete RAR: Vole sonal exploits, added to make him one of the most interesting liter. Gnd his writings included Criticism, poetry, politicol_essays, novels, and short stories. His poems have been collected in a ibe entitled ‘Songs of Prison ond Exile. shoot Poste ee €a rn 7 E feght on groom 246 Unit 3 + Using Short Stories oround the World for Resolving Conflicts 3. Of the two general types of character, where does Platero fall st ich § well-oPe ezuela. His éxiraordinary activities os a Wwriter, politician, tevolutionary ~ soldier, and-government employée, together with his picturesque per ary figures in Latin America. He traveled fo many parts of the world, "Creole Demo defect of the deme the concept of the ple.” The success ¢ nature and conditi to express their wil) "tion fo understand "they conjimpose di these requirements countries are stil with the participant The hamlet of ¢ “gateways to the Pl little settlement squ: “parting of a dandy "savannah, the villag © @s, which stand in a “ond seem to peer ft 0k like o double: el telegraph wire ‘9n abundant strean “iis sands slumbers 1 with half-open jaws Moonday rest. It was election ti ent was to be che ns, the interest of iblic was centered ouse), a backs| “Creole Demacracy” is 0 clear presentation of one fundamental. # = defect of the democratic form of government. Democracy is bosed on concept of the rule “oF the people, by the people, and for the peo “The success of a de ic form of government is based on the ature and condition of the sleclorate—thot they are ltgratgBhough 9» po = fo express their will through the Ballo that they have sufficienteduco- Ohne on to understand and anolyze-and decide oe eee they conjimpose discipline on their emotions and th ns. eet F thane refurremenis of democracy, Fombona tells us, most developing ‘counties ore stil incapable. So the story ends in tragedy and death, E with the porticipants not really knowing what it is all about. NE ie The hamlet of Camoruco stands at one of the | What isthe setina ewoys to the Plains. The wagon rood cuts the | ofthe story? sie settlement squarely ond neatly in two, like the sting of o dandy's hair Stretched out upon the haps bopre chach, the vilage consists of two rows of hous- puector gard vihich stond in @ file olong the edge’of the rood pie 4 seem to peer furtvely upon the passerby. They to pa ak like 0 double row of sparrows upon two por ~’ J felegroph wires. Closeyby flows the Guarico, ‘ebundant stream dithies frepompos, in $ lek di sands slumbers the skaiefish and on ifs Banks, ‘ th holf-open jows, the lozy alligators take th ger soonday rest - = 4, wos election time; a governor of the Depart- was to be chosen, For certain police jhe interest of an‘9} se i ra oe conten ET Foo (hel house), o backwoods sheet, which hod beer 5 ohn iey PF \2 Lesson 2 * The Elements of a Short Story 247backoround of the ston’? Why con we soy thot the democracy? people were // ‘ol ready “| . = established for the occasion, declared in its © number: "Perhaps for the first time in Car ions, will cease to be the work of’petty fais, mere vole- manufacturers; perhaps time in Camoruco the elective fobric will be by the unsullied Hands of the people.” 4 a The AUmber of candidates had dwind! two. On the eve of the election the local wealthy cattle breeders of the district, bros the neighboring fown, which served as a 6 center for the shacks of the oullying herds of peons, submissive farmhands, good plainsmen, ignorant of everything, Ben of Gore do ine Rest day cleric, These rounded up like cattle, were the citizen: say, the voters. The apparel of most of th sisted of drill trousers and siriped shiris; on hempen sandals; on their heads, the high-cre wide-brimmed sombrero or the saffron-cofored a de guma. Around their waists, slung dia a baldric, the red ond blue sosh; in their ha ‘cane, they carried the peasant eopon, the. » Pea ss Mere ie Ic at ‘Goodly number of these simple cifizens of medium height, muscular, bronzed by ond by their mixed blood, and recalled the plaiasmen of Apure ond Ahauco. They, were terrible centaurs of General Paez, in the & Bolivar, those mighty warriors who cop Spanish war vessels on horseback, at the 6 the lance. [hese citizens of whom o huni fifty attacked six thousand of Morillo’s soldi the Queseras del Medio, were those hero pampas who live in history, on canvas, in, in epic, ond above all, in the popular imagine The parties concerned in the election, & candidetes, were two. The efforts of the party i ers were directed toward herding the largest ble number of men. Each faction in Camor quartered in its own district, one fo the no other to the south of the village. As new groscons continued to arrive, the bosses of each side id spy upon each other to see how mony voters being added to their rival's forces. "See here,” would say 40 some trusted farmland, "go and 2 a look at those dunderheads.” ‘Meonwhile, party hacks were going from group group, explaining the procedure ‘of the morrow’s siection. But despite oll explanation, the simple rus- “cs displayed a certain: suspiciousness. Many be- ‘heved thot plons for an armed uprising were afoot. Pin one of the groups patticulorly, a feeling of mistrust grew apace. Wild talk arose: “Elections!” scoffed one mequero, as chubby and brown os a sausoge. “Be- fre long we'll be hearing Pui | and ther, ho, prstabbinghides!” ey DATE Jo this bit of grim humor in the face of possible agedy, another vaquero added: “Yes, soon we'll be ving 4wo shots, boys, and then out with your ma- pecs Sana) be Steger “Fhis-wae a slogan’ fomiliar to-everybody,-and. any'smiled bitierly at the memories it awoke. “Two shols, boys, then out with your machetes.” This was ¢ cry of the revolutionary officers in time ‘of bat- s, for, lacking ammunition os they generally did, the ‘ethod of the rebels was to fire one or wo rounds: Pond then charge ypon the enemy. battalions with thei elored in its openi Je in Camoruco, work of’petly 4 perhops Tor the First fabric will be woven: ople." s had dwindled # | an the local bosses, e citizens—thot is #9 = most of them c d shirts; on their feer, 5, the high-crowned, soflron-colored pele slong diagonally like yin their hands, likes z At weopon, the ever = s Boonton ‘simple citizens, wen bronzed by the si fF recalled the cla: ‘ca. They were those = ez, in the armies of } who captured the” Sack, ot the’ point of | hom a hundred ond | orillo’s soldiers, os ‘those heroes of canvas, in balled ppular imagination, The government forces, however, would always yak swift vengeance, and in a few minutes the P paitllield would be heaped with the corpses of the B inGiiGSnts. But the few who-had succeeded in reach- "ing the soldiers alive would avenge their fallen com= odes, for in a hand-to-hand siruggle a heavy gun is hindrance rather than: help, ond against the furi- mus machete neither the bayonet nor anything else ‘con avail. One must then choose between death and fog the lorgest possi: gah. ain Comonuco wos fae to the north, the As new groups Why did the people of Comoruce think ofan Lesson 2 * The Elements of Short Story 249@ revcléh ov ~."What { don't like Gbout allthis business," declared one eons, “is that they don't tell «fellow the truth. 1 we're going Si let's 90; bot let ’em om not ide From vs wo not el hed All agreed that the complaint wos Justified. If they knew fhey cox feivall-to-their wives; their chil mothers, “They take us for hens.” zhi s C “No, not for hens but for chatfering mogpies: “That's right. They're not afraid that we'll run off into fh so many hens or women but we'll squeal on them, that we" ep eye773ing ond jor the commissary oF the magistrates ae A= Then an old, experienced mulotto with © grayish head ong § ss head furrowed by a deep scar Began to quell the dissension. # the way those things are done, boys. int'92, when we started & in El-Totum under General Crespo... .” And he plunged memories of army life. They all listened fohim with pleasure, old plainsman, in his way and for his kind, was a irve soldiet, midst of the reminiscences, one of the party leaders called distance to the Jolkgtive old fellow, “Ho, Ramon, old boy! yet te wey wes Old Ral Glens ateueting, ned china short. But the-boss called again: "Ramon, old boy, come he wanted old Ramon to give “the boys" to understand, and to jieapsond himself, thot the events of the next day had nothing te 4 Coe" J wartare but only with electing @ president of the Department p04 —. foot Evening began to fall. Darkness drew in curtains of fu vet across the verdant plain; across the road, heré yellow end otted with red patches across the radiant azure of the heo |" sounds of night began to be heard: the rustling of the breeze, ie ing of cotlle, the shrilling of grasshoppers, the croaking of fra wokening stars pierced the firs shadows and descended fo bathe \Uminous eyes in the Guarico, and os it mirrored their gold, theies flowed gently onward in the night like a golden Pactolus, Eight strikes. Comoruco is going to sleep, for the litle hamlet oi dawn, ond it closes its eyes when the slats begin ta,open theirs: from the headquarters of the two political factions: there : be heard now the strumming of the guitar and the laréataign @ song, the result of the brondy of the plains which, when it de make for ferocity makes for melancholy, and when it does not. blood sheds fears. The strains of o folk song rise in the air bee be 250 Unit 3 + Using Short Stories around the World for Resolving ConflicsTwo kisses my poor soul treasures, That never forgot shall be: The last that | gave my mother, And the first that ! gave to thee.wife & "On the door that leads to prison — edsiuls "ube gu ad alte pyl in dail 's written in chalk this verse: Tis here that the good man turns bed man, Lieber And the bad man changes to worse.” no RehaZn™' Presently one of the party leaders appears before the dircle from which the song is rising, "How about someone to go and take a look | &t what's doing yonder,” he suggests. "Yonder meant the other fac- ae Hioo. A thousand|yoices seemed to reply: “""." “in ——# it will be 0 oom ae freer ther brome The man chosen for the errond was vaqie%o declored one of the “we're going to war, — they knew the truth, ‘thelr chitdrefh their Genpecoate) 4 ‘off into hiding like ~ m, thot we'll betray Igistrote.” ‘ah heod cfd fore- dissension. “That's we started a revolt & plunged into his Some wenty years, dark, robust, beardless, with tiny eyes as black as two poraperas. As fh pleasure, for the hhe rose 10 go on his errand, the others said: ae true soldier. in the ae =}. ; dets called froma one sae thepsend tht col Vine oe iid boy!" 5 > “Be sure to cry out loud, now, when you want Us to come to your ial e re z } ral nate, us tole by cutting # ee Pe ‘ # come here!” For nd, and to under = Bothing to do with Spariment 1 “Here's o woman to 99 9909 ong keep you company" A. yl) The boss intervened/*Peace, gentlemen, peace; and everybody = bed. Tomorrow conqler the enemy" But despite the presence of = his leader, the chosen man retorted with three or four coarse gibes “ond left, As he stalked along the road, he thought: "What do those scoundrel i bine hat we'll conquer the enemy tomorrow? f wish the row broke out tonight! They think I'm ofraid. | ‘oughin't to have ee iors Se Be pr The rood snes deserted: Everyty ins of funeral vel. = fthe heavens. The ie breeze, the low- Kking of frogs. The ; : ing was velled in shadow A fine eo bie | drizzle began 16 fall ond there came to his ears from the distance, on Lape the rainy wings of the breeze, snatches of music. Those of the other Wietoiess withthe arly were having a good time, too. The young plainsman thoughi eae ‘gain of his companions’ jest ond growled: *The beasts!” here continues to = imentation of thal. = when it does not | itdoes not shed — the air, é Suddenly, it seemed to him that he could dimly make out o form Jn the darkness, and he placed himself on guard. The form wes ep- proaching from the opposite direction. As it came near, the youth | tecognized an old man belonging to the hostile faction. "Where are you going, old man?” lag Conflicts Lesson 2'+ The Elements of a Short Story 251“Taking the fresh air hereabouts.” “Taking the fresh air! You're 0 spyl And. Out fo spy on us!” *Sp¥? So is your mother, you scoundrell* y, There were: no more words. Two ‘leaved the darkness and the old man, his hea in two, was stretched in the ive, under dying like o dog. The youth ran off at on leader and not without o certain boostfulniess the presence of all, just what had occurred. ‘Kill on old man!” jeered one ofthe group. noten old wemanm™ yy The leader Hernty rebvked the young pl “You have committed a crime, a ns less They'll soon be ater you. | cart do a thing a rae Off fo the meuniginge ‘The boy was perplexed, What? Flee to the tains, cun away like a wild animal? Then # 44 thot this was a crime? But—the devill Wasn't man of the enemy? es Be of friend. 1 bring the news to your rag rat fONst WS. Joe 3 ‘c evetifherdo you ph youth betrayed him... . Ay lost, wears eh Site” | chia wondating taeedae existence, he eerie himself up “to Justice”... The morning ws sentenced him, finding himself condemned w r= |T Rope of reprieve to the penal setlemank the os Ueioe tears before the cour, sobbing weren't we supposed to. conquer them? Weren't ec gt te pe | our enemies 2 he sed - 4% need Values: Life Connection (0K7-V oe Heep 9. The electorate must be a literate community. 6. The electorate must be well-informed about pol sues. ©. The electorate must behave in ¢ disciplined manner. 252. Unit 3 » Using Short Stories around the World for Resolving Conflicts