The story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is about the encounter of a dentist named Aurelio Escovar and the town's mayor. Escovar is described as a skinny man who had an eleven year old son. His son had interrupted his work of polishing false teeth several times because the mayor wanted him to pull his tooth. Escovar didnt answer the first call but he answered the second time around mainly because if he didnt answer, then he would be shot. Escovar would then meet the mayor with a revolver. So Escovar had eradicated the mayor's lower wisdom tooth and ordered for the payment of twenty dead men. The mayor gave Escovar a bill to send to the town. I think the mayor is a corrupt man because Escovar had met him with a revolver on him which means that he killed the twenty men. I think the mayor is corrupt because he said that he would shoot Escovar and he said "Its the same damn thing" which means that he had a history of killing people before the twenty men. The society was probably disoriented.
I really liked this story! "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez described the interaction between Aurelio Escovar, a dentist, and the mayor of the town. Personally, I found it rather amusing yet creepy. The dentist didn't have a medical degree and his working conditions are awful. It's evidential through these lines, "It was a poor office: an old wooden chair, the pedal drill, a glass case with ceramic bottles." (439) and "While the dentist washed his hands, he saw the crumbling ceiling and a dusty spider web with spider's eggs and dead insects." (439). You can sense a tone of resentment towards the Mayor from Aurelio. I believe that when Aurelio didn't use anesthesia and when he took his time preparing the instruments, he was actually trying to make matters worse for the Mayor. Aurelio probably enjoyed the Mayor wriggling in pain because he stated, "Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men." (439). The Mayor probably did something unjustifiable and thus, leaving Aurelio with a bitter resentment. It was funny how apathetic Aurelio was towards the Mayor. You can also assume that the Mayor is using the taxpayers' dollars because he said, "It's the same damn thing." (439) when he was confronted about the delivery of the bill. The Mayor is probably abusing his authorities and thus, Aurelio feels a need to "punish" him.
@Brian. I don't agree with you on a couple of statements that you stated. "Escovar didnt answer the first call but he answered the second time around mainly because if he didnt answer, then he would be shot. Escovar would then meet the mayor with a revolver. So Escovar had eradicated the mayor's lower wisdom tooth and ordered for the payment of twenty dead men. The mayor gave Escovar a bill to send to the town. I think the mayor is a corrupt man because Escovar had met him with a revolver on him which means that he killed the twenty men." First of all, I don't think its because Aurelio was afraid of getting shot that he helped the Mayor. I think it's because he doesn't want to seem like a coward. He was probably even more attentive towards the fact that he can take revenge. Second, Aurelio didn't order for the payment of twenty dead men after taking out the tooth. He said it before he pulled the tooth out because of the same reason as before: vengeance. Third, the Mayor didn't give a bill to Aurelio, he told him to send the bill. Then with a bitter tone of voice, Aurelio questioned whether or not he would have to send the bill to the Mayor or the town. Fourth, Aurelio didn't kill twenty men. Rather, he accused the Mayor of doing the deed. Overall, I disagree with the majority of your comment.
It is true that Aurelio's dentist office was very dirty. I concur with your point that there was resentment within Aurelio to the mayor and that the mayor used the taxpayers' money. But how could you have disagreed with my points i mean i have my own separate perspective !
@Brian. Butbutbutbutbut! I mean, everything you said didn't make sense! LOL! It really didn't (for me, at least). Now that you mentioned that people have their own separate perspectives, I have my own as well! So I think I have the right to disagree with your points.
Hey, I have read the story twice during Thanksgiving! That tells you that i have took some time out from my family to do this! Yes you have the right to disagree with me but not everything i stated! I feel hurt lol =\
"One of These Days" was a really weird story compared to all the other stories we read. It was pretty interesting though. I dont really have a lot to say about this story. @Amy: i agree, the description the author gave about the office shows that the dentist's office was really dirty. @Bryan: i agree with what you said to amy, everyone has their own point of view.
the short story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia tell about people in power who do whatever it takes them to stay in power. in the story the mayor was involved in the murder of innocent people. the dentist was revolted by the mayor's actions and when the mayor came to his office to remove his tooth, the doctor saw that as a revenge. the doctor took in the coldest was the mayor's tooth and gave him no anesthesia so the mayor would feel as much pain as he could.
@ Brian: i agree when you say that the mayor is a corrupt man. he killed innocent people and he really seem like he does not care. his last phrase "Its the same damn thing" makes me think that he will probably do it again if he has to. @ Amy: about the conditions i also noticed and what i think it's that the mayor steels the money which is given to him to emend his town. the dentist's office it's as poor as that because the mayor does not provide money to the institution.
3rd review: Augusta I agree with you that the mayor did whatever it took him to stay in power within the village. I definitely agree with you that the mayor was involved in the murder of people either by himself or the usage for village forces.
The story,"One of these days," was a creepy story, because it was about a dentist without a degree and how he gets threatened to drill a wisdom tooth out for the mayor. This story portrays how people are corrupted like the mayor. An example was how the mayor uses his power to make the dentist drill his tooth, by using a gun and we know the mayor is corrupted by how the authors puts in a quote saying,"Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men."
amy: I agree with you it was a creepy yet amusing story. Augusta: I agree with you on the part how the dentist drilled the mayor's tooth and gave him no anesthesia so the mayor would feel as much pain as he could. Mehak: I agree with you it was a weird story but we read other things even more weird such as the story,"The Lottery."
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One of These Days” is about communication between Aurelio Escovar, an unlicensed dentist and the mayor. I felt strange about this story not because the Aurelio didn't have a lincense but because the mayor went to him for his tooth. But way a minute, does he know that Aurelio is unlicensed dentist? I mean... it is strange that he trusts him(who could be a charlatan).
Amy: I agree with you when you mention that it's creepy. The dentist didn't have a medical degree and his working conditions are awful. Isn't it showing the condition of quack? You know?
Brian: I agree with you that the mayor is corrupt and the society was probably disoriented.
Mehak: Yeah this story was kind of weird but as Stephany had mentioned that "The Lottery" was more weird than this one. In "One of These Days," there were some evidences that mayor was currupt so the dentist revenged by drilling his tooth. However, in "The Lottery," the whole village has to throw a stone at Ms. Hutchinson because she got the black dot paper.
The short story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was about a dentist named Aurelio escovar. The story began at six in the morning at a small dentist office. Not only was Aurelio's office flithy but he also did not have a degree. But he was the only dentist in town. He was arranging things when his son interrupted him. "The Mayor wants to know if you'll pull his tooth."(Marquez 438) he said. The dentist refused. The Mayor then threatened to shoot him. This shows that the Mayor holds all of the power and is probably a tryant. The Mayor shows up at the dentist office and he looks pathetic. "He had shaved the left side of his face, but the other side, swollen, and in pain. had a five day old beard." (Marquez 438) Obviously the mayor tried to put off going to the dentist for help. The dentist told him that it has to be done without anesthesia. This is probably his way of getting back at the mayor for something he has done. "Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men." the dentist said as he grasped the mayor's lower wisdom tooth with hot forceps. I can't just imagine how much pain the mayor is in. But he didn't make a sound. When he was finished he was in tears. He told the dentist to send the bill. "To you or the town?"(Marquez 438) he replied. "Its the same damn thing." i think that line is the most important line in the story because i portrays how the mayor is over taxing the town. The whole town is corrupt and the dentist tried to punish the mayor.
AMY: I really liked this story too. However it was kind of difficult to figure out.Maybe i have it all wrong, who knows. But HaHaHa i think Aurelio did enjoy watching the Mayor getting his wisdom teeth pulled. I think he deserved it. He was trying to make things more difficult for him.
Agusta: I completely agree that he is abusing his authorities, I guess he had been killing off those who do not listen to his orders. Now i understand what happened to those twenty men. The Mayor deserves to be in pain.
Brian: I think when he said that he'll come shoot the dentist. The dentist didn't agree to take him because he was scared. Hwe actually said "Come shoot me then." But if i were to guess.. I think he killed off all the other dentist in town and thats why Aurelio is the last one. Because the mayor went to his final solution, thats why the dentist didn't have a degree. Because he's that last one there. Does anyone understand what i'm talking about?
I think this is the first story we read that was not a recount of the author memories. I think this story is the most interesting story we read, but I have to read Dead Man Walking to say that for sure.
If you read the backround information then you would know Marquez's first book was written in during La Violencia, a period of violence, like the title suggests. I think "One of these Days" was a indirect statement towards the civil war and the corruption.
@Brian Nguyen The mayor did not say to send the bill to the town but said it would be no different from billing himself. This means he embezzles money from the town, probably taking taxes. This does mean the mayor is corrupt as embezzlement is a crime.
@Staphany How do you know the mayor is corrupted by the quote,"Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men"? The quote can be interpreted broadly. My speculation is that the mayor indirectly killed by crimes he committed, but again, this is speculation. Overall, I agree that the motif, corruption, was used to portray the corruption in the world.
@Augusta I disagree with your interpretation of the theme "people in power who do whatever it takes them to stay in power". I did not see any indication regarding this theme. Also, nobody said the twenty men were innocent and there was no anesthesia because of the dental condition abscess (a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity). I believe the process for removing the infected area did not involve anesthesia, the psuedo-dentist did not use it because it was not necesary. It was just revenge because Escovar thought of it as a result of karma.
@Brian. I admit I might've been too harsh stating that I disagreed with everything you stated. But hey, wait a minute! I took time out my Thanksgiving too! Even though the time that I posted it says November 26, it was actually posted on the 25th because my computer time is wrong. =D! So you know, you shouldn't be talking. =)! Also, it's not just me that disagreed! I'm not going to say who, but a lot of other people did as well. =D!
@Chuchu. Your reply towards Brian was quite amusing. Especially how you assumed that Aurelio was probably the last dentist in town. You took your imagination and ran with it. However, I understand why you would assume that Aurelio would be the last dentist. If the Mayor already knew the hatred that's directed towards him from Aurelio, he probably wouldn't go there to get his tooth pulled out. That's like, committing suicide. The Mayor probably couldn't take the pain any longer [ "He had shaved the left side of his face, but the other side, swollen, and in pain. had a five day old beard." (Marquez 438).] and thus, went to Aurelio as his last resort.
@Luna. I didn't even notice the books that Marquez wrote. It's probably because I skimmed the blurb but it was quite nice that you noticed it! =)! You could be right on target though, because it does seem to take place somewhere during a similar time period. However, I have to disagree with your reply towards Augusta's statement, "people in power who do whatever it takes them to stay in power". Augusta didn't specify that it was indicated in the book and she could've simply assumed it. It isn't wrong to assume. =D! She also probably assumed that those people that were "killed" were innocent because of the resentment from Aurelio. I'm not sure what you're trying to say about the removal of the lower wisdom tooth, but it seems that you agree that it was because of revenge that Aurelio didn't use anesthesia. First of all, if there's an infection in the wisdom tooth, the surgery would usually be delayed. Second, it wasn't a cavity but rather, an extraction of the lower wisdom tooth.
I'm no expert but I read this from WebMD. Reference: Curtis, Jeannette (2007). Wisdom tooth extraction. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/wisdom-tooth-extraction.
By the way, guys.. Happy [Belated] Thanksgiving! =) Did you guys have a great one?
The story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it was a very interesting and funny story. The dentist named Auerlio Escovar had removed the mayor’s lower wisdom tooth. I found this story quiet similar to the story “Honor Bound” by Joseph Steeffan, both main characters show a great deal of pride in their actions. The dentist Aurelio Escovar did the surgery for the mayor without anesthesia, I think the he did it on purpose, since he had hate the mayor so much, he’s not going to pull his tooth without give him any pain. Aurelio Escovar tries to pay back the pains that the mayor had given to the twelve dead men. I find this story kind ironic because the mayor knows that the dentist didn’t like but he still want to him. It reflected the nature of human beings when one needs help even if the person is your enemy, you will still ask him/her for help.
@ Brian I agree with you that the mayor is corrupt and the society was disoriented, since who will trust a dentist without a degree or license. I think the Auerlio Escovar was the only dentist in that town; probably the town is poor so the people cannot afford to hire a real dentist.
@ Stephanie I agree with you that this story was pretty strange, it left a lot questions unanswered. The mayor is a pretty weird guy, since he's the mayor why does he need to ask an unlicensed dentist to help him, he’s the mayor, he has the power to order people there's a lot dentist out there, he doesn't have to beg him especially when they both dislike each other.
@ Agusta I totally agree with you, the dentist took this chance as a revenge. Give the mayor as much pain as possible, to pay him for the twelve dead men. I find Auerlio Escovar as a very admirable person since he has stood up for those man in a way that no one else will to do.
"One Of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez offers an interesting look into a small segment of the life of a Columbian dentist. Considering the political and social instability in the reigion, a small exchange between mayor and Dentist speaks volumes about the current climate of the area in which the story takes place. While very little is explicitly stated, I beleive the beauty of the story lies in the fact that inferences must be drawn and the author helps the reader along in forming them. We, as readers, are brought immediately under the asssumtion that this is an extremely small town, probbably rural considering the mayor's dentist operates under such poor conditions, and without a liscence. The story begins with a touch of the mundane- we do not expect much drama or intensity to come from the polishing of fake teeth. This monotony is broken with the entrance of Aurelio's son, who announces the mayor's arrival. "he says if you dont take out his tooth, he will shoot you"(pg. 438). This is the first point in the story that we get a sense of surreal and out of place violence-something reflecting the political climate of the country. From this point onwards we view the mayor as a criminal, as does Aurielo. Unphased by the threat, the unliscenced doctor apathetically takes in his patient. The doctor sees a justified amount of suffering in the partially shaven, miserable mayor, and seemingly goes out of his way to perform an operation without anesthesaia. The story's greatest point is to be found in the last exchange- the culmination of all of the reader's suspicions throughout the story: "Send the bill" "To you or the town?" "Its the same damn thing"(page 439). The mayor takes his final descent in the eyes of the reader, in that phrase is consumate proof of his corruption, to go along with accusations of the murder of twenty men (or accusations of responsability for their deaths). While not neccisarily a memoir, given the political context this could easily be viewed as a typical exchange in more impovershed areas. @Lunatichigh1327 I had not thought of the title in that context, and your probbably entirely correct. I had assumed it to be tied to the overall day to day life in an unstable area. @Augusta: Im a tad confused by your comment, while "people who are in power do whatever they can to stay in power" I dont think the story is directly involved in that theme. I think its more a deal of small scale justice being dealt to a corrupt man, rather than his desires to remain in power. If anything the story brings him down to earth, what we can assume is a corrupt dictator of a community is brought to tears at the hands of a poor dentist. @Amy- I have to say, you seem happy even online! Im going to agree with your assesment of his apathy. You could tell there was some level of resentment for the mayor, but the way it played out in my head made Aurielo seem almost bored.
The short story "One of These Days" written by Gabriel Garcia Maquez is about a situation between a dentist named Aurelio Escovar and his encounter with the town's mayor. Aurelio is a dentist without a degree. He works in a poor office that has an old wooden chair, a pedal drill and a glass case with ceramic bottles. Aurelio was polishing fake teeth when his son interrupted him to tell him the mayor wanted Aurelio to pull his tooth. His response was to tell the mayor he wasn't there but the mayor had heard him. The mayor then said if Aurelio wouldn't remove his tooth, he would shoot him. This time, Aurelio finally answered or else he would have been shot. Aurelion pulled out the mayors lower wisdom tooth. Aurelio did the procedure with no anasthesia so the mayor could feel as much pain as possible. I think Aurelio wanted him to be in pain so he could have his revenge on the mayor of killing 20 innocent people. At the end of the procedure the mayor had told the dentist to send the bill and Aurelio had questioned to send the bill to the mayor or to the town and the mayors respone was "Its the same damn thing." The mayors response shows that he is using the taxpayers money for his own expenses.
@ Brian Nguyne I agree with you and your statement that he responded the second time because if he didn't then he would be shot. I also think that you misunderstood the ending of the story. Aurelio had not ordered the payment of twenty dead men.
@ Amy Apple I agree that Aurelio did use anasthesia and took his time preparing the instruments just so he could make matters worse for the mayor. The dentist probably did want to see the mayor in pain so he could suffer because of what he had done.
@ Augusta I agree that people in power abuse their authorities to get whatever they want and what makes them stay in power.
@ Rong Li I didn't notice the similarities between the short stories "One of These Days" and "Honor Bound" until you mentioned it. I agree that both main characters, the dentist Aurelio Escovar and Joseph Steefan showed a great deal of pride in their actions.
The story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is about the dentist was busy polishing false teeth early one morning when the mayor arrives to see him. He refused at first, then he agreed to help him. He examines him, and then removes the infected wisdom tooth, without anesthesia.I think the mayor is the epitome of apparently corrupt, even murderous, political power.
@Amy- I agree with you that when Aurelio didn't use anesthesia and when he took his time preparing the instruments, he was actually trying to make matters worse for the Mayor.
@Rong Li- I agree with you. I think Aurelio Escovar wanted to get revenge because the mayor did something unjustified to the people in the town. so he did not use anesthesia when he was pulling Mayor's tooth out.
@Brian- I also think the mayor was corrupt too. Probably he was not a good mayor at that time, so the dentist hates him.
One of These Days is a lot different compared to a lot of the stories that we have been reading in Across Cultures. I did find this story interesting. One of These Days is about Aurelio Esovar, a dentist without a degree. One day, the mayor of the town comes into his office wanting to get his tooth removed. The mayor threatens Aurelio, saying that if the tooth isn't removed, he will shoot him. Aurelio decides to remove the mayor's tooth but will not use anesthesia. Aurelio doesn't do this on accident. Aurelio hates the mayor. He even says just before removing the tooth - "Now you will pay for our twenty men dead". The part when Aurelio removed the tooth without anesthesia kind of reminded me of this movie "The Dentist". I never saw the movie but I did see the trailer. In the trailer, this dentist is very successful and everything. One day he finds out that his wife is cheating on him. After that, (I think) he puts his wife in his dentist chair and pulls out her teeth - symbolizing all the pain that she has put him through. Anyway, the part of this story that I found the most important was the ending. Aurelio asks if he should send the bill to the mayor or the town. The mayor's responds was kind of surprising. He says "It's the same damn thing." I think this statement shows a lot about the mayor and pays him out to be a corrupt and cruel man.
Li Jun Chen: I agree with you. The mayor defitnaty seemed like a corrupt person with a lot of political power. The last thing the mayor says when he leaves proves this - when he says that the town and himself are the same.
Rong Li: I felt the same way. I totally think that Aurelio did the surgery without anesthesia on purpose and wanted to see the mayor in pain.
Chu Chu: I felt that the last statement from the mayor was very important and it shows a lot about his character. It does really show how corrupt the town is. Just from this line, I can understand why Aurelio hates the mayor as much as he does.
"One of these days" was a good story. the begining was descriptive. The author's words made me visualize the dentis in my head. At first, I did not know why the dentist didn't want to help the mayor. The last few senteces really helped me think about it. It go me wondering if out mayor charges us for his medical bill. We may never know, but it is possible. @ChuChu... I think the last line is the most important sentance. Without that line, the story is just full of discription. @Brian... I think the mayor is corrupt because if he wasn't than the dentist wouldn't have asked where to send the bill. A lot of people thought the mayor was corrupt. @Augusta... I haven't thought of it that way. The part with no anesthesia. Maybe it was to teach the mayor a lesson. Good point.
this story actually made me think. i wonder if our mayor is the same as the one in the story. i think aurelio wanted to get back to the mayor by putting no anesthesia. i think it's really wrong that the mayor used peoples money to pay for his stuff.
@alexis- i agree with you. i think he wanted revenge. @chuchu- the last line was definitely the most important just like what everyone said. @augusta- i agree with you. throughout history, people of authority always abused their power.
@Prax. LOL! I'm a happy-go-lucky person, I guess? You're right though, Aurelio does seem bored during the entire segment. There's more "action" going on in my head, I guess. I assumed that he had all these crazy ideas in his head for revenge. I mean, IF I were in his shoes, I'll be thinking the exact same thing. Then again, that's just my imagination and everyone else's speculations could be entirely different.
"One of these Days" is a very interesting story. Especially when the dentist took the mayors teeth out without amnesia. @Jeanette1005 I agree without the last line the story really has no point. @Brian- I also think the mayor was corrupt too. @Rong Li- I agree with you
"One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Maquez illustrates the interaction between a non-degree holder dentist and the town's mayor. It shows how the dentist who makes a living in a very miserable and pathetic place is not as easily surpressed by the mayor's dominance in the town. The mayor demands Aurelio to pull his wisdom tooth out, although the dentist despises the mayor he still obeys the mayor because he threatned to shoot him.
I would consider this short story to the first one to not really have to contribute to the other stories we have read. "One of These Days" by Gaberiel Garcia Maquez describes the interaction between a dentist, Aurelio, and the mayor of the town. At first I wasn't to sure about the story and I couldn't understand it so i had to read it twice. But when i read it for the second time i understood that Gabriel made Aurelio seem like a corrupt guy because he refused to take care of the Mayor's tooth knowing that he really didn't have anything to do. And after hearing his son say that he would be shoot if he didnt care to the Mayor did he finally say ok come in to the Mayor. "One of These Days" was a very discriptive story where when I read it I was able to visualize what I was reading ; the characters, setting, time of date and elments to the story.
2nd Review: @ Stephanie I agree with your review of the story this was one of the two stories that I had to read it twice because I couldn't quite understand what I was reading and so many questions was coming to my mind like why would the mayor be going to an unlicensed dentist when he isn't really aware about the dentists skills.
3rd Review: @Augusta yeah! I was thinking the same thing why in the world would the Mayor sit through something like that without getting anesthesia. I would defiantly think twice if a dentist was to tell me he has to pull my teeth out with be getting any type of numbing shot. Especially since, the setting of the dentist's office is told to be old and worn down.
In the short story "One of these days" Escovar's situation is a bit weird, if he doesn't answer the phone the second time he ends up getting shot. I'm glad those things don't happen often in the real world. Escovar is the dentist and the mayor is the superior one in this short story. Surprisingly a mayor of a town is normally more dominant than the rest of the town people.
@ Maham- LOL you're right that part was hilarious. In my opinion the mayor deserved what he got.
@Brian- True that; the society there is probably disoriented for all we know.
@Jeanette1005- The mayor deserved what he got after being so powerful and dominant over everyone. I agree with you though the beginning was rather descriptive.
The short story "One of these days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an interesting story about an expressionless dentist, Escovar. He lives in a town currently in turmoil and violence. And the mayor of the town, who seems to be responsible of the death of twenty people, comes to Escovar to help him with his pain caused by a tooth. The dentist doesn't give any expression nor does he say much, but he gets his message through with the few sentences he says. When he was about to take the tooth out he says that this will be the revenge of the twenty men. And in the end when the mayor asks to send the bill he sarcastically says "to you or to the town", as the town was paying for everything he was doing anyway. I like the Escovar for being brave and also for getting his message through a few words.
@Diana Llanos I agree with you about how weird of a situation the dentist was in, he didn't like the mayor and wanted him to feel more pain but if he didn't answer he would get shot. But I don't agree with you when you say that it is surprising that the mayor is more powerful then the rest of the townspeople, because where I come from, it is the norm that leaders are more powerful than regular townsmen.
@kayla I agree when you say that this story is the most different than the others as it has no relating theme. But I don't agree with the idea that the author was trying to make the dentist corrupt, but now that you say it I realize this may be right too.
@Maham I agree with you that the part of the dentist not using amnesia to take the tooth out was interesting and hilarious.
The story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez demonstrates the aspect of karma. The dentist which is full of remorse from all the citizens who had been killed finds the perfect opportunity to get back at the mayor for allowing all this to happen. The dentist performs an extraction wiothout the use of anestesia which in a way would give the mayor a feel of the pain that he had inflicted on others. This was a great story but I am opposed at how the dentist handled the situation. Revnege is not always the answer but according to the dentist, the mayor got what he deserved. I stand by a famous quote by Ghandi which reads "...an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".
@Diana: I agree with the fact that the mayor is suppose to be the authorative figure but in this story, the roles evidently switched
@Nooulain: I agree with your interpretation of how the both characters used their actions which spoke more than their words
@Kayla: I concur with the fact that this story is unique and doesn't exactly relate to any of the others.It's more like the kind of story that teaches a lesson like fables or folk tales do.
College Now Syllabus
Mon 9/28 No class
Wed 9/30 "We Kissed the Tomato and then the Sky (33)
Mon 10/5 "One Voice" (76)and "Thinking" (171)
Wed 10/7 "A Letter to a Child Like Me" (179)
Mon 10/12 "The Lesson" (181)
Wed 10/14 "Poets in the Kitchen" (196)
Mon 10/19 "The Joy of Reading and Writing" (71)
Mon 10/19 Writing Assignment 1
Wed 10/21 "Black Hair" (240)
Mon 10/26 "Forty-five a Month" (254)
Wed 10/28 "Free and Equal" (261)
Mon 11/2 "A View of Affiramtive Action" (269)
Wed 11/4 "The Lottery" (321)
Mon 11/9 "Stone Throwing in India" (329)
Wed 11/11 No School
Mon 11/16 Writing Assignment
Wed 11/18 "Janushinka" (419)
Mon 11/23 "Honor Bound" (417)
Wed 11/25 "To The Border" (400)
Mon 11/30 "One of These Days" (437)
Wed 12/2 "Dead Man Walking and Writing Assignment 3
Mon 12/7 Dead Man Walking
Wed 12/9 Dead Man Walking
Mon 12/14 Movie
Wed 12/16 Final Exam
Summary
ReplyDeleteThe story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is about the encounter of a dentist named Aurelio Escovar and the town's mayor. Escovar is described as a skinny man who had an eleven year old son. His son had interrupted his work of polishing false teeth several times because the mayor wanted him to pull his tooth. Escovar didnt answer the first call but he answered the second time around mainly because if he didnt answer, then he would be shot. Escovar would then meet the mayor with a revolver. So Escovar had eradicated the mayor's lower wisdom tooth and ordered for the payment of twenty dead men. The mayor gave Escovar a bill to send to the town. I think the mayor is a corrupt man because Escovar had met him with a revolver on him which means that he killed the twenty men. I think the mayor is corrupt because he said that he would shoot Escovar and he said "Its the same damn thing" which means that he had a history of killing people before the twenty men. The society was probably disoriented.
I really liked this story! "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez described the interaction between Aurelio Escovar, a dentist, and the mayor of the town. Personally, I found it rather amusing yet creepy. The dentist didn't have a medical degree and his working conditions are awful. It's evidential through these lines, "It was a poor office: an old wooden chair, the pedal drill, a glass case with ceramic bottles." (439) and "While the dentist washed his hands, he saw the crumbling ceiling and a dusty spider web with spider's eggs and dead insects." (439). You can sense a tone of resentment towards the Mayor from Aurelio. I believe that when Aurelio didn't use anesthesia and when he took his time preparing the instruments, he was actually trying to make matters worse for the Mayor. Aurelio probably enjoyed the Mayor wriggling in pain because he stated, "Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men." (439). The Mayor probably did something unjustifiable and thus, leaving Aurelio with a bitter resentment. It was funny how apathetic Aurelio was towards the Mayor. You can also assume that the Mayor is using the taxpayers' dollars because he said, "It's the same damn thing." (439) when he was confronted about the delivery of the bill. The Mayor is probably abusing his authorities and thus, Aurelio feels a need to "punish" him.
ReplyDelete@Brian. I don't agree with you on a couple of statements that you stated. "Escovar didnt answer the first call but he answered the second time around mainly because if he didnt answer, then he would be shot. Escovar would then meet the mayor with a revolver. So Escovar had eradicated the mayor's lower wisdom tooth and ordered for the payment of twenty dead men. The mayor gave Escovar a bill to send to the town. I think the mayor is a corrupt man because Escovar had met him with a revolver on him which means that he killed the twenty men." First of all, I don't think its because Aurelio was afraid of getting shot that he helped the Mayor. I think it's because he doesn't want to seem like a coward. He was probably even more attentive towards the fact that he can take revenge. Second, Aurelio didn't order for the payment of twenty dead men after taking out the tooth. He said it before he pulled the tooth out because of the same reason as before: vengeance. Third, the Mayor didn't give a bill to Aurelio, he told him to send the bill. Then with a bitter tone of voice, Aurelio questioned whether or not he would have to send the bill to the Mayor or the town. Fourth, Aurelio didn't kill twenty men. Rather, he accused the Mayor of doing the deed. Overall, I disagree with the majority of your comment.
1st review: Amy
ReplyDeleteIt is true that Aurelio's dentist office was very dirty. I concur with your point that there was resentment within Aurelio to the mayor and that the mayor used the taxpayers' money. But how could you have disagreed with my points i mean i have my own separate perspective !
@Brian. Butbutbutbutbut! I mean, everything you said didn't make sense! LOL! It really didn't (for me, at least). Now that you mentioned that people have their own separate perspectives, I have my own as well! So I think I have the right to disagree with your points.
ReplyDelete=D
@Amy
ReplyDeleteHey, I have read the story twice during Thanksgiving! That tells you that i have took some time out from my family to do this! Yes you have the right to disagree with me but not everything i stated! I feel hurt lol =\
"One of These Days" was a really weird story compared to all the other stories we read. It was pretty interesting though. I dont really have a lot to say about this story.
ReplyDelete@Amy: i agree, the description the author gave about the office shows that the dentist's office was really dirty.
@Bryan: i agree with what you said to amy, everyone has their own point of view.
the short story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia tell about people in power who do whatever it takes them to stay in power. in the story the mayor was involved in the murder of innocent people. the dentist was revolted by the mayor's actions and when the mayor came to his office to remove his tooth, the doctor saw that as a revenge. the doctor took in the coldest was the mayor's tooth and gave him no anesthesia so the mayor would feel as much pain as he could.
ReplyDelete@ Brian: i agree when you say that the mayor is a corrupt man. he killed innocent people and he really seem like he does not care. his last phrase "Its the same damn thing" makes me think that he will probably do it again if he has to.
ReplyDelete@ Amy: about the conditions i also noticed and what i think it's that the mayor steels the money which is given to him to emend his town. the dentist's office it's as poor as that because the mayor does not provide money to the institution.
2nd review: Mehak
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the story was a very weird yet interesting story because it is very mind bottling with the mayor and dentist encounter.
3rd review: Augusta
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the mayor did whatever it took him to stay in power within the village. I definitely agree with you that the mayor was involved in the murder of people either by himself or the usage for village forces.
The story,"One of these days," was a creepy story, because it was about a dentist without a degree and how he gets threatened to drill a wisdom tooth out for the mayor. This story portrays how people are corrupted like the mayor. An example was how the mayor uses his power to make the dentist drill his tooth, by using a gun and we know the mayor is corrupted by how the authors puts in a quote saying,"Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men."
ReplyDeleteamy:
I agree with you it was a creepy yet amusing story.
Augusta:
I agree with you on the part how the dentist drilled the mayor's tooth and gave him no anesthesia so the mayor would feel as much pain as he could.
Mehak:
I agree with you it was a weird story but we read other things even more weird such as the story,"The Lottery."
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One of These Days” is about communication between Aurelio Escovar, an unlicensed dentist and the mayor. I felt strange about this story not because the Aurelio didn't have a lincense but because the mayor went to him for his tooth. But way a minute, does he know that Aurelio is unlicensed dentist? I mean... it is strange that he trusts him(who could be a charlatan).
ReplyDeleteAmy: I agree with you when you mention that it's creepy. The dentist didn't have a medical degree and his working conditions are awful. Isn't it showing the condition of quack? You know?
Brian: I agree with you that the mayor is corrupt and the society was probably disoriented.
Mehak: Yeah this story was kind of weird but as Stephany had mentioned that "The Lottery" was more weird than this one. In "One of These Days," there were some evidences that mayor was currupt so the dentist revenged by drilling his tooth. However, in "The Lottery," the whole village has to throw a stone at Ms. Hutchinson because she got the black dot paper.
The short story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was about a dentist named Aurelio escovar. The story began at six in the morning at a small dentist office. Not only was Aurelio's office flithy but he also did not have a degree. But he was the only dentist in town. He was arranging things when his son interrupted him. "The Mayor wants to know if you'll pull his tooth."(Marquez 438) he said. The dentist refused. The Mayor then threatened to shoot him. This shows that the Mayor holds all of the power and is probably a tryant. The Mayor shows up at the dentist office and he looks pathetic. "He had shaved the left side of his face, but the other side, swollen, and in pain. had a five day old beard." (Marquez 438) Obviously the mayor tried to put off going to the dentist for help. The dentist told him that it has to be done without anesthesia. This is probably his way of getting back at the mayor for something he has done. "Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men." the dentist said as he grasped the mayor's lower wisdom tooth with hot forceps. I can't just imagine how much pain the mayor is in. But he didn't make a sound. When he was finished he was in tears. He told the dentist to send the bill. "To you or the town?"(Marquez 438) he replied. "Its the same damn thing." i think that line is the most important line in the story because i portrays how the mayor is over taxing the town. The whole town is corrupt and the dentist tried to punish the mayor.
ReplyDeleteAMY: I really liked this story too. However it was kind of difficult to figure out.Maybe i have it all wrong, who knows. But HaHaHa i think Aurelio did enjoy watching the Mayor getting his wisdom teeth pulled. I think he deserved it. He was trying to make things more difficult for him.
Agusta: I completely agree that he is abusing his authorities, I guess he had been killing off those who do not listen to his orders. Now i understand what happened to those twenty men. The Mayor deserves to be in pain.
Brian: I think when he said that he'll come shoot the dentist. The dentist didn't agree to take him because he was scared. Hwe actually said "Come shoot me then." But if i were to guess.. I think he killed off all the other dentist in town and thats why Aurelio is the last one. Because the mayor went to his final solution, thats why the dentist didn't have a degree. Because he's that last one there. Does anyone understand what i'm talking about?
I think this is the first story we read that was not a recount of the author memories. I think this story is the most interesting story we read, but I have to read Dead Man Walking to say that for sure.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the backround information then you would know Marquez's first book was written in during La Violencia, a period of violence, like the title suggests. I think "One of these Days" was a indirect statement towards the civil war and the corruption.
@Brian Nguyen
The mayor did not say to send the bill to the town but said it would be no different from billing himself. This means he embezzles money from the town, probably taking taxes. This does mean the mayor is corrupt as embezzlement is a crime.
@Staphany
How do you know the mayor is corrupted by the quote,"Now you'll pay for our twenty dead men"? The quote can be interpreted broadly. My speculation is that the mayor indirectly killed by crimes he committed, but again, this is speculation. Overall, I agree that the motif, corruption, was used to portray the corruption in the world.
@Augusta
I disagree with your interpretation of the theme "people in power who do whatever it takes them to stay in power". I did not see any indication regarding this theme. Also, nobody said the twenty men were innocent and there was no anesthesia because of the dental condition abscess (a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity). I believe the process for removing the infected area did not involve anesthesia, the psuedo-dentist did not use it because it was not necesary. It was just revenge because Escovar thought of it as a result of karma.
@Brian. I admit I might've been too harsh stating that I disagreed with everything you stated. But hey, wait a minute! I took time out my Thanksgiving too! Even though the time that I posted it says November 26, it was actually posted on the 25th because my computer time is wrong. =D! So you know, you shouldn't be talking. =)! Also, it's not just me that disagreed! I'm not going to say who, but a lot of other people did as well. =D!
ReplyDelete@Chuchu. Your reply towards Brian was quite amusing. Especially how you assumed that Aurelio was probably the last dentist in town. You took your imagination and ran with it. However, I understand why you would assume that Aurelio would be the last dentist. If the Mayor already knew the hatred that's directed towards him from Aurelio, he probably wouldn't go there to get his tooth pulled out. That's like, committing suicide. The Mayor probably couldn't take the pain any longer [ "He had shaved the left side of his face, but the other side, swollen, and in pain. had a five day old beard." (Marquez 438).] and thus, went to Aurelio as his last resort.
@Luna. I didn't even notice the books that Marquez wrote. It's probably because I skimmed the blurb but it was quite nice that you noticed it! =)! You could be right on target though, because it does seem to take place somewhere during a similar time period. However, I have to disagree with your reply towards Augusta's statement, "people in power who do whatever it takes them to stay in power". Augusta didn't specify that it was indicated in the book and she could've simply assumed it. It isn't wrong to assume. =D! She also probably assumed that those people that were "killed" were innocent because of the resentment from Aurelio. I'm not sure what you're trying to say about the removal of the lower wisdom tooth, but it seems that you agree that it was because of revenge that Aurelio didn't use anesthesia. First of all, if there's an infection in the wisdom tooth, the surgery would usually be delayed. Second, it wasn't a cavity but rather, an extraction of the lower wisdom tooth.
I'm no expert but I read this from WebMD. Reference:
Curtis, Jeannette (2007). Wisdom tooth extraction. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/wisdom-tooth-extraction.
By the way, guys..
Happy [Belated] Thanksgiving! =)
Did you guys have a great one?
The story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it was a very interesting and funny story. The dentist named Auerlio Escovar had removed the mayor’s lower wisdom tooth. I found this story quiet similar to the story “Honor Bound” by Joseph Steeffan, both main characters show a great deal of pride in their actions. The dentist Aurelio Escovar did the surgery for the mayor without anesthesia, I think the he did it on purpose, since he had hate the mayor so much, he’s not going to pull his tooth without give him any pain. Aurelio Escovar tries to pay back the pains that the mayor had given to the twelve dead men. I find this story kind ironic because the mayor knows that the dentist didn’t like but he still want to him. It reflected the nature of human beings when one needs help even if the person is your enemy, you will still ask him/her for help.
ReplyDelete@ Brian
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the mayor is corrupt and the society was disoriented, since who will trust a dentist without a degree or license. I think the Auerlio Escovar was the only dentist in that town; probably the town is poor so the people cannot afford to hire a real dentist.
@ Stephanie
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this story was pretty strange, it left a lot questions unanswered. The mayor is a pretty weird guy, since he's the mayor why does he need to ask an unlicensed dentist to help him, he’s the mayor, he has the power to order people there's a lot dentist out there, he doesn't have to beg him especially when they both dislike each other.
@ Agusta
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, the dentist took this chance as a revenge. Give the mayor as much pain as possible, to pay him for the twelve dead men. I find Auerlio Escovar as a very admirable person since he has stood up for those man in a way that no one else will to do.
"One Of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez offers an interesting look into a small segment of the life of a Columbian dentist. Considering the political and social instability in the reigion, a small exchange between mayor and Dentist speaks volumes about the current climate of the area in which the story takes place. While very little is explicitly stated, I beleive the beauty of the story lies in the fact that inferences must be drawn and the author helps the reader along in forming them. We, as readers, are brought immediately under the asssumtion that this is an extremely small town, probbably rural considering the mayor's dentist operates under such poor conditions, and without a liscence. The story begins with a touch of the mundane- we do not expect much drama or intensity to come from the polishing of fake teeth. This monotony is broken with the entrance of Aurelio's son, who announces the mayor's arrival. "he says if you dont take out his tooth, he will shoot you"(pg. 438). This is the first point in the story that we get a sense of surreal and out of place violence-something reflecting the political climate of the country. From this point onwards we view the mayor as a criminal, as does Aurielo. Unphased by the threat, the unliscenced doctor apathetically takes in his patient. The doctor sees a justified amount of suffering in the partially shaven, miserable mayor, and seemingly goes out of his way to perform an operation without anesthesaia. The story's greatest point is to be found in the last exchange- the culmination of all of the reader's suspicions throughout the story: "Send the bill" "To you or the town?" "Its the same damn thing"(page 439). The mayor takes his final descent in the eyes of the reader, in that phrase is consumate proof of his corruption, to go along with accusations of the murder of twenty men (or accusations of responsability for their deaths). While not neccisarily a memoir, given the political context this could easily be viewed as a typical exchange in more impovershed areas.
ReplyDelete@Lunatichigh1327
I had not thought of the title in that context, and your probbably entirely correct. I had assumed it to be tied to the overall day to day life in an unstable area.
@Augusta: Im a tad confused by your comment, while "people who are in power do whatever they can to stay in power" I dont think the story is directly involved in that theme. I think its more a deal of small scale justice being dealt to a corrupt man, rather than his desires to remain in power. If anything the story brings him down to earth, what we can assume is a corrupt dictator of a community is brought to tears at the hands of a poor dentist.
@Amy- I have to say, you seem happy even online! Im going to agree with your assesment of his apathy. You could tell there was some level of resentment for the mayor, but the way it played out in my head made Aurielo seem almost bored.
The short story "One of These Days" written by Gabriel Garcia Maquez is about a situation between a dentist named Aurelio Escovar and his encounter with the town's mayor. Aurelio is a dentist without a degree. He works in a poor office that has an old wooden chair, a pedal drill and a glass case with ceramic bottles. Aurelio was polishing fake teeth when his son interrupted him to tell him the mayor wanted Aurelio to pull his tooth. His response was to tell the mayor he wasn't there but the mayor had heard him. The mayor then said if Aurelio wouldn't remove his tooth, he would shoot him. This time, Aurelio finally answered or else he would have been shot. Aurelion pulled out the mayors lower wisdom tooth. Aurelio did the procedure with no anasthesia so the mayor could feel as much pain as possible. I think Aurelio wanted him to be in pain so he could have his revenge on the mayor of killing 20 innocent people. At the end of the procedure the mayor had told the dentist to send the bill and Aurelio had questioned to send the bill to the mayor or to the town and the mayors respone was "Its the same damn thing." The mayors response shows that he is using the taxpayers money for his own expenses.
ReplyDelete@ Brian Nguyne
I agree with you and your statement that he responded the second time because if he didn't then he would be shot. I also think that you misunderstood the ending of the story. Aurelio had not ordered the payment of twenty dead men.
@ Amy Apple
I agree that Aurelio did use anasthesia and took his time preparing the instruments just so he could make matters worse for the mayor. The dentist probably did want to see the mayor in pain so he could suffer because of what he had done.
@ Augusta
I agree that people in power abuse their authorities to get whatever they want and what makes them stay in power.
@ Rong Li
I didn't notice the similarities between the short stories "One of These Days" and "Honor Bound" until you mentioned it. I agree that both main characters, the dentist Aurelio Escovar and Joseph Steefan showed a great deal of pride in their actions.
The story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is about the dentist was busy polishing false teeth early one morning when the mayor arrives to see him. He refused at first, then he agreed to help him. He examines him, and then removes the infected wisdom tooth, without anesthesia.I think the mayor is the epitome of apparently corrupt, even murderous, political power.
ReplyDelete@Amy-
I agree with you that when Aurelio didn't use anesthesia and when he took his time preparing the instruments, he was actually trying to make matters worse for the Mayor.
@Rong Li-
I agree with you. I think Aurelio Escovar wanted to get revenge because the mayor did something unjustified to the people in the town. so he did not use anesthesia when he was pulling Mayor's tooth out.
@Brian-
I also think the mayor was corrupt too. Probably he was not a good mayor at that time, so the dentist hates him.
One of These Days is a lot different compared to a lot of the stories that we have been reading in Across Cultures. I did find this story interesting. One of These Days is about Aurelio Esovar, a dentist without a degree. One day, the mayor of the town comes into his office wanting to get his tooth removed. The mayor threatens Aurelio, saying that if the tooth isn't removed, he will shoot him. Aurelio decides to remove the mayor's tooth but will not use anesthesia. Aurelio doesn't do this on accident. Aurelio hates the mayor. He even says just before removing the tooth - "Now you will pay for our twenty men dead". The part when Aurelio removed the tooth without anesthesia kind of reminded me of this movie "The Dentist". I never saw the movie but I did see the trailer. In the trailer, this dentist is very successful and everything. One day he finds out that his wife is cheating on him. After that, (I think) he puts his wife in his dentist chair and pulls out her teeth - symbolizing all the pain that she has put him through. Anyway, the part of this story that I found the most important was the ending. Aurelio asks if he should send the bill to the mayor or the town. The mayor's responds was kind of surprising. He says "It's the same damn thing." I think this statement shows a lot about the mayor and pays him out to be a corrupt and cruel man.
ReplyDeleteLi Jun Chen: I agree with you. The mayor defitnaty seemed like a corrupt person with a lot of political power. The last thing the mayor says when he leaves proves this - when he says that the town and himself are the same.
Rong Li: I felt the same way. I totally think that Aurelio did the surgery without anesthesia on purpose and wanted to see the mayor in pain.
Chu Chu: I felt that the last statement from the mayor was very important and it shows a lot about his character. It does really show how corrupt the town is. Just from this line, I can understand why Aurelio hates the mayor as much as he does.
"One of these days" was a good story. the begining was descriptive. The author's words made me visualize the dentis in my head. At first, I did not know why the dentist didn't want to help the mayor. The last few senteces really helped me think about it. It go me wondering if out mayor charges us for his medical bill. We may never know, but it is possible.
ReplyDelete@ChuChu...
I think the last line is the most important sentance. Without that line, the story is just full of discription.
@Brian...
I think the mayor is corrupt because if he wasn't than the dentist wouldn't have asked where to send the bill. A lot of people thought the mayor was corrupt.
@Augusta...
I haven't thought of it that way. The part with no anesthesia. Maybe it was to teach the mayor a lesson. Good point.
this story actually made me think. i wonder if our mayor is the same as the one in the story. i think aurelio wanted to get back to the mayor by putting no anesthesia. i think it's really wrong that the mayor used peoples money to pay for his stuff.
ReplyDelete@alexis- i agree with you. i think he wanted revenge.
@chuchu- the last line was definitely the most important just like what everyone said.
@augusta- i agree with you. throughout history, people of authority always abused their power.
@Prax. LOL! I'm a happy-go-lucky person, I guess? You're right though, Aurelio does seem bored during the entire segment. There's more "action" going on in my head, I guess. I assumed that he had all these crazy ideas in his head for revenge. I mean, IF I were in his shoes, I'll be thinking the exact same thing. Then again, that's just my imagination and everyone else's speculations could be entirely different.
ReplyDelete"One of these Days" is a very interesting story. Especially when the dentist took the mayors teeth out without amnesia.
ReplyDelete@Jeanette1005
I agree without the last line the story really has no point.
@Brian-
I also think the mayor was corrupt too.
@Rong Li-
I agree with you
"One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Maquez illustrates the interaction between a non-degree holder dentist and the town's mayor. It shows how the dentist who makes a living in a very miserable and pathetic place is not as easily surpressed by the mayor's dominance in the town. The mayor demands Aurelio to pull his wisdom tooth out, although the dentist despises the mayor he still obeys the mayor because he threatned to shoot him.
ReplyDeleteI would consider this short story to the first one to not really have to contribute to the other stories we have read. "One of These Days" by Gaberiel Garcia Maquez describes the interaction between a dentist, Aurelio, and the mayor of the town. At first I wasn't to sure about the story and I couldn't understand it so i had to read it twice. But when i read it for the second time i understood that Gabriel made Aurelio seem like a corrupt guy because he refused to take care of the Mayor's tooth knowing that he really didn't have anything to do. And after hearing his son say that he would be shoot if he didnt care to the Mayor did he finally say ok come in to the Mayor. "One of These Days" was a very discriptive story where when I read it I was able to visualize what I was reading ; the characters, setting, time of date and elments to the story.
ReplyDelete2nd Review: @ Stephanie I agree with your review of the story this was one of the two stories that I had to read it twice because I couldn't quite understand what I was reading and so many questions was coming to my mind like why would the mayor be going to an unlicensed dentist when he isn't really aware about the dentists skills.
3rd Review: @Augusta yeah! I was thinking the same thing why in the world would the Mayor sit through something like that without getting anesthesia. I would defiantly think twice if a dentist was to tell me he has to pull my teeth out with be getting any type of numbing shot. Especially since, the setting of the dentist's office is told to be old and worn down.
In the short story "One of these days" Escovar's situation is a bit weird, if he doesn't answer the phone the second time he ends up getting shot. I'm glad those things don't happen often in the real world. Escovar is the dentist and the mayor is the superior one in this short story. Surprisingly a mayor of a town is normally more dominant than the rest of the town people.
ReplyDelete@ Maham- LOL you're right that part was hilarious. In my opinion the mayor deserved what he got.
@Brian- True that; the society there is probably disoriented for all we know.
@Jeanette1005- The mayor deserved what he got after being so powerful and dominant over everyone. I agree with you though the beginning was rather descriptive.
The short story "One of these days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an interesting story about an expressionless dentist, Escovar. He lives in a town currently in turmoil and violence. And the mayor of the town, who seems to be responsible of the death of twenty people, comes to Escovar to help him with his pain caused by a tooth. The dentist doesn't give any expression nor does he say much, but he gets his message through with the few sentences he says. When he was about to take the tooth out he says that this will be the revenge of the twenty men. And in the end when the mayor asks to send the bill he sarcastically says "to you or to the town", as the town was paying for everything he was doing anyway. I like the Escovar for being brave and also for getting his message through a few words.
ReplyDelete@Diana Llanos
I agree with you about how weird of a situation the dentist was in, he didn't like the mayor and wanted him to feel more pain but if he didn't answer he would get shot. But I don't agree with you when you say that it is surprising that the mayor is more powerful then the rest of the townspeople, because where I come from, it is the norm that leaders are more powerful than regular townsmen.
@kayla
I agree when you say that this story is the most different than the others as it has no relating theme. But I don't agree with the idea that the author was trying to make the dentist corrupt, but now that you say it I realize this may be right too.
@Maham
I agree with you that the part of the dentist not using amnesia to take the tooth out was interesting and hilarious.
-Ingrid Palencia
ReplyDeleteThe story "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez demonstrates the aspect of karma. The dentist which is full of remorse from all the citizens who had been killed finds the perfect opportunity to get back at the mayor for allowing all this to happen. The dentist performs an extraction wiothout the use of anestesia which in a way would give the mayor a feel of the pain that he had inflicted on others. This was a great story but I am opposed at how the dentist handled the situation. Revnege is not always the answer but according to the dentist, the mayor got what he deserved. I stand by a famous quote by Ghandi which reads "...an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".
@Diana: I agree with the fact that the mayor is suppose to be the authorative figure but in this story, the roles evidently switched
@Nooulain: I agree with your interpretation of how the both characters used their actions which spoke more than their words
@Kayla: I concur with the fact that this story is unique and doesn't exactly relate to any of the others.It's more like the kind of story that teaches a lesson like fables or folk tales do.