Señor Juan is the antagonist in the film Dirty Pretty Things. Juan opposes Okwe (the protagonist) in the film from living a humble and just life by giving him an ultimatum of having to operate in the illegal organ trade in exchange for a new identity and money. Señor Juan is portrayed to be a charcter that is facing many ethical dilemmas in his life and has trouble finding a balance between choosing equally desirable and undesirable alternatives and justifying the bad decisions he makes. Señor Juan’s following choices are to be questioned based on the ethical dilemmas this charcter faces. Through the process of Señor Juan’s unraveling dilemmas one learns his troubling life as the local organ broker, drug dealer, and manager of the Baltic Hotel. Señor Juan carries himself as a well put together man with many luxurious such as a private office, money and a Mercedes Benz. However those luxurious over take him and lead him to a troubled path of alcoholism, and working in the illegal drug and organ trade. The following dilemmas unravel Señor …show more content…
When faced with the dilemma that one of his hotel staff (Okwe) has found a human heart in one of his hotel rooms. Señor Juan does not seem worried and hides the hidden secrets of Baltic hotel and his involvement. Yet instead he hands the phone to his employee to report it to the police. However, Señor Juan well knows that Okwe will not report the incident because, Señor Juan beings to intimidate Okwe with questions of his identity. This later reveals the philosophy Señor Juan carries in which he states to Okwe that “ hotel business is about strangers and stranger will always surprise you, they come to the hotels at night to do dirty things and in the morning it’s our job to make things look pretty again”. This belief foreshadows the dirty things that Señor Juan will later face as his illegal business will come to an utter
“Romero’s shirt,” is a story about a man –the protagonist, who takes pride in his work and the possessions he has acquired through his hard work. Romero is confined by his hard work and the need to provide for his family. While washing his car, Romero is approached by a man of distinct character, such as Romero before he came to El Paso. Thrown by the man’s personality, Romero lets his guard down and gives the man a small odd job. When the job is done Romero takes a nap and quickly realizes he left his favorite shirt outside. Unable to find his shirt, Romero automatically assumes that the old man has taken advantage of him by taking his food, money and his shirt. This in return leaves Romero feeling disappointed and taken advantage of.
In “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of the Amontillado’ Montresor and the unknown narrator are both murders through their confessions they reveal both their similarities and differences. The unknown narrator is trying to convince the auditor of his sanity while Montresor is attempting to convince the auditor of justifiable revenge. It is through these confessions they are trying to convince the auditor of their humanity and of their innocence through the justification of these horrible acts (Dern 53).
No matter how well executed, a crime of this magnitude will leave scars on the conscience, thus marring it’s perfection. Conflicting psychological emotions and actions plague the journey causing inner conflict ranging between pity and revulsion by the time the narrator concludes. Notwithstanding the shortage of information on Montresor’s life in the ensuing fifty years since Fortunato’s death; it can be surmised from the events leading to the murder that Montresor does, in fact, have a conscience and that it builds upon itself as the action
Junot Diaz’s “Otravida, Otravez” depicts a perspective of life where one’s present and future always reflects their past in some way. Diaz’s representation of symbolic figures, convey how a person’s past can be carried into the future. Diaz’s use of symbolic figures includes the dirty sheets washed by Yasmin, the letters sent by Virta to Ramon, and the young girl who begins working with Yasmin at the hospital. These symbolic figures and situations remind the readers that the past will always play a major role in one’s present. Additionally, Diaz’s word choice, where Spanish words appear in many different parts of the reading, suggests that indirectly, one’s past habits are not easily broken.
Both the essays have the similarity that they discuss about the weaknesses in the protagonists life. They describe the social stigmas and the fear of being objected or feel guilty about wh...
Family is one of the most important institutions in society. Family influences different aspects of a person’s life, such as their religion, values, morals and behavior. Unfortunately, problems may arise when an individual’s belief system or behavior does not coincide with that of family standards. Consequently, individuals may be forced to repress their emotions or avoid acting in ways that that are not acceptable to the family. In the novel The Rain God, written by Arturo Islas, we are presented with a story about a matriarchal family that deals with various conflicts. One major internal conflict is repression. Throughout the novel the characters act in strange ways and many of the family members have internal “monsters” that represent the past that they are repressing. In his article, “The Historical Imagination in Arturo Islas’s The Rain God and Migrant Souls”, Antonio C. Marquez’s implicitly asserts a true idea that The Rain God is a story about repression. Marquez’s idea can be supported from an analysis of secondary sources and a reading of the primary text.
This agency creates a complex self-realization that readers find in both of the characters, however both shows different approach that differentiate their character from one another. As a result, both characters manifest a sense of victimization, but somehow in their hope for upward mobility, negate that. The power of this purpose is retrospective to all migrant workers because that is all they have---it’s rather success or failure.
Juan saw injustice as he perceived it, and so with only two friends and all of the bravery he could possibly muster, he set off on a journey that not only defied the laws of their own government but ours as well. Together, they overcame some challenges, only to be hurt in the most gruesome ways. Often, the price of non-conformity is so minor to us at first glance, that a great deal of individuals think it is a simple matter: “Do I d...
Furthermore, the interaction between him and the doctor is cold and unaffectionate. Even when there is physical contact, he touches him with gloves and at the end of their consult he “moves on to other rooms, other patients” (Cuadros 120). The lack of gestures of genuine care of his doctor and the ease of moving from patient to patient portrays the poetic voice as insignificant. He is just another patient, “just like any other [infected] queer”, along with this identification comes a sense of lack of individuality (Cuadros 122). Just like the Christmas decorations, his time is coming to an end and is ‘at risk’ of being completely forgotten.
Esperanza, a strong- willed girl who dreams big despite her surroundings and restrictions, is the main character in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza represents the females of her poor and impoverished neighborhood who wish to change and better themselves. She desires both sexuality and autonomy of marriage, hoping to break the typical life cycle of woman in her family and neighborhood. Throughout the novel, she goes through many different changes in search of identity and maturity, seeking self-reliance and interdependence, through insecure ideas such as owning her own house, instead of seeking comfort and in one’s self. Esperanza matures as she begins to see the difference. She evolves from an insecure girl to a mature young lady through her difficult life experiences and the people she comes across. It is through personal encounters and experiences that Esperanza begins to become sexually aware and acceptance her place and self-definition in her community.
Throughout the story, Juvencio seems very selfish. He never cares about anyone besides himself and what happens to him, which causes him many problems with those who care about him. His selfishness creates a divide between him and his family. This is shown in the first few paragraphs of the story, “‘All right, I'll go. But if they decide to shoot me too, who will take care of my wife and kids?’ ‘Providence will take care of them. You go now and see what you can do for me. That's what matters.’” Even this early on in the story, Juan Rulfo shows the reader how self-centered Juvencio is, that he would tell his son to endanger his life to save Juvencio’s own life. Juvencio states to Justino that saving him matters more than the safety of Justino or his family. Juan Rulfo also shows that Juvencio’s selfishness makes his son less ready to help him by describing Justino having an inner conflict about whether to take the risk of helping his father. Justino almost doesn’t help his father, showing that he is losing empathy for his father as a result of Juvencio’s selfishness and self-centered lifestyle. Juan Rulfo uses this scene to illustrate his theme related to selfishness. There are also a few examples of Juvencio’s lack of empathy in this story, including the scene in which Juvencio talks about his crime, showing a total lack of caring for any other human
...ack to destroy Juan. Since he didn’t find the letter to be important, he acted carelessly and discarded it and was “one more victim of his devotion to his work” (Valenzuela 968). Although many people would not go as far as to essentially commit suicide through the government, Valenzuela is making the point that secrets are dangerous. At the same time, Valenzuela is showing the average person can always be corrupted and caught up in their government if said government is corrupt. The most innocent person will always be tainted and destroyed by an iniquitous government. Through Juan’s letter and actions, Valenzuela depicts the satirical theme of how anyone can be corrupted by a perverted government.
...s a person who has a sagacious mind and his meticulousness leads to a successful murder. For example, the “vaults” where he chose to kill Fortanato, and that those ironic conversations that caused Fortanato fall into Montresor’s clutches. He also satirized Fortanato so much in this story, such as his favorite “Amontillado” and his dignity is his undoing. In contrast, Fortanato has a besotted mind, and his cockiness leads him to die. For example, he was not suspicious in the “vaults”, his envious of “Luchesi”, and his exorbitance in appreciating his connoisseurship, these all leads him to die at the end.
Amongst other things, “The Dead Man” is a story of political ambition, and personal pride which ends up being the downfall of our protagonist. Benjamin Otalora, the Argentinean Buenos Aires hoodlum turned Uruguayan gaucho, is ambitious and most of all brave. However, he is also reckless and lacks any kind of discretion whatsoever. His physical daring is un-complimented by any higher meaning or purpose. He doesn’t save Azevedo Bandeira, the mobster boss, in the knife fight because of any morals or virtues he believes in, but simply because he was drawn “to the sheer taste of danger.” Otalora’s braveness is also completely selfish. It is a raw, violent, braveness that ultimately blinds him to the reality to which he becomes self-aware in the last moments of his life; he is a man who is completely oblivious to forces outside himself. Otalora’s uncontrolled ambition and unchecked bravery disallows him the ability to calmly make calculations, to make the most intelligent choices, to think things through; all essentials in leadership and especially in ultimately coordinating a power grab from someone the likes of Azevedo.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story, “One of These Days,” describes the disparity between everyday working class people and higher class politicians. The story focuses mainly on two contrasting characters: a humble dentist, Aurelio Escovar, and an aggressive and abusive mayor who takes advantage of his townspeople. Deep in this piece, the situation between the two characters symbolize the corruption of power and the negative influence it can put on society. Though the mayor owns all of the dominance out of everyone in the town, the dentist receives influence for a period of time, taking advantage of it at all cost. We learn at the end of the passage that no matter the identity nor class of an individual, the excess of power can lead to corruption.