Analysis Of Love In L. A By Dagoberto Gilb

People all over the world are gentle and kind right? The problem here is that others know that and they have no issues with taking advantage of and deceiving those nice people. “Love in L.A.” by Dagoberto Gilb is a short story that provides an outlook on this playful side of reality. It is normal and a good sign if someone feels guilty over lying, but this story shows a man who has no regard over who he hurts by lying and using trickery. It isn’t uncommon to see this kind of behavior in our modern day society and Gilb is acknowledging it in this short story. Gilb’s use of characters, events, and tone conveys the friendly aspects of life and how some people take advantage of those aspects.

Gilb sets his story in Los Angeles, a town known

for always being hectic and on the move, so it was no surprise when the main character, Jake, was involved in a car accident while in the middle of traffic. This incident could have turned into a very serious situation but the author uses this event and turns it into a friendly encounter, then Jake takes advantage of the friendliness from this event. I lived in Los Angeles and I have experienced the traffic there and how people seem to react to it, so I know that this scenario could have involved a very frustrated individual. However, Gilb’s reveals the other approach an individual could have taken, an understanding approach. Both Jake and the woman he hit, Mariana, exchange information and even joke around a little bit here and there. Jake takes this opportunity to flirt with Mariana on multiple occasions, right away he asks “So maybe we should go out to breakfast somewhere and talk it over?” (666) and that doesn’t work so he asks “some coffee then?”(666). Gilb makes this event where both parties are understanding and benign, then he makes Jake take advantage of the other character for his own benefit.

Gilb is able to project a tone to “Love in L.A.” that corresponds with the theme of the story.

Gilb gives off a comedic and deceptive tone with the character Jake. Jake is too busy day-dreaming to avoid getting into a car accident but is sly enough to avoid paying for his action by exploiting the kindness of a women whom he tries to flirt with. Jake makes sure to add a little charm to this meeting with Mariana so as not to seem suspicious of lying. Jake spits out lines like “‘Any damage to the car? I’m kinda hoping so, just so it takes a little more time and we can talk some.’” (665) and lines like “‘You’re not married, are you? Not that that would matter that much to me’” (666). Jake is joking around with this woman enough that she doesn’t notice anything off about his information or lack thereof, because on top of the charming jokes he tells, jake is lying profusely. When asked for his information Jake “made up a last name and address and wrote down the name of an insurance company an old girlfriend once belonged to.” (666) Jake obviously does not care for the wellbeing of Mariana and is willing to go to extreme lengths to escape any consequences. Jake is a prime example of a member of our society who takes advantage of others for his own

benefit.

The characters Gilb uses in “Love in L.A.” are perfect for showing how friendly people can be and also how in reality, they can take advantage of that “kindness”. While they’re involved in traffic and then a car accident, they are able to keep calm and understanding. Not only that but Mariana is also in a hurry to get to work. Mariana is nice enough to deal with Jake’s advances and Jake sees this kindness. So what does Jake do? He “made up a last name and address and wrote down the name of an insurance company an old girlfriend once belonged to.” (666), all for the sake of avoiding trouble and the cost of repairs. Mariana even tries to write down his license plate but his have been “taken off a junk”(667). The other thing is, is that we aren’t sure if Mariana is telling the truth herself, because why would she give her name to this guy who just hit her and is trying to flirt with her. It is a cute little game they’re playing but it won’t lead anywhere because he’s making sure to get away scott free and she is just trying to get his info for the repairs and so she can get on over to work. None of them actually are interested in getting together romantically especially since Mariana turned down all of Jake’s advances. Jake is the main culprit in showcasing the theme in this story. Jake hits the car of a woman nice enough to deal with his flirting and he sees it as a way to get away using lie after lie.

“Love in L.A.” by Dagoberto Gilb gives the reader a story on how people can take advantage of your character and deceive you no matter how kind they are. People aren’t going to care about others feelings if it doesn’t benefit them, so they might hurt others if it does benefit them. The characters, events, and tone are used to acknowledge this feature of life.