Lather And Nothing Else Analysis

“Freedom lies in being bold” (Robert Frost). In the text, Lather and Nothing Else by Hernando Téllez, a barber is troubled by his dark thoughts as he has an encounter with the enemy, as a patient. The enemy, Captain Torres, a murderous man to the rebels, walks into the shop , and requests the barber, a secret revolutionist, for a shave; like any other day. The result of the interaction reveals that the Captain knew all along the barber was against him, but he put himself out there anyways. In the face of fear the barber only shows cowardice, where the captain proves his bravery.

To begin, the relationship between the barber and captain is tense to say the least, but instead of facing his fear of the captain, he remains a coward. Despite

The Captain is a coward in the way he kills the people who rise up against him. A brave man would not be threatened by those who try, but instead face them, and find a solution. He goes around having his men slaughter those who oppose, as opposed to hearing them out: “We caught the leaders. Some of them we brought back dead; others are still alive. But they’ll be dead soon (343). If this man really had no fear of having his beliefs shaken, or believed no one posed an actual threat, he would not be hunting them down out of fear. When it comes to the barber, from the start, he is a coward; even before the captain walked in. Instead of really joining the movement, he is hiding behind his kind barber cover while everyone else puts their life on the line(Téllez 343-344). Additionally, the barber has the opportunity to free his people in a sense; free them from the torture of the captain, and from the constant running. Instead of sacrificing his ideals for the good of his people by killing the barber, he lets the murderous man walk out, clean shaven. When the Captain is in the chair, he has the perfect

As the barber chokes down his tendency to stay clear of the Captain, he is showing some bravery, even though he could not be more scared. The barber goes on pretending like it’s a normal day, meanwhile his greatest enemy is in his chair: “But the sight of those mutilated bodies kept me from paying attention to the face of the man who had been directing it all and whom I now held in my hands” (343). Any person in their right mind would fear the Captain, but the barber accepted the fear, and moved on as if it was never there. On the contrary, the Captain showed greater bravery. The text shows readers how he spends his days standing up for what he believes is right, whether it is or is not; hunting down rebels (343-346). Only a brave man will actually be bold enough to stand up. Ultimately, the Captain walked in knowing full well he could be walking to his death, but had enough faith to take the chance anyways. When the shave is over, the Captain admits to the barber he knew the barber was the enemy all along: “They told me you would kill me. I came in to find out if it was true. But it’s not easy to kill. I know what I’m talking about ( 346).” Regardless of what the consequences could have been, the captain had enough faith to face his fear. Overall, both men have their fears, but it’s the man who faces them who shows true bravery. In this story, that man was