Lather And Nothing Else By Hernando Tellez

In the short story, “Lather and Nothing Else”, author Hernando Tellez creates a scenario that compares different forms of power and how they are used. The story introduces two characters; Captain Torres who is a military leader who is responsible for destroying a revolutionary movement and the Barber who is secretly part of that movement. Throughout the story it is clear that the barber uses his personal power in positive ways while the captain uses his power in more overt or negative ways.

Captain Torres uses his power in a more sinister and negative way. His idea of being powerful is using fear, punishment and threats to manipulate and control power. He is not hesitant to talk about his techniquest. He says, “We caught the leaders. Some of them we brought back dead; others are still alive. But they’ll all be dead soon”. He also explains to the barber that, “Not one will escape; not a single one.” He talks about killing and punishment as if they were simple things to do. In his mind, overt power is necessary to control people and get rid of the revolutionary movement.

The barber, on the other hand, is secretly a member of the revolution.

He is tempted by the opportunity to kill the Captain as, he feels it is part of his duty to protect his fellow revolutionaries. However, his personal or positive power is more important to him than the feeling of duty that he has. He is tempted to use his power to kill the captain, but then thinks to himself, “I am a revolutionary but not a murder” and “No one deserves the sacrifice others make in becoming assassins.” Unlike the captain, he does not want to hand over his personal power; he does not want to stain his “hands with blood”. He knows that he has the option to kill the captain, but is unwilling to pay the personal consequences to this

action.

In his short story, Tellez effectively compares overt and personal power and how it is used by the scenario he presents. I feel that the barber made the right decision to keep his personal power and not kill Captain Torres. He would have become just like the Captain if he would have killed him. Through the story, Hernando Tellez outlines that power is a burden and must be used carefully. Even the Captain realizes this to a point when he says, “But it’s not easy to kill. I know what I’m talking about.” He seems to be a character that does not show a lot of remorse or mercy, but in this final statement he is showing that he also feels that it is difficult to kill.