Stereotypes and Stereotyping - Stereotypical Female in I'm Your Horse in the Night

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Recommended: What Literature Teaches About Different Cultures

A Stereotypical Female in I'm Your Horse in the Night

Luisa Valenzuela's short story titled "I'm Your Horse in the Night" is a

thought provoking piece of literature. The story is written in such a way

that the reader must interpret what is meant by what is being said. Although

it is easy to go into depth when describing the elements of this piece, the

storyline is rather simple. The story contains an assortment of characters;

with those characters being Chiquita, Beto, Andres, and several policemen.

The time and location are unknown. The telephone tells us that the time

period is of somewhat modern times, and the Spanish ethnicity would most

likely relate to the setting being that of a Spanish colonization. The

narration of the story is first person persona told by Chiquita throughout.

Aside from the geographic location of the setting, it is the home of a woman

who lives on her own. She is in love with a man who she calls Beto. The

woman hasn't heard from Beto in months, but she practically fantasizes about

him every night. One morning she is awaken by a mysterious phone call. She

thought it was a man she calls Andres, but then the man hangs up and she is

left hearing that Beto is dead. Chiquita called the police. They showed up

only to harass her and tear apart her house, asking questions about Beto,

which Chiquita was unable to answer. The police conclude their search by

taking Chiquita to jail. She is left to ponder what is going on with Beto,

the man she loved. The short story summarized above illustrates the common

stereotypical theme of a female wanting to be loved by a man who in turn

only wants the woman for her sex.

The characters in this short story would have to be...

... middle of paper ...

...ng and complexities, making it into a complete literary piece.

Certain areas of the story were open for interpretation, giving the story

line more than one path to go by, making it an ambiguity within itself.

Every sentence adds to what the reader is able to see and comprehend as far

as this particular story goes. Overall the theme is clearly that of a female

simply wanting to be loved, and a male wanting sexual pleasure. This piece

just glorifies the common occurrence with the verisimilitude of the main

characters making the story come to life for the reader. The main characters

within the story are a good example of reality when it comes to seeing the

differences between males and females during an event such as this.

Valenzuela's story does a good job of taking a common theme, and turning it

into an exciting, thought provoking piece to read.

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