Comparative Essay
The negative actions of a person can affect their interactions with other people in an undesirable way. The two authors Hernando Tellez and MacKinlay Kantor display the truth of this idea in their short stories “Lather and Nothing Else”, and “The Man With No Eyes” respectively. Tellez’s character Captain Torres, shows this concept by his actions of annihilation in the name of the law and entering a shop owned by someone who is part of the revolution, even though it might cost him his life. Additionally, Kantor’s character Markwardt displays this idea through his actions of begging for money and asking for sympathy through his fictional story. Readers learn from Captain Torres and Markwardt that their negative actions can affect the actions of others.
In the story “Lather and Nothing Else“, Hernando Tellez portrays Captain Torrez as an officer who kills those who do not agree with the law. He is described as a sadistic, arrogant man who enjoys holding power over others. Additionally, his actions of killing, people that surround him (like the barber) have impulses to…show more content… Kantor portrays Markwardt as a self-motivated, conniving man who lives off the empathy and compassion of others. This is shown through Markwardt’s desperate attempts of trying to sell the “[b]est cigarette lighter made” (Kantor, 329) to Mr. Parsons. “Mr. Parsons stood there, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed”. (Kantor, 329) This suggests that Mr. Parsons was getting agitated by how Markwardt was trying to advertise the lighter. Furthermore this foreshadows how Mr. Parsons’s acts toward Markwardt since his actions are based off of Markwardt’s begging. It is later proven when Mr. Parsons purchases the lighter even though he has no use for it. As a result the desperate begging and negotiating actions of Markwardt affected the actions of Mr.