Imagine not being able to have the freedom to be mobile. Being quadriplegic will always lead you to having to ask for assistance. Never given the chance for a normal life, basic living standard. Or imagine having it all taken away from you. This is powerlessness. In their stories, Fuentes and Bosch both present characters that are powerless to overcome the tremendous obstacles they face. In The Cost of Living by Carlos Fuentes no amount of effort, determination and perseverance will allow a impoverished person to prevail in a rigid social system that does not permit upward movement between classes. In Two Dollars Worth of Water by Juan Bosch a person with faith, strong conviction, and pride that is unwilling to stand down to nature. Will suffer the consequences. Both stories articulate on powerlessness but from very different perspectives.
…show more content…
Salvador’s day to day life is simple, boring. The world in which he lives in is defined by a rigid social system. We see that he has to take care of his growing ill and weak wife. “Her gingerbread colored face had grown thin”. (Fuentes 451). “She must need someone to look after her”(Fuentes 453). The daily burden of her lingers on his mind throughout the day. Salvador arises “very early” (Fuentes 451). To go to his job as a teacher and to his second job. He often times asks his father for help and advice. To contrary his father gives him the disappointing reality he states “ I was born poor and I’ll die poor.” (Fuentes 453). Salvador’s Renteria's life is a result of bad luck, born into poverty, hopelessness, and powerlessness. Salvador’s life is
Salvador’s day to day life is simple, boring. The world in which he lives in is defined by a rigid social system. We see that he has to take care of his growing ill and weak wife. “Her gingerbread colored face had grown thin”. (Fuentes 451). “She must need someone to look after her”(Fuentes 453). The daily burden of her lingers on his mind throughout the day. Salvador arises “very early” (Fuentes 451). To go to his job as a teacher and to his second job. He often times asks his father for help and advice. To contrary his father gives him the disappointing reality he states “ I was born poor and I’ll die poor.” (Fuentes 453). Salvador’s Renteria's life is a result of bad luck, born into poverty, hopelessness, and powerlessness. Salvador’s life is