What Is The Theme Of 'Close To The Idol Of The Cyclades'

Improved Essays
In several short stories written by Cortazar, visual imagery is a quintessential factor that has substantial effect on how readers perceive the work. In the particular narrative of "Idol of the Cyclades", images are expressed in a somewhat different way than normal. Cortázar uses sexualized visual imagery through the actions of characters and their characterization, to show themes of obsession. A primary example of his use of erotic images shows up in Somoza's lustful actions towards the idol. The author writes, "Close to the idol, he raised one hand and laid it gently over the breasts and belly," (Cortázar, 35) showing the explicitness and longing Somoza has towards the inanimate object. The showing of sexual images for love that is not legitimately

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Imagery is a technique frequently used by authors in order to promote the theme(s) that they are attempting to convey to the reader through their work. It is the use of figurative language to represent objects, and communicate ideas to the reader so that they may mentally visualize them, and understand themes in the work of literature. Generally speaking in literature, the reader may only recognize or relate to a few of the themes that the author is portraying through contrasting imagery, but to the author, all of the themes may be of importance. In The Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez conveys many themes through the use of imagery, including sacrifice, feminism and religion. Alvarez uses contrasting imagery to develop the story’s theme…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Revolving around loyalty Loyalty, it means everythinng, but what if we revolved around them? Even in the objects we make, like books.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Imagery is another tool an author can use to grasp the reader’s attention. The short story Just Lather That’s All by Hernando Tellez makes great use of imagery. For instance a powerful example of this would be when the barber was imagining the amount of blood that would be on his hands if he gave in to killing captain Torres. “And the blood would keep inching along the floor,” this phrase perfectly captures how the author wants the reader to feel.…

    • 142 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To begin, movement dictates the artwork’s impact on the viewer. Hercules’ figure serves as the starting examination point. The eyes follow his outstretched arm gripping the bow and arrow. The imminence of battle is shown by the pointed weapon, which guides the eyes to the eagle; thus, the image of man versus animal becomes apparent.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Odysseus and The Cyclops In Homer’s epic novel, The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men stumble upon an island full of man eating cyclops, and immediately are shown how the cyclops do not respect the gods, nor their rules of xenia when a cyclops named Polyphemus grabs two of Odysseus's men, kills them, and eats them like nothing. When Odysseus and his crew first arrive at the cyclops’ island they are confused by the way the cyclops acts and tells him that he should “respect the gods” and follow the rules of xenia (9.303). The cyclops laughs in a derisive way at Odysseus’ request and assumes that Odysseus must be a “fool, stranger, or come from nowhere” (9.307). Polyphemus explains that he does not fear nor avoid the gods wrath.…

    • 270 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The ancient Greeks created a moral code that consisted of eight evil thoughts that they believed made a person less human. A couple of these evil thoughts are demonstrated in the episode “The Cyclops” in the epic The Odyssey. In “The Cyclops” a storm blows Odysseus onto an island. He is trapped on the island with some of his men, and Odysseus must try to escape the island with his men by killing the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the excerpt from The Odyssey, Part 1 by Homer, Odysseus and his crew are on an empty island where they spend their time drinking wine, eating wild goat, and examining the land where the cyclopes live. The cyclops live across from the island that Odysseus is on and its known as “The land of cyclops”. One day Odysseus wants to go over to the island and actually explore it so he does and he takes his best men with him. When they get to the cave where the cyclops stays he is not there, because he has gone to pasture his sheep, so they look around they cave. Then after a while Polyphemus, the cyclops comes back and sees Odysseus and his men and calls out to them.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Loyalty is one of the biggest themes that is mentioned throughout The Odyssey. Loyalty is so important because it reflects how characters trust in each other. In The Odyssey, the theme of loyalty can be seen in characters such as Odysseus’ family, Odysseus’ crew, and even Odysseus’ dog Argos. With the theme of loyalty, these characters are able to flesh out their true purpose in the story. Telemachus and Penelope are the first to show the theme of loyalty just in the first few books of the Odyssey.…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A story with strong imagery can bring it from being monotonous and dreadful, to being full of life and interest. Imagery is an important in every story and it often separates the great from the good. The way imagery is defined is not just the visual images that play in your head like a movie, but it also applies to the other senses that humans can feel. These include your sense of smell, tastes, hearing, and touch. The story of Gilgamesh, written by David Ferry, is a tale that comes to mind containing great imagery.…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The story of the Odyssey, tells of a cunning hero who has gone on a journey to fight in the Trojan War, to recapture a queen named Helen, who was supposedly kidnapped. Ten years later, the war is over, but Odysseus hasn’t found his way home. Maybe it’s just an inevitable force(s) that causes him to stay away from his homeland for another ten years…who knows. Furthermore, the story shows its complexity through multiple themes its surrounded around. The most profound ones are: appearance versus reality, loyalty, and spiritual growth.…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They add support to the words and help the audience to understand the unwritten things in the text. In “Three Dirges”, the literary motifs of images and symbols helped to show how dark the event of the boy’s execution was. This short story that covers the Guatemalan Civil War. It was a dark time and the government tortured the indigenous people. Without images and symbols, readers would not be able to understand the great tragedies and horrors that the oppressed people faced.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Odyssey is classified as an epic war poem where the hero, Odysseus, faces many obstacles on the way home. Throughout the poem, Odysseus main goal is to make it back to Ithaca even after being gone more than twenty years. The Odyssey is full of many great symbols and themes, but sometimes the smallest give us a great insight on the poem. I decided to focus on book 23 line 203-13, which is Odysseus reaction to Penelope 's test about the bridal bed. “Putting her husband to the proofㅡbut Odysseus blazed up in furry, lashing at his loyal wife: ‘Womanㅡyour words, they cut me to the core!…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He has used imagery to allow the reader envision what he saw. The sensory detail makes the reader “lose themselves” in the story as if it were real, something that can only be accomplished when being fictionalized. The figurative language expresses emotions. Words can only classify emotions. However they are unfathomable and can only be expressed through “exaggerations”.…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pornography SOC 120: Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Pornography Many centuries have passed throughout history; pornography has been a subject that has caused many to rethink their perspectives and ethical views on the matter. As Mosser (2013) states, “Some, in contrast, regard the consumption of pornography as a "victimless crime," and believe that, because it does not harm others, it should not be restricted extensively” (Ch2, sec. 2.4, para. 1). Let us exploit utilitarianism and emotivism to analyze the issue.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Often, individuals can find themselves enticed by appealing objects that can usually be lethal or deadly, much like Sirens. Sirens are mythical creatures that lure men with their captivating singing, ultimately forcing them to jump to their deaths. Their appearances are usually found in greek poetry like The Odyssey by Homer, or poetry with a more modern take on them, such as “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood. Both poems however, introduce readers to the Sirens with similar and different perspectives even though they are centered on the same subject. “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood and The Odyssey by Homer both differ in their portrayals of the Sirens.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays