Critique of the short story... "Desire"

As we can notice, the short story is simply a literary telling a story of a girl who is longing for the love of someone that will love her for what she is and not because she has a gorgeous body.

            I can say that the author’s intention in writing the short story is to give us the lesson that sometimes, beautiful things bring us problem. Though beautiful things came to our life, we still consider these perfections as problem because it blocks our happiness. We should have the idea that we should not look on physical attributes for it is only the outer. But rather, we must look what are inside because these are the one that remain.

            As I read the story, I felt pity on the protagonist because unlike the common story, she hates the thing that makes her desirable. The real scenario is we long for gorgeous body because we thought it will give us happiness and perfection. But based on the story, it enlightened me that too much perfection will give us worry. Because people tend to accept us not because of we are but rather because of what we have. Thus, lesson learned, be happy on what you have though it is ugly because God has purpose on giving you that attributes and He gave it for your own sake.

            Actually, there is no literary technique that is used by the author. She doesn’t use any figures of speech just to color her story. But what makes it very catching is the content itself. The author was able to show to reader that there are always deviations in life. Not all beautiful would bring happiness and not all ugly would bring sadness.

            The way the author ends the story is some kind an incomplete. Because it has a hanging ending for the story doesn’t tells or portrays if the protagonist find the man she is longing for. Nevertheless, it gives excitement to the readers because they were given the chance to end the story in their own perception.

“She wanted love, was starved for it. But she did not want the love that her body inspired in men. She wanted something purer… cleaner.

- Desire, Paz Latorena 1928

            It is very noticeable that the short story falls under feminist criticism not only because the protagonist is the woman, but also because the role of the woman in the story is being emphasized.

            The title “Desire” could be in two interpretations: the desire of men for her body and the desire of the woman for a purer and cleaner love. This proves how man and woman differ in their perspective.

            The short story started with a detailed description of a woman (who is categorized now as a shrimp or hipon in gay language). A homely woman as referred by the writer Paz Latorena even with the use of the word homely makes me thinks that the writer somehow implicitly hid the negative connotation of having a homely face. She could just straightly say ugly but she rather not. I think for the purpose of not being too harsh on women as to women should not be judged hastily. A language of a woman like Paz Latorena has the power to make the negative seem to be not that negative. The longing for love like all human being do is present in the story the difference is that the woman is homely yet she has a gorgeous body not only that she diverts her frustrations and hurt into worthwhile things like writing. I think what the writer wants to say is that women are not just mere figures or warm bodies in bed but also human not devoid of feelings. Racial discrimination is somehow present in the story too with the White man at first being judgmental of the Filipino race. Upon recognizing that the unnamed woman’s ideas are the same as his race, he took interest in meeting the lady. At first the white man took interest of getting to know the woman but in the end upon discovering that she has the right curves in her body(only hidden by the clothing she choose to wear), he said he loves the girl but not the total being of her but only her body.

            Also, we could look in an aspect that upon their meeting of the men, she came alone and stated that she could afford to break conventions. I assume that the woman in the story is intellectual and educated woman. The stereotype of a weak woman is not showed by her. The language of Latorena does not have any mark of derogatory language or language that would make the readers feel pity on the character but the language used is very descriptive and forms mental images and we could not find words that would make the woman be in a stage of drama or self pity.

            I am wondering if the short story is autobiographical. Upon checking the internet for her picture, my suspicions became stronger, that it was herself being described in the text.