Read One Of These Days And Write Reader Response

One of these Days: Reader Response
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One of these Days: Reader Response
In One of these Days, Márquez introduces Aurelio Escovar as a poor dentist that does not have a degree. The dentist is polishing his false teeth when his son informs him that the mayor would like his tooth pulled. Escovar refuses the request until the mayor threatens to shoot him. After confirming that there was a revolver in his drawer, he tells his son to invite the mayor to come and shoot him (Márquez, n.d.). However, after seeing the way he was swollen, he allows him in and conducts an examination. He does not use anesthesia, and it is evident he deliberately made the mayor suffer through the process. And the end, the dentist asks the mayor whether the bill should be sent to him or the town. The reply of the mayor, “it the same damn thing” (Márquez, p.3) leaves some unanswered questions in the mind of the reader. It is evident from the story that the author tries to put forth a deeper meaning to the interaction between the dentist and mayor.
A major element that emerges from the short story is power differential. While the dentist is poor and his office is pitiable, the mayor is powerful and controls the affairs of the town. The author shows a contrasting status between the two characters. It is hard to understand how and why a person of such status as the mayor would seek the dental help from an unqualified dentist in a poor office without necessary supplies and sanitation. What the author brings out clearly, however, is the reversing of power as a result of the dental infection. Through the whole process, the dentist had power over the mayor. It is deducible from the story that when people have power, they use it to their advantage. In the case of the dentist, he uses the brief power he has to his advantage by choosing not to administer anesthesia. It is deducible that the dentist deliberately hurt the mayor as a way of revenge. Although the power was profound, it was brief. The mayor was released after the tooth was removed and the power shifted back to him (Beilling, 2006). Therefore, the author shows that people with power try to use it to their advantage. As for the mayor, his response when he is asked where to send the bill shows how corrupt he is.
Corruption is also another element that emerges from the short story. The author shows that although the corrupt carry out their evil deeds, there are days when they the poor can have power them. The reply of the mayor when asked about where to send the bill clearly shows how corrupt he is. The reply shows that the mayor controls the town and considers its resources as his own. By asserting he and the town are the same, it is e...