REVIEW FOR CAE

REVIEW OF A SHORT STORY (FOR C1)

THE WHOLE WORLD ESCAPING FROM OUR HANDS

Rarely have I found such a poignant and insightful text as “Hands”, widely praised as an accurate mirror of human passions and contradictions.

Pencilled at one snowy night in Chicago to become part of Sherwood Anderson’s finest compilation of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio, which was published in early 1916, “Hands” is a narration which debunks the myth of small towns in the United States as places where friendliness, love and moral values prevail.

The illusion of a city upon a hill and a peaceful life in small communities as originating from the days of the pioneers is challenged due to the fact that increasing hypocrisy, bigotry and narrow-mindedness turn that utopia unreachable.

Wing, a former school teacher, lives now in almost utter isolation, and his hands are valued only for their capacity to pick up berries. Nevertheless, the continuous references to them make the reader realise that he is not being esteemed as a person at all. Mechanisation has entirely cut all divisions between nature and cities and Wing’s far-fetched desire for a Socratic paradise, of a pure Eden where he used to share knowledge and love, only allowed in his distorted mind.  

He was forced into fleeing from Pensylvania and hiding somewhere else after having been accused of a felony he may not have been guilty of. As a consequence, local citizens cruelly refused to try to understand him or to hear other versions. In Winesburg, he inhabits a “waste land”, looking much older than he is, and with only one confidant as a helping hand. 

What struck me most about "Hands" was the way the author deftly depicts modern western society through gloomy landscapes and an unconvencional protagonist. I would strongly recommend it to everyone, as it is not likely to disappoint all those who are eager to discover the hidden keys to our feelings.

Author: Jorge Sánchez (C)

to pencil: escribir a lápiz

deftly: hábilmente

to depict: pintar con palabras

embody: representar una idea: The lead character embodies evil.

pervades: impregnar: a sense of defeat/success/freedom pervades the novel.

widely praised: ampliamente elogiado

criticism: crítica/s

Nótense las inversas, pasivas, modales perfectos, relativos con which en non-defning clauses (después de coma) y cómo se cambia which originates por "originating". Ex: The band performing this afternoon is Foo Fighters. (which/that performs).

También se deben incluir construcciones adverbiales y otras con gerundios ("Having been widely acclaimed by critics and readers worldwide, it stands the test of time, as its message may be considered as universal") y participios ("Pencilled at a snowy night in Chicago, Hands..."), cleft sentences para dar énfasis ("What struck me most was...") y verbos o adjetivos seguidos de preposición, que con el tiempo usaréis con soltura.

En futuras entradas repasaremos todas estas construcciones.

Good luck!