G. Cabrera's Infante's "The Doors Open at Three"

     In this story, we see some similarities in terms of plot, thematics, and characters to some of the previous stories we have read in Caribbean literature. It is a story similar to "Red Dirt Don't Wash" in the sense there are two people from different situations or walks off like that are being kept apart. Here, the narrator, Silvestre, is mostly unenthused with life besides this one girl - she - Virginia. Like how the man who worked in the red dirt in "Red Dirt Don't Wash" did not belong with the servant, Silvestre, who was 'studying medicine' could not be with a daughter of a gravedigger, though he wanted to. This reiterates how the interactions between societal classes works in these times and places. Interestingly enough, it was once again the woman here who did not think the relationship would work, but this time it was the man who would be seen in a 'higher' class, studying to be a doctor. Virginia lies to get away from Silvestre with no intentions of returning to him, and I wonder if this is because she has insecurities about her background and where she comes from. Does she feel as if she is not good enough to be with someone like Silvestre?   

    Her leaving once again leaves Silvestre alone with nobody else. This is where we can draw comparisons to characters we have previously read about like in "Pablo's Fandango" and "Some People are Meant to Live Alone." Silvestre takes on this common theme that we have seen before of unhomlieness and double conscious, being left alone and cut out from the rest of society, but not because of being from a lower class. He says, "The idea of loneliness horrified me more than loneliness itself. But it was inevitable and I accepted it." It seems like he is caught in-between his work and having to study in a world where you have to be focused and Virginia, who is not from that same dimension of society. Caught between these two things, he is left alone, like Pablo because of his work and Uncle Arthur, who chose to be alone. Again, we see this idea of isolation and being with oneself in this pieces of work, with yet another failed love story.

 -cs

Comments

  1. BryceF112October 5, 2020 at 7:09 AM

    Blog tour comment 3: I like your analysis of drawing comparisons to characters we've previously read about like Pablos Fandango and Some people are meant to live alone. Silvestre to me provided a lot of symbolism in his own story and represented someone who was alone and cut out from society but his story makes us ask the question why did it happen. The main factor is the divide between social classes. These social hierarchies play a significant role in why Silvestre felt he could not be with virginia.

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