Wednesday, February 9, 2011

"Black Hair" analysis- Image

In this story, the writer starts off talking about how he arrives at a job interview "dirty and feeling ugly."  He proceeds throughout the whole story how he is a dirty, grimy Mexican.  He tells of how his hair is still stiff from the beach and how even after he washes his body, it still looks dirty.  When he starts his job at the tire facility, he states that even the customer service area looks dirty with its greasy magazines and ripped couches.  He talks of how there is rednecks, Mexicans, and blacks that work there; all of which are as dirty as him with their dirt stained faces and pink mouths.  He then describes Iggy, though, who spends his day being dirty like them but when he comes out he looks like a brand new man.  In one part he descriptively tells of Igg's appearance, "Iggy worked only until three in the afternoon, at which time he went to the locker room to wash and shave and to dress in a two-piece suit. When he came out he glowed with a bracelet, watch, rings, and a shiny fountain pen in his breast pocket. His shoes sounded against the asphalt. He was the image of a banker stepping into sunlight with millions on his mind." The next image he begins to tell us about is the place he is going to rent, which is very luxurious compared to where he had been staying.  He explains the shock on the families faces as he comes to meet him, and the "girly" room that was to be his, with its lace curtains and stuffed animals in the corner.  He finds pictures of the girl and claims that she looks like "promise, college, and nice clothes in the closet." As he falls asleep, he imagines the owner's daughter that lived in this room and dreams that she is very kind to him and takes to liking him.  In reality, though, she only said two things to him which was asking about the mustard and where her car keys were.  By the end of the story, he keeps the imagery as he talks about how he will probably always be a dirty, poor Mexican.

No comments:

Post a Comment