Analysis

In this webbook, we guide you through a thorough analysis of the short story "With His Own Hands" by Albert Garcia. The text was a part of the 2016 written exam in English B on HF on December 2nd. Here, we provide you with a brief recap of the analytical elements that we explore.

To begin with, we examine the composition of the short story to determine if it follows a regular plot structure of if the author has used other means of structuring the story

In the 2016 exam, one of the tasks is to comment on the title. Consequently, we have dedicated a page to give you an in-depth analysis of the title. We learn where the expression comes from and that it points to the very end of the short story.

Next, we go on to look at the characters in the short story. The two important characters are the two men named Enrique, the narrator and his grandfather, both of which we characterize according to inner and outer traits as far as the text volunteers information about the two men.

We move on to talk about the setting of the short story, not only the physical--which is a train station somewhere in the United States--but also the social setting. The latter relates to differences between Mexican and American culture as well as generation gaps and related issues.

Lastly, we look at the language of the short story. Specifically, we explore various literary devices employed by the author, such as imagery and symbols. We also note that the text includes many words and phrases in Spanish and why this may be.