One Of These Days

Through symbolism and dialogue during the rising action, the story leads the reader to expect a violent altercation between the Mayor and the dentist. Aurelio’s dialogue up to this point has shown disdain for the Mayor, particularly when he is caught in his lie that he is in fact in the office and seems unconcerned: “So much the better” (74). The Mayor’s desperation in the waiting room is relayed by Aurelio’s son and the threat of a shooting if Aurelio doesn’t comply. Aurelio’s calm and calculated movements don’t suggest a change in his behavior. His character stays on the course of conflict by revealing his own revolver and replying to the threat, “[t]ell him to come and shoot me” (74). The appearance of the Mayor with a face “swollen and in pain” is an inciting incident that changes Aurelio’s response toward the Mayor, defusing the threat of violence and setting the stage for a different kind of confrontation.

The narrative relies heavily on subtext since so much of what prompts the conflict between the dentist and the Mayor is left unstated. The third-person limited narrator does not provide flashbacks, glimpses into the minds of the characters, or narrative exposition to explain the history that has led Aurelio to despise the Mayor. The animosity between the two characters is expressed in their threatening speech, mediated by Aurelio’s son, and in the descriptions of their body language—Aurelio’s calm and calculated movements and the Mayor’s rigid shows of strength despite his physical malady.

Though it’s contextually clear that Aurelio and the Mayor are political adversaries, the reliance on subtext rather than explicit exposition allows for more variety in the interpretation of the characters. Because the narrative doesn’t directly explain the political disagreement between the two men, or Aurelio’s connection to the 20 dead men, or how the Mayor caused their deaths, it provides a more universal depiction of political corruption and violence than one set within a clearly defined historical and political context.