Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
The book is written in the context of men and women's interaction.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narration
Tone and Mood
Adventurous, intriguing, exciting
Protagonist and Antagonist
The Mexican Men are the protagonists.
Major Conflict
The main conflict is that men are pursuing love that they cannot get from fellow women. For instance, the 19-year-old man in 'Maria De Cavina' is obsessed with following older women but is unhappy because he does not know how to express himself. Similarly, in the story 'Bottoms,' the protagonist has low-self-esteem and does not have the confidence to face women.
Climax
The climax is when the protagonists realize they have to do more to boost their confidentiality to maintain stable relationships with women.
Foreshadowing
The hard labor that pays minimally to the middle-aged man in 'Shout' foreshadows his nonstop whirlwind for the rest of his life.
Understatement
The rift between George and his friend in the story 'Pillows' is understated. The reader realizes that George has no alternative, and he has to keep with his friend's unkemptness.
Allusions
The story alludes to the relationship struggles that men and women go through in life.
Imagery
The smell imagery is prevalent in the story 'Maria de Cavina' when the narrator follows women because of the scent and perfume. The author writes, "Women's perfume is everywhere, and I am dizzy while I am here…."
Paradox
The main paradox is that Diana has had her first boyfriend for a long time, but she has never allowed him to have sex with her. Sardonically, when the narrator knows Diana, he quickly gets her to bed.
Parallelism
The issue of opposite-sex relationships parallels across all stories.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
