English Class
Analysis of the sidewalk symbol in the story
Jose Armas’ “El Tonto del Barrio” portrays the situation of a touched man named Romero Estrado – or, more popularly known as “El Cotoro” in Golden Heights Centro because he whistles and sings while he sweeps the sidewalks. At the heart of the story is a compelling comparison between the protagonist, Romero, and the son of a barber, Seferino, whose sense of care conflicts with the former’s special disability. Integrated into the story’s plot is Romero’s sudden change of behavior from ‘good’ to ‘bad’ and then ‘bad’ to ‘good’ when Seferino left to study in a university. Armas achieves this effect through his use of the characters, plot, setting, and most especially, the use of the sidewalk as a fitting symbolism of the story.
Romero, a special person and a self-made, industrious and meticulous streetsweeper, has a natural inclination and disposition to be happy. He sweeps the sidewalks each morning for his fellows in the barrio. Because of that, he is loved and respected by the people . ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER OF Romero: Romero, when compared to any usable sidewalk, makes people feel safe despite his ‘idiosyncrasy’ because of his cheerfulness and serviceability. For me, then, Romero is more than just like any sidewalks because he has a simple direction that he follows in his life. His simplistic character as a person makes him something like a sidewalk worthy for anyone to ‘pass through.’
Everybody in the barrio who knows him greets him as a “respected citizen.” Because he continuously performs faithfully his small contribution of cleaning the barrio sidewalks, he regularly receives “little things” or charity (e.g., food and protection) from them – but not money. For a long time, there was an unspoken and unwritten arrangement between Romero and the barrio folks. The barrio streets are free from litters; in return, people care for Romero by giving him free food, haircut, etc., which, for some “normal-minded” people is not that much . (CONTINUATION OF THE) ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER OF Romero: Just like a sidewalk for pedestrians to feel ‘belonged,’ Romero’s worth as a person was attached to his compulsive propensity to sweep the barrio sidewalks, which has earned for him the respect he deserves. As in any good sidewalk, people care for their pavement so that they may be able to continue using it. Such was the case for Romero. Because he helps the barrio in their cleanliness, Romero is well-taken care of, just like sidewalks that needs care, maintenance or repair.
The story seems to go well until Seferino, the son of Barelas’ Barber Shop, thought of a ‘better’ idea. Seferino reasonably claimed that Romero deserves a monetary pay for the type of work that he does (that is, 50 cents for sweeping the sidewalk of their barbershop). It was Seferino’s ‘own version of care for the welfare of Romero that changed things as they usually are. For Seferino, Romero deserves more than just mere handouts from people who care for him. Seferino thought of compensating Romero for what he really deserves . ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER OF SEFERINO: There comes a time when some people, like Seferino, simply equate the value of a person’s labor as tantamount to its extrinsic value (e.g., money). In comparison to sidewalks, it does not always follow that the worth of any sidewalk is simply its length or how much it cost the taxpayers; its true value lies in its actual use. Such is Romero. When Seferino equated Romero’s labor with money, there is actually nothing wrong with it. Even at the start, Seferino did not expect any negative repercussions for his idea. But, like what has been mentioned already, Romero seems to be more than just, metaphorically speaking, an ordinary sidewalk.
For the next few days, Romero cheerfully performed the tasks of sweeping the sidewalk around the commercial establishment of Seferino’s father. Seferino, however, does not fully understand Romero’s concept of money being different from everybody else (The Message, Proverbs 17.16). Being a special person, Romero may have accepted Seferino’s offer for payment without malice as evidently portrayed in the story . ANALYSIS OF THE IMPENDING CONFLICT: Some sidewalks are beautified more than others. Literally, Seferino does not have an intention to pay Romero for payment’s sake considering Romero is an ‘excellent’ streetsweeper. Figuratively, Seferino does have that intention of helping Romero make a ‘living’ by earning his own money. It seems that Seferino is in the right track of a sidewalk of helping Romero make a good livelihood sweeping sidewalks, but since they both have differing personalities, they cannot just be in the same side of the track (place) at the same time.
Subsequently, when Romero’s realized, in his own special way, the importance of getting paid with money and use it to buy for ‘whatever’ things he would need, it somewhat changed his perception. He no longer sweeps the sidewalks; instead, he simply asks for monetary compensation. Romero’s reason for doing this is that he deserves whatever monies he asks from people since he believes that the people of the barrio owe him “monies” for the past years that he swept the sidewalks. A week later, Romero even confronted Seferino and asked for a “raise” for that same reason just mentioned. Seferino, however, declined to Romero’s demand (The Message, Proverbs 26.4-5). From then on, Romero’s personality of being a good guy changed from being a drunkard, stealer, etc. – or, in short, a rude person. ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICT/CLIMAX OF THE STORY: Romero, though a “touched” man, is initially on the right path doing his streetsweeping stint. However, just like any sidewalks, when they experienced sudden stress and strain (pressure), they also require some immediate repair. Romero’s way of thinking is like a special type of sidewalk. It defies common logic.
Romero’s previous cheerfulness and smile, especially in greeting people has soon waned. Romero started buying on credit and even stole from other people. Because of Romero’s craving for more money, when he does not get it from those whom he asked of it, he began being an ill mannered and impolite (e.g., flipping off traffic, lifting up girl’s skirts, etc.); hence, a barrio nuisance. When offered to drink beer and sing, he no longer wants to; instead, he prefers to have his own ‘drinks” even to the point of stealing from other people. Sooner than expected, his erratic behavior began to worsen even more. The “great change” that happened to him, that is, for not sweeping the streets anymore and causing troubles, became the topic of conversation everywhere in the barrio .Because of his problematic dealings, people in his locality convened to decide the matter of getting Romero “committed.” ANALYSIS OF THE SUPPOSED RESOLUTION: If we associate any sidewalks as being passable to pedestrians – such is the like of Romero. However, just like any sidewalk, if we let things clutter the pedestrian pavement, it can no longer be as wholesome as before. Most of the time, we look for an answer to the problem. Instead of identifying the problem first, we fall prey on “putting the horse behind the cart.” If Romero is the sidewalk with clutters, we should determine first the clutters (cart) before making any judgments (putting the horse after the cart).
The day after he confronted Seferino, he started to do his usual task of sweeping the sidewalks – except the ones near the Barelas’ Barbershop and for not staying there as usual in the afternoon. However, towards the end of the story, when Seferino leaves for Cambridge to study at Harvard University; it became evident that Romero, who returned to his old self again of being a cheerful or happy person, has had a grudge towards Seferino. Although, Seferino’s neighbors ascribed Romero’s previous change in behavior as dependent on the full moon, the story divulged that “there was no dramatic change in Romero even though the full moon has completed its cycle” . ANALYSIS OF THE RESOLUTION/denouement: If we liken Romero to a sidewalk, he is a special kind of sidewalk. The way Romero relates with reality and other people is different from the ordinary. It is just plain and simple how Romero precisely views the world in his own terms. Hence, any sidewalks are just like any others except that they can be removed of clutters or embellished to look better. Such is the personality of Romero.
General Analysis OF THE STORY’S USE OF THE SIDEWALK
Sidewalks are unique in themselves just like people. Although Romero is just a “touched” man with talent for streetsweeping and Seferino has an ‘outstanding’ academic knowledge, the two individuals have differing perspectives about the world they live in. The story’s use of the symbol of the sidewalk is a reminder, as well as an inspiration, that we should consider the importance of individual differences coupled with humility and charity. Since there are special people such as Romero, whom we had metaphorically considered as a special type of sidewalk, we should always treat them with respect, care and love just like any other beings. In view of other sidewalks then – that is, like the rest of the characters in the story, sympathy for the welfare of other human beings, such as what Seferino did with Romero, is good. However, sidewalks are just sidewalks. There will always be other path to a long journey. If Seferino would have just listened or consulted the ‘wisdom’ of his experienced elderly, his decision would have been more usable. Hence, just like any sidewalks, we may also sometimes travel the road most travelled by. We should not simply be carried away by our own knowledge of the world, as we seem fit; rather, we should weigh the pros and cons of the consequences of our decision.
Further, the streetsweeping talent of Romero is entirely different to the ‘road’ that Seferino treads. Romero may just be one-of-the-many-millions of people with ‘shallow’ satisfaction in life – which is good for his case. Seferino, on the other hand, is an exemplar to their barrio because of his academic prowess. Still, we can picture in our minds that, though, they have different paths to thread (as if the exact symbolization of two different sidewalks) – they are unique in their own ‘special’ ways. Thus, even though Romero is just a “touched” individual yet talented in sweeping the streets; Seferino, on the other hand, is an ‘outstanding’ and academically-talented man because he will soon study in Harvard University. Seferino, without a doubt, is a schooled person, but still may not be as instinctive as his father. He tried to help someone as special as Romero, but it proved that Seferino did not fully establish the merit of his idea as days unfold. It seems that Seferino has pass through a sidewalk whose end is indefinite.
The last lesson I think that is truly important in the use of the sidewalk as the symbol of the story is that, what is normal for us may not be normal to someone as special as Romero. Romero travels a different road – just like others. If the life of an individual is like a sidewalk, we should let people leave their own mark accordingly as long there is mutually of benefits or no non-infringement of rights. Likewise, some individuals whom we may have branded as ‘abnormal’ or special may well turn out, in the long run, much more ‘normal than most of us like Romero, Seferino and the rest of the barrio people who could not just care for less. Thus, we can state that people are like sidewalks and that they have their own role, path or direction to offer us.
Works Cited
Armas, Jose. "El Tonto del Barrio." Cuentos Chicanos: A Short Story Anthology. Ed. Rudolfo A. Anaya. US: University of New Mexico Press, 1984. 20-26. Web. 28 January 2013.
The Message. Digital Bible. 28 January 2013.
