Narrowing the Defining Boundaries of Magical Realism :: Latin American Literature Essays

Narrowing the Defining Boundaries of Magical Realism Latin American author Elena Garro wrote works such as "Recuerdos del porvenir," "Andamos huyendo Lola," "Testimonios sobre Mariana," and "The Day We Were Dogs." The short story "The Day We Were Dogs" (1964) uses events that are questionable to the reader even though the characters do not question. Because these events are questioned by the reader, it is not a Magical Realist story. This story might have been miss identified because it was written by a Latin author. In "The Day We Were Dogs," the author uses magical elements to help tell the story two sisters and there day as "dogs?". These elements seem to be magical by means of Magical Realist techniques, but becuase the author dosen't make it clear as to whether these two sisters are dogs or if they are pretending to be dogs the reader hestitates. After reading the following passage, the reader might conclude that the two girls are pretending: Eva got up and disapeared among the plants. She returned running and threw herself down next to Toni."I told them to cook for three dogs and no people." I didn't ask anything. Next to Toni the house had lost its wieght. Two ants were walking on the ground of the day; an earthworm peeked out of a hole, I touched it with my fingertip and it became a red ring. There were bits of leaves, little pieces of branches, tiny pebbles, and the black earth smelled of magnolia water. The other day was off to one side. Toni, Eva, and I watched without fear its gigantic towers and stationary winds, purple and mulberry colored."You, what is your name going to be? Look for your dog name, I'm looking for mine." "I'm a dog?" "Yes we are dogs." (208) Then readers read this following passage and questions the decision they had made by reading the former passage: The dogs got to the gate; it was hard for them to open the door; the bolts were very high. (209) By making the reader hesitate (Todorov) about whether this is supernatural or real, this story could be placed into the Fantastic genre, but we can't put it into this genre because it also has an element of the Sublime in it. The Magical Realist technique that the author uses is the closeness or near merging (Faris) two different days. This becomes apparent when the narrator states that it was "a day with two days in it" (206).