Theme of Discrimination in Short Stories - Essay Sample

Introduction

Discrimination is one of the major themes discussed across the world. Fundamentally, numerous writers have succeeded in addressing this issue which has remained the biggest challenge. The use of literature components such as the short stories, books, poems, and plays have helped address these theme. In the current paper, the short stories El Matadero, New Spain and Life of Juan Facundo Quiroga together demonstrate a commonality regarding addressing a specific theme of discrimination. As part of the stories, it is important to note that the discrimination is remarkably complex as it involves harmful actions towards others based on their affiliation or membership for a given group. Ordinarily, discrimination may also involve one's gender, race, and ethnicity, physical or mental abilities. However, the three stories discussed below portray discrimination about the ethnicity and the origin where an individual comes from. It discrimination divulges into different spectra and ranges beyond inhabitants This paper, therefore, discusses the theme of discrimination as presented in the short stories El Matadero, New Spain and Life of Juan Facundo Quiroga.

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Discrimination in New Spain Story

In the story New Spain, the theme of discrimination is portrayed about the massacre of the inhabitants of the new territory by the Spaniards. The story begins by welcoming the audience about the massacre that took place in a place known as Cholula, which was a city of more than thirty thousand inhabitants. After being welcomed by the inhabitants, the writer mentions that the Spaniards thought that it was a moment to organise a massacre as a form of punishment against people they viewed as their enemies. The punishment was further aimed at instilling fear and terror in all the people who occupied the territory. This was undeniably the pattern the Spaniards adopted in all the lands they invaded to stage bloody massacre on the meek and gentle people. The Spaniards believed that they were the superior group of people who could rule the world and the territories they came across. With an intent to completely wipe out the inhabitants, the Spaniards neutralised any resistance from them and mounted by the unarmed civilians set fire on the various places including the houses and temples with the victims' alive inside.

In the same way, the Spaniards demonstrated various barbaric and the unprecedented outrages, which were mainly perpetrated against the innocent individuals who had done nothing whatever to deserve such kind of cruelty. The whole city tolerated the equally unmerited imprisonment of its Lord and master merely based on the fact that he had issues the orders that no one was to fight the Christians nor provide any resistance to them. However, due to the discrimination, the Spaniards took up their arms and brutally attacked them. The inhabitants, mainly the Mexicans were perceived inferior people with no fundamental rights and freedom even within their land. Further, the seaborne expedition also sacked the towns all along the coast and committed all manner of violence against the people who lived in various provinces such as the Yucatan, which laid its routes to the Naco and Guaimura.

Discrimination in El Matadero

The El Matadero is an outspoken and the aggressive criticism to the Manuel Rosa's Federalist regime in Argentina at the time. Broadly, the Echeverria addresses the theme of discrimination. Notably, the federalist government performed many injustices to the citizens of Argentina with the perception that they were inferior and that they did not deserve any rights and freedom. For instance, the farmers did not see the necessities of being farmers because the federalist government perceived their resources as theirs. The Convalescencia Slaughter House, for example, could not see even a single head of the cow from the nearby farmers. As such, the water carriers were sued to supply the city with the meat from the slaughtered farmer's cows. As part of the federalist laws, the unfortunate sick children and women had to consume the eggs and children. On the other hand, the foreigners and the heretics bellowed for the beefsteak and the roast. The inability of the regime to provide the necessary goods and services for the impoverished Negro communities prompted them to go around after offal, like the vultures ready to devour anything consumable they found. This is undeniably a severe form of discrimination against the Negros and the Mulattos, who kept on hovering in movement at the Butcher.

The author further uses the conversation between Matasiete and Unitarian Young man to convey the manner in which the locals were discriminated and treated with a lot of barbaric activities. In one scene, he is asked about why he does not wear a mourning sash on his hat in the memory of the Heroine. As a response, Matasiete mentions that he wears it in his heart in the mind of his nation murdered by those particular infamous wretches. Additionally, the corporal punishment directed against those who stood firm to oppose the brutality were further subjected to such kind of punishment, which mainly involved being tied, hanged and having the through of the victim slit off. These events, therefore, drive the theme of discrimination as addressed by the author.

Discrimination in Life and Story of Facundo

The story of Juan Facundo offers an excellent exposition regarding the life of a young who defies a lot of obstacles to become a role model of his community. For instance, Quiroga forcibly arranged the marriages between his henchmen and the prominent young women of the Entre Rios. At one time, his lifestyle was even termed as "savage" by the racist argentine president schoolmaster because of the discriminatory attitude he had towards Quiroga. However, it is worth to note that Domingo Sarmiento argues that Facundo Quiroga lifestyle offered a representation of the kind of the anti-civilisation that the Latin Americans and the Argentines underwent with the aim of getting rid of to make the social progress. It is further essential that it is through Facundo Quiroga that people started enjoying religious freedom. Previously before this, the Argentines faced severe discrimination regarding the religion with which they were affiliated to. However, Facundo managed to overthrow the centralist government of San Juan shortly after the central government signed a treaty with Britain leading to the establishment of the freedom to religion.

Although Facundo is eventually defeated by his enemies and later murdered, the author has played a critical role of not only giving us great insights about how young people overcame the discriminatory practices and attitudes. Additionally, he also shows how Facundo helped the communities they came from to come out of the bondage of the bad practices perpetrated by people who believed who superior to others in the society.

Conclusion

The theme of discrimination as depicted in the three stories, strongly reflect on the current scenarios in several countries even today. This is despite the sufficient literature advocating for immunity against discrimination. The experience of discrimination in the stories is dreadful and regrettable. The extreme forms of discrimination which included genocide, slavery and looting indicate how appalling discrimination can be. However, the stories have revealed that it is possible to go far beyond the imaginative laws of discrimination. In the discriminative story of Facundo for instance, it outstandingly discloses how the young man confronted the discrimination obstacles to emerge a model in the community. The efforts made by Facundo to overpower discrimination impediments are still applicable today. This could make the World to be a better place. Many people or countries today have made steps towards fighting against discrimination. The major problem is that discrimination divulges into different spectra. It is very wide and ranges beyond inhabitants. Even people with mental disorders are still stigmatised, so there are several levels of prejudice. It trends even in many families, and this is the main reason why advocacy against it has proved futile. So, to adequately fight this mess, behaviours, norms and beliefs of various communities should be rebranded and reinforced at multiple levels. These include producing more literature on discrimination as well as enhancing the interaction of the society with such information. These stories have further improved my perception and insights regarding the issue of other forms of discrimination such as racism in the contemporary and how we can overcome them.

Works Cited

Echeverria, Esteban. La cautiva. El matadero. Vol. 6. Presses Univ. Franche-Comte, 1972.

de las Casas, Bartolom, and Bartolome Las Casas. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. Penguin UK, 1992.

Sarmiento, Domingo Faustino. Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism. Vol. 12. Univ of California Press, 2003.