“Power is one of the themes in Fuentes’ short story, “Chac-mool”. The symbolic use of water supports this theme as does the evolution of both characters, the Chac-mool and Filiberto.” While some think this statement is invalid, it is the complete opposite. For example, according to Fuentes, “At some times like a child, .. at others, nervous, to the point of declining into unintelligibility.” (Fuentes, p. 4) The quote is saying that Filiberto’s handwriting has changed from before Chac-mool became alive and after. This quote is important because it shows that Filiberto is losing power over himself as Chac-mool gains power. The less power Filiberto has, the more he is declining in his mentality. In addition, the text directly states, “I must admit it: I’m his prisoner.” (Fuentes, p. 6) The quote is explaining the effect/power Chac-mool has over Filiberto in his own home. …show more content…
Filiberto’s plan of dominating the Chac-mool has failed and now he is living the consequences for it. Likewise, as stated by the author, “Let Chac-mool keep everything: we’ll see how long he lasts without my buckets of water.” (Fuentes, p. 7) In this quote, Fuentes describes that FIliberto fled to Acapulco with the thought that Chac-mool would die without him, there, Filiberto ended up drowning to death. This quote demonstrates how the author used water as a symbol to change Filiberto from living to dead. Filiberto thought Chac-mool would die without his power of bringing Chac-mool water, but really, Filiberto died under Chac-mool’s power, as the water is Chac-mool’s