Compare And Contrast Tell Me Not To Kill Me And The Cuban Swimmer

“Tell Them Not to Kill Me!” vs “The Cuban Swimmer”
Short stories can be very similar or very distinct from each other. Although many were created during the same period, their author’s primary focuses can differ throughout different stories. The stories “Tell Them Not to Kill Me!” by Juan Rulfo and “The Cuban Swimmer” by Milcha Sanchez-Scott were created during the modern time, but they differ very much in the aspect of their theme’s; In “Tell Them Not to Kill Me!”, Juan Rulfo set the central theme to revolve around the fatal consequences that revenge can result in, while in “The Cuban Swimmer”, Milcha Sanchez-Scott set the central to be how unconditional family is and how they motivate an individual to beat any obstacles in life. Juan Rulfo

Since the beginning Rulfo portrays the seriousness of life and its worthiness to Juvencio throughout the story. He states “Now that he knew for sure he was going to be killed, he had been overwhelmed by such an intense desire to live, as only a man who had been resuscitated can be. (Rulfo 387) Rulfo portrays how a person’s life can end up depending on consequences of an anger that lead to a death of an individual. “I’ve already paid for this, coronel. I’ve paid for it many times over. Everything was taken away from me. They punished me in many different ways. I’ve spent over forty years hiding like a leper, with the constant fear that I’d be killed at any moment.” (Rulfo 390) Rulfo later gives the reader an understanding that revenge is a feeling that a point can consume an individual and their lives. “The colonel is seeking justice as well as revenge for his father’s murder.” (Enotes) Juvencio might have killed someone and ran away, but not everyone was satisfied and Don Lupe’s son believed only justice would come when Juvencio would

Micha portrays the life of an immigrant family and their unity by using “It’s a fast-paced dialogue that has a lot of Spanish and reveals a lot about the culture and background the characters are from.” (Rachell Morgan) Sanchez-Scott wanted to lead the reader, first to understand that immigrant families although they face constant struggles, unity is what makes them stronger. Milcha states “Look at that enthusiasm. The whole family has turned out to cheer little Margarita on to victory!” (Sanchez-Scott 1660) This statement demonstrates the unity of the family and support they all have for each other to overcome any challenges that society might place. Sanchez-Scott also states a very important quote, “Hija give it everything... por la familia” (Sanchez-Scott 1662) No matter what happens a Latino family will always fight together and never give up on