Fear In 'Antojos' By Julia Alvarez

Your heart is racing, hands sweating, body shaking. That is what happens when our body is experiencing fear. Fear has always been known as something that ruins lives, relationships and even jobs. Fear can be an amazing thing. One story that will be talked about will be “Is it foolish to fear?” This story was about what happens when our body experiences fear. It also explains what exactly happens when fear is present. The other story was called “Antojos” by Julia Alvarez. What this story is about is Yolanda who is a girl confused on where she belongs. Her aunts almost ruined her journey because they were terrified about what could happen to Yolanda when she was alone. Everyone has fear but people can use fear as a good thing. Fear can even save

Fear can stop you from enjoying life. Although that might be true Fear can save your life when needed as well. Yolanda was a girl that needed to go on travel or mission alone and her aunts did not want Yolanda to go. A quote from the second story said, “ She was going up north? A woman alone on the road! “This is not the States.” Her old aunts had tried to dissuade her. “Anything can happen.” When Yolanda challenged them, “What?” they came up with boogeymen stories that made her feel as if she were talking to china dolls. Haitian bougans and Communist kidnappers.’’ What this quote is trying to explain is that her aunts were in fear that Yolanda was going to get hurt so they tried to hold her back which would've messed up her journey. Fear can make you think things that aren’t true. Another quote from Anjos said, “Heading back to the car, Yolanda stopped. She had heard footsteps in the grove. Could Jose be back already? Branches were being thrust aside, twigs snapped. Suddenly, a short, dark man, and then a slender, light-skinned man emerged from a footpath on the opposite side of the grove from the one she and Jose had scavenged. They wore ragged work clothes stained with patches of sweat; their faces were drawn and tired. Yolanda’s glance fell on the machetes that hung from their belts.” She was so scared that she was thinking the worst. Fear stopped her from thinking clearly. However she did have the right to be in fear because being in the woods alone in the dark is terrifying. Being with two strange men and machete’s is terrifying in every way. To summarize, fear is known as something dangerous. Yolanda almost let fear stop her and that could’ve ruined her life, but her fear actually saved her. She knew what could happen and her fear warned her that she could be killed so she knew to be