Stereotypes and Stereotyping - Stereotypical Female in...

A Stereotypical Female in Im Your Horse in the Night Luisa Valenzuelas short story titled Im Your Horse in the Night is a thought provoking piece of literature. The story is written in such a way that the reader must interpret what is meant by what is being said. Although it is easy to go into depth when describing the elements of this piece, the storyline is rather simple. The story contains an assortment of characters; with those characters being Chiquita, Beto, Andres, and several policemen. The time and location are unknown. The telephone tells us that the time period is of somewhat modern times, and the Spanish ethnicity would most likely relate to the setting being that of a Spanish colonization. The†¦show more content†¦The man in which Chiquita calls Beto would also be considered a major character. Even though the man is never actually present in the story physically, we hear about him extensively through the thoughts and words of Chiquita. The minor character roles would fall upon Andres, and the police officers. Andres might not even qualify as being a valid character, considering that Chiquita was not even sure whether it was him or not on the telephone that morning. The police men are a somewhat important factor to this story, but they are not described as round characters and therefore show no verisimilitude. The title of the story, Im Your Horse in the Night, is relating to a line on the record which Beto brought with him in Chiquitas dream. She tells Beto that she will be his horse in the night, meaning that she will always be there for him. While reading this story, it helps to apply the elements of new criticism. One opposition that was quite distinct, was the fact that Chiquita is in love with this man who is never there for her. She fantasizes about him, making it seem as though he would be an ideal mate, when he obviously is not. Chiquita appears to be living off on her own. It seems as though she is almost isolating herself from the rest of the world. The fact that she sees this wretched man as the one she loves, would be a symbol of low self-esteem. Perhaps he is the first