An axolotl, in case you don´t have any idea about it, is a Mexican amphibian –animal living both on land and in water. Julio Cortazar´s short story untitled “Axolotl” describes quite briefly a confusing relationship between one axolotl and a man who periodically visits it in the aquarium. Thoughout the story, the author changes the narrator´s viewpoint continuously until he ends this amazing tale in an unexpected way.
Day after day, the animal and the man establish an increasing strange connection between them. They observe each other imagining the other´s world, trying to communicate and transmit messages. The animal gets human traits, the man is imprisoned.
As a reader you become deeply involved in such a fantastic atmosphere and eventually you may ask yourself whether you are the observer or the one who is observed.
Lorna
Nationalities
1 year ago
I love strange animals, but my favourite one is the frog because it seems to be a good friend who jumps all the time near you, and if you don´t realize that it is near you, you can pass across it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I Know about amphians is that they live part of their life in the water, but they need, at the same time, the ground to survive. Nowadays, I have African frogs at home. They are incredible, they jump in the water, they help each other while they are eating their special food, I don´t know how to explain my feelings to them, butI love them.
I come to my mind, that frogs are considered important "animals" in short stories, because there is always a curse which affects a prince becoming in one of them, I mean in an awful frog. Maybe, as women, we are always expecting that our husbands become in a handsome prince. Do you understand it?
It is pretty interesting what you´ve told us. Perhaps Cortazar should have written about them. Why don´t you tell us something of the axolotl? (as far as I can see you are an expert!!) Have you ever seen its face? It´s quite impressive!!!!!
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