La Noche Boca Arriba

La noche boca arriba
In La noche boca arriba, Cortázar’s use of imagery through the olfactory sense creates a parallel between the two worlds of the protagonist and helps tobuild the plot of the story. It is the vehicle used to signal that the protagonist has moved from one plane of reality to another.
Suspense is created in the story atcertain junctures that are frequently the cross
over points between the dream-state and reality. Both states share some elements of realism. Almost everything that happens tothe protagonist is plausible. In both states, the narration is descriptive and suspenseful. But in the dream sequences, where the suspense really begins, there is much moreanxiety evident within the protagonist. It is only when he wakes that there is a break from the worry and fear. The author makes a strong connection between both states withthis technique but also confuses the reader, who is neither an Aztec nor a Moteca, but a person living in modern society who has not experienced anything like the action in thedream sequences, thus making the sequences more terrifying to visualize.
From the perspective of the dream protagonist, It does make sense that there would be a sense ofrelief upon entering the dream in the hospital. It offered a temporary escape form the inevitable tragic end he would suffer. The potion he is made to drink may also havecontributed to his dream or hallucination, just as the anesthesia given to the hospital protagonist for his fever seems to have caused him to slip into the dream. The knivesmentioned in the story are another parallel element between the dream state and reality. Additionally, both men are boca arriba, or at the mercy of those whose hands are above them.