Analysis essay

Analysis of Juan A. A. Sedillo’s “Gentleman of Rio en Medio”
A gentleman is a man distinguished for being honorable and educated. It is a rank that not everybody can have. A man who has thatcategory must take it with pride because that simple word represents all the good manners they have. In these days it is hard -but not impossible- to find a man who carries with all the weight of the wordgentleman. The story of “Gentleman of Rio en Medio” by Juan A. A. Sendillo, shows an old man named Don Anselmo, who can be cataloged as a gentleman. His actions make him get that rank. For example:“[t]he old man bowed to all of us in the room” (213). Those are customs from other ages, that if someone does it now it might look weird to us in the 21st century.
In this story we have a contrastbetween a traditional culture and contemporary. The contrast between the traditional culture of 19th century and the modern one is noticeable when the lawyer in the story tells to Don Anselmo that theAmericans are willing to pay twice instead of what they had agreed for the house. It is here when the legal issue hits with the traditional culture of 19th century. The character of the lawyer shows thelegal matters and economic interests while Don Anselmo shows the home, the customs, and the family union. This contrast is clear when in the story Don Anselmo tells to the lawyer that “[e]very time achild has been born in Rio en Medio since I took possession of that house from my mother I have planted a tree for that child” (215). There will always be a difference between the old customs andtoday’s habits. However, we should create a balance between the modern and the old customs, so in that way we do not lose the respect and good behavior, which are important to keep.
Hernández 2The end of the story tell us that Don Anselmo was not the owner of those trees in the orchard. The trees are from each child of Rio en Medio, and if the Americans want to get rid of the children...