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A critique on All about Suicide by

Luisa Valenzuela as translated
by Helen Lane.
This paper is an analysis on the short story, All About Suicide as a glimpse to the
psyche of the author, the character and the audience. It seeks to address the overall sense of the
story, whilst taking to account the socio-economic factors that may have contributed to its form.

It is the critics conclusion that the story is the authors response to the political unrest
during the Revolucin Argentina (196673) or Argentine Revolution. The short story represents
the confusion in conflicting desire for change and need of stability during those times. That the
nation is beginning to be self-defeating. The result of such indecisiveness is tautologically rooted
upon and resulting of a cold indifference to life. Life being the heart of Argentina: the masses.

The story began with Ismael holding a gun and rubbing it across the face. It was not clear
if it was the face of the Minister, the face of Ismael, OR the face of Ismael as the Minister.
Hence, it can be either a murder or a suicide.

While the line, Ismael in the first grade fighting with a classmate who'll one day become
a minister, his friend, a traitor supports the conclusion that Ismael and the Minister are different
personalities; and while And lsmael coming out of his office presupposes that he did not die,
the title itself also holds that Ismael killed himself.he author clearly purposely wrote it in this

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manner. To leave the reader a feeling of confusion and want of answers; to doubt and to question;
to, perhaps, feel the instability.

Such instability is also evident in the part where speaker, wanted to flashback to a
certain point in the time of life of Ismael but candidly went too far. Giving the audience a
glimpse of Ismaels childhood. A minute event where the childs diaper is soiled. The author
tried to mask this event as insignificant hence adding Not that far.

Ismael in the cradle crying because his diapers are dirty and nobody is changing him.

Texts, like dreams, have latent and manifest content. The common notion, or manifest
content, would be the deduction of the authors superficial intent to brush off this detail. But in
story as short as this, 15 words would not be irrelevant.

According to Freud, the libido or life force transfers from one part of the body to the
other depending upon the age of the person. Inferring from the scenario given, Ismael could have
been 1-2 years of age. Also a time where cognitive memory may already be developing, hence a
time that can be particularly memorable for him. Consequently, the age may also be the time
when libido resides in the anus. Ergo, the Anal stage. The scene hints on neglect by the parents to
a soiled diaper. A recurrent disregard of such manner would result anal-expulsive child, leading
to an antisocial personality and deliberate and utter disrespect to power or authority in adulthood.
The child will refuse to use the toilet at all, because he desires to go where he pleases. As an
adult the anal retentive person is fussy, meticulous, overly organized, and sometimes anti-social.
Authority such as a minister or a boss has a prejudicial disposition for these adults. Antisocial in

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these terms are not to be used in the usual context of a person who is purposely defiant. In
psychology, this is a personality that would effect to a lack of remorse or guilt in defying social
norms and morals such as laws against murder.

Although there is an apparent reoccurrence of the event on the memory of the narrator, it
is not to be perceived as a sign of guilt. More likely, it is a sign of dissociation. As if the doer is
different from the narrator, though not necessarily actually. Meaning, that the reflecting
consciousness is not necessarily the doer or the subject of the action. He may be dissociating
himself from the scene for the apparent wonder that the narrator displays. There is a disbelief as
signified by the line Terror, the act of opening the drawer, taking out the revolver, and rubbing
it across his face, almost a single gesture and very quick. Very quick. He himself acknowledges
the fact that this is surprising, considering it is about taking ones life. The actor is somehow
astonished by the candidness of the actions of the shooter. He picked up the gun and shoot like it
was nothing. The narrator therefore, sees that this is not normal. To convey the feeling that the
doer is cold in doing it. A property similar to an antisocial.

It is necessary to take into account the events during 1967 (the date when the short story
was published). Personally, Valenzuela was a 2-year old divorcee, with a 9-year old daughter, in
a country where the divorce law was yet to be enacted after 22 years. 1967 was also a year where
the feminist movement was beginning to pick-up steam. On top of that, being employed by La
Nacion as a journalist, her work involved a lot of travelling. Needless to say, it was a difficult
time for the author. Taking to account the nation, Argentina was also in political turmoil as

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leaders placed by the military come and go. Valenzuela had to sit on top of the situation. She had
to address the nature of temporariness of these political leaders.

The above facts resulted to the overall feel of the story. Reading the story is like walking
through a dark tunnel. The reader is confused along the way, feeling all the negative emotions,
and when he finally goes through the tunnel, the reader is left with the question, how did I ever
get here? He is never really certain since he cannot see, even looking back. He merely chooses
to believe a path that he made in his head, in his imagination.

The story, in the critics point of view, was to address the need for stability and to end the
cold-heart treatment to life in Argentina during the said Revolution. It is a result of Valenzuela to
hold onto something concrete and not the repeating and unstable nature of her environment
during that time.

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Joseph Ryann Biag