Literature Analysis #1

Shadow of a Bull

1. My novel is about Manolo. He is the son of  famed bullfighter which passed away. Everyone has high expectations for Manolo but Manolo is unsure if he even wants to do this. Manolo trains for his first ever bull fight. when he is confronted about killing the bull as is tradition, he doesn't want to do it. Everyone is shocked ,but he shows them how foolish it is for them to determine his future

2. The theme of the novel is embracing your true self. Manolo always thought he was destined to be a bullfighter like his dad even though he didn't like it. He thought everyone would see him as a coward if he spoke out.

3. The author Maia Wojciechowska I feel lives a very exciting life filled with culture. She seems like the type of gal to wake up a drink some delicious mexican chocolate with some french croissant. She shows alot of appreciation to Spanish culture and knows her stuff about their pride with bullfighting. I feel like Maia watches a lot of different cultures and takes ideas from them. She probably wakes up very happy ready to learn new things. In this excerpt she writes," Then there are the torreristas...Some like the ones who look pretty in their traje de luces..." So this kind of shows her interest and some knowlege abput the spanish culture. This next excerpt "The town of Arcangel has both a soul and heart. Its soul is the bull ring, and its heart is the marketplace." She captures what a town in Spain would look like.

4. Imagery: The way he describes the passion of the bullfighters and how Manolo just doesn't have that passion. Manolo doesn't see it as a glamorous sport as the others see it. He sees other things with greater amazement. This excerpt shows this," As he watched the magic way the man's hands brought torn flesh together, he thought that what the doctor was doing and had done was the most noblest thing a man can do." For others they might think being a bullfighter like Manolo's dad was the most noblest thing. Now of course Manolo thinks his dad is a noble man but he doesnt see the sport as a noble one. He has interests in other places like when the doctor is stitching up an injury on a bullfighter.