A Universal Theme in The Stories of Eva Luna, by Isabel Allende
The Stories of Eva Luna, by Isabel Allende is a compilation of many short stories focusing on universal themes centering on human emotions. “Gift for a Sweetheart” is one of these stories which is about a man named Horacio Fortunato who falls desperately in love with a married woman named Patricia Zimmerman. He overcomes many defeats of both the monetary and emotional kind and through perseverance, he finally gains an audience by his true love. Perseverance eventually leads to fulfillment of a goal.
Throughout the three Fortunato generations, there was the desired result of a successful circus. The first Fortunato persevered through “times of catastrophe and turmoil (105)” and “for years Horacio’s grandfather bore the sole responsibility for the spectacle (105).” His desire to save and maintain his circus came to the point where he had to perform almost all of the acts. However, he “managed somehow to survive bad times…while many other circuses succumbed [and were thus] obliterated…(106).” The first Fortunato’s desire to keep his circus buoyant left him to persevere through all the hard time and come out stronger.
The first Fortunato’s son, Fortunato II, was left a “debt-free” enterprise. He too persevered with an “unshakable prudence” and “under his direction the circus grew in size and prestige until it was the largest in the nation. (105)” He made it so that the “enormous caravan no longer drifted aimlessly, as it had in his father’s day, but steamed purposefully…(106).” The second Fortunato was able to make the circus a greater success. His father before him allowed him to do so through his perseverance and thus created a new, higher goal for his son to reach.
The Essay on Montresor Fortunato Revenge Story
Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a horror story about a carefully thought out and planned act of revenge, and murder. Poe lets the reader know right away and throughout the story that the outcome will be Montresor getting revenge on Fortunato. The story begins with Montresor vowing revenge on Fortunato for an insult, which is not clearly told. Montresor had planned and carefully ...
Horacio, the third Fortunato, “intended to be rich from the time he was a young boy (108).
His goal was predetermined and he eventually “lived a good life.” Individually each of the three Fortunato generations achieved his goal through perseverance, and together the three Fortunato generations led to the result of the greatest circus enterprise.
When Horacio saw Patricia Zimmerman he “…decided with absolute seriousness to steal this woman from her jeweler…(110).” Horacio kept his promise to himself by attempting in every way to win her affection. “That same night an extravagant bouquet of orchids was delivered to the Zimmerman residence.” Although Patricia threw his first gift in the street and crushed Horacio’s first hopes, he continued to persevere and “the following day a crystal box arrived bearing a single perfect rose…(111).” She continued to dispose of these gifts and still, “different bouquets followed for the rest of the week. (111).” No matter what Patricia did Horacio continued to attempt to reach her. “She returned his letters unopened. (111)” and he would appear “…observing her from the adjoining box and that opera, in the street, waiting to open the door of her car…or on some stairway.” Horacio represents a perfect example of unrelenting perseverance.
Horacio was dumbfounded. His attempts began to seem futile even though “he had never spent so much money and time to court a woman…but not for a minute did he consider abandoning the chase. (113).” He persevered through everything, seemingly knowing that he would eventually reach his goal. He decided to attempt to entertain Patricia in some way. When she first heard part of his circus she thinks it is “…the gardener, a headstrong old man who in less than a year had transformed her property into a tropical jungle. (117)” This can be translated as foreshadowing for Horacio Fortunato’s success. He was a man who was headstrong and persevered until he was able to change Patricia just as the gardener changed the original garden, as was foreshadowed even by the family name, Fortunato, which can be roughly translated into meaning “fortunate.” Finally, when he had approached the situation from this other angle, a direct result from perseverance, with his “irrepressible gallant smile”, he reached his goal and “Patricia laughed, and walked forward to meet him. (120).”
Long-Range Goals
Every one of us builds dreams and creates goals of our own. And those goals and aspirations are frequently rooted on our desires, wants and wishes, which depend on our personal experiences and current situations in life. My long-range personal goals revolve on three vital things: academics, professional and financial matters. Academic goals focus on my desire to graduate from college and to pursue ...
The perseverance of the first Fortunato allowed him to maintain his circus along with his family tradition. The perseverance of the second Fortunato allowed him to expand the Fortunato circus into a larger empire. The perseverance of the third Fortunato allowed him to amass an even larger empire and more wealth. Even though the final example of perseverance of Horacio towards love was devoid of a monetary value, it was similar in that it was towards a predetermined goal, with a desired result, that was eventually achieved. Through perseverance and a coexistent determination, any desired result can be achieved.
