Lather and Nothing Else – Flashcards
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What is the Summary of Lather and Nothing Else?
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A captain in the military walks into a barber shop for a shave. The barber is a rebel (an enemy of the captain) and thinks the barber does not know that. As the captain talks about the rebels he will kill that evening and as the barber remembers past hangings, the barber has to decide whether to kill the captain or to let him live. He decides not to be a murderer, and when the captain is about to leave, he reveals that he did know the barber was a rebel the whole time. He says it is hard to kill and walks out the door.
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Who is the Author of Lather and Nothing Else?
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Hernando Tellez
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Setting During what Time Period does Lather and Nothing Else take place?
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Over 100 years ago (late 1800s)
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Setting Where did Lather and Nothing Else take Place?
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Latin America during a war (revolutionary kind of war, where the people are trying to overthrow their government)
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Point of View; Narrator Is Lather and Nothing Else written in First Person or Third Person?
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First Person
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Point of View; Narrator Is the Narrator Omniscient or Limited in Lather or Nothing Else?
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Limited (we know the barber's thoughts and feelings only)
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Point of View; Narrator Does Lather and Nothing Else have an Objective point of view?
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No. We know his thoughts and feelings, so it is not objective.
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Who are the Characters in Lather and Nothing Else?
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1) Barber -- a rebel, nervous because he might be caught by someone who could hang him (but thinks the Capt. has no idea he is a rebel), cares about his profession, has seen the Capt. before and knows what he has done; must decide whether to kill him or let him live 2) Capt. Torres - leader in the military, comes in for a shave; is going to kill more of the rebels he has captured and tells the barber about it; very calm; tough and perhaps cruel; leaves his weapon away from him. At the end of the story, we learn he knew all along the barber was a rebel and says it is hard to kill.
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Character Who is the Protagonist in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Barber
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Character Who is the Antagonist in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Captain
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Character Who are other important Characters in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Rebels: also work "against" the barber in the sense that he feels pressured to kill the captain because the rebels will be upset if he doesn't kill him.
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What is the Conflict in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Person v. Person (Barber v. Captain Torres or rebel v. military/government in wartime - they are natural enemies); Person v. self (Barber v. himself -- can he live with being a murderer?)
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What is the Theme for Lather and Nothing Else?
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Possible theme or message: you can make the choice you can best live with when you think through important decisions and weigh all the possible consequences of your actions.
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What would be considered Flashback in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Barber remembers the hanging of the four rebels in the schoolyard and how that is where he first met Captain Torres. Captain Torres was the one in charge of the hangings/executions.
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What is the Irony in Lather and Nothing Else?
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The reader is led to believe that Captain Torres is not aware that the barber is a rebel and that he is going in for a shave without knowing he could be going to his death. However, it is revealed at the end of the story that the reader is in fact in the dark about something and Capt. Torres knows everything: he knew all along that the barber is a rebel.
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What is the Exposition in Lather and Nothing Else?
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A man named Capt. Torres walks into a old-fashioned barber shop.
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What is the Inciting Incident in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Fellow rebels saw Capt. Torres walk in and would expect the barber to kill him
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What events would be considered the Rising Action in Lather and Nothing Else?
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1) Shaving Capt. Torres (barber is shaking) 2) Capt. Torres tells him to come to the schoolyard to watch some more rebels be hanged. 3) Barber thinks about Capt. Torres's past and whether he should kill him
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What event would be considered the Climax in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Barber decides not to kill him
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What Events would be considered the Falling Action in Lather and Nothing Else?
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1) Torres gets up, grabs his things 2) Torres reveals he knew barber was a rebel and says killing is not an easy thing
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What would be considered the Resolution in Lather and Nothing Else?
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Captain Torres walks down the street
