José Donoso, The Garden Next Door Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Josà © Donoso, The Garden Next Door - Essay Example Some took the opportunity to recreate themselves; others became lost. Donoso explores the themes of exile and identity through these characters, particularly Julio and Gloria Mendez, and their struggles physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Exile in a literal sense is experienced as a physical location. As refugees fled persecution from political opponents in South America, they relocated to unfamiliar places. Julio and Gloria Mendez, along with their son Patricio, moved to the small town of Sitges in Spain. They moved from a nice house with a garden of trees to a small, dirty apartment in a run-down little town. A resulting change in social status brought about a disruption of their identities as they were forced to move from a comfortable lifestyle to that of paupers. Patricio, who was young when his family relocated to Europe, grew into the identity of a European teenager and moved to Marrakech, far away from his parents and their friends who tried to hold on to their past and their culture. The stress imposed by living in a country not one’s own manifested itself emotionally and psychologically in the lives of Julio and Gloria. The two became alienated from each other as their marriage grew tired and their bickering led to alcohol and drug abuse. For Julio, this emotional exile manifests in that enables him to escape his dreary life, if only as a fantasy. One evening, early in the summer (which they are spending in Madrid at the apartment of a wealthy friend), Julio looks out the window into the neighbor’s lush garden. He is fascinated by the beautiful neighbor, and on this evening she is entertaining a few friends. As he watches, Julio is entranced by the palatial setting – the pool, the crystal, the candles, and the beautiful young couples drinking and dancing. â€Å"Suddenly the radiant magic spell of the world outside subdues and replaces my poor reality,†is how Julio describes his fixation as he watches their