Cortazar

Cortázar’s three short stories we have read have several common themes including isolation, hypocrisy, art, and the reality of reading. The transformative aspect of art and the reality of reading are some of the continuous threads woven throughout his work. Both “The Continuity of Parks” and “Axolotl” are the prime examples of how art can change and sometimes without the reader knowing it. It should also be noted that in both “The Continuity of Parks” and “Axolotl,” the characters were isolated. The man in the green chair and the man visiting the aquarium were both by themselves and became so involved in their reading or studying, they forgot about the world around them. There has been many times I have been reading a book so intensely that the world or time I am reading about seems to overshadow the present world. Many readers would share this same thought, and this is what Cortázar is trying to convey. “Our Demeanor at Wakes” focuses on hypocrisy, and if you tell yourself something long enough, you eventually will come to believe it. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s man of propaganda, used this tactic during World War II. He was quoted several times saying, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This is similar to what the people at the funeral were doing, but they did not realize they did it to themselves. Cortázar’s readings seem to touch on many topics that are still relevant and prominent today, and it is important that we learn from themes and messages.