Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
A Close Reading of Luisa Valenzuela’s
“Vision Out of the Corner of One Eye”
See the story itself here:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/106818696/Vision-Out-of-the-Corner-of-One-Eye
Luisa Valenzuela is one of the most important writers in Argentina. She is also one of the most translated. Her writing is concise and is well known for challenging social and gender hierarchies. The writer in Valenzuela likes to defy the established order of things. This tiny story exhibits all these interesting and often surprising characteristics.
This story is full of twists and surprises, from beginning to end. It begins with a serious situation: a young woman is on a crowded bus and a stranger puts his hand on her behind. Her first instinct is to scream. But when the bus passes by a church, she notices that the man crosses himself. With that crossing the young woman changes her mind about the situation. She decides that the man might be a good person after all. She momentarily excuses the man’s behavior and thinks maybe he wasn’t touching her on purpose, that maybe his touch was accidental.
But in spite of deciding that he’s a “good sort,” she still tries to move further back, trying to wiggle out of his reach. But the passengers in the crowded bus prevent her from moving. As a result of her attempt to move, the man gets an even better hold on her and begins fondling her. Now the young woman is nervous, so she finds a way to move over. But so does he. The young woman notices, when they pass another church, that this time the man doesn’t cross himself. This time he raises his hand to his face to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The heat is rising from the crowded bus and possibly from the man’s sexual tension.
The young woman pretends nothing is happening but she keeps watch of him out of the corner of one eye. She is now unable to move at all and the man begins jiggling her. At this point there is no mistaking what is happening. She is being sexually assaulted. With this realization, she decides she will get even with the man. Now comes another twist in the tiny story. She puts her hand on *his* posterior
Once she touches the man’s behind, she is then swept along by other passengers getting off the bus and is finally separated from him. Her problem is now solved.
But another twist comes into the story: she admits to herself that she’s sorry they were separated so suddenly. Now that is a surprise. Could she have actually enjoyed the brief but disturbing encounter?
But the twists aren’t over yet. She discovers his wallet had only 7.400 pesos and she’s convinced, since she feels that he is an affectionate and generous fellow, she could have gotten a lot more out of him if they’d been alone.
In the beginning, the tiny story leads the reader to think the young woman is innocent and the man intrudes into her life. But it turns out that all the while he’s fondling and jiggling her, out of the corner of her eye, she’s carefully sizing him up. She turns out to be a skilled pickpocket. Or maybe even more.
The story, short as it is, with all its important and carefully related details, makes for a surprising and delightful tale. The young woman is sharp, experienced, and knows what she’s doing. She does not play the role of victim.
About Pamelyn Casto:
Pamelyn Casto, twice a Pushcart Prize nominee, has published feature-length articles on flash fiction in Writer’s Digest (and in their other publications), Fiction Southeast, and Writing World (and elsewhere). Her essay on flash fiction and myth appears in Rose Metal Press’s Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field and her 8,000-word essay on flash fiction is included in Books and Beyond: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of New American Reading (4 volumes). She also has a 5,000-word article on flash fiction as the lead article in the new book Critical Insights: Flash Fiction. Subscribe to her free online monthly FlashFictionFlash newsletter (first issue published in 2001) for markets, contests, and publishing news for flash literature writers. Casto is an Associate Editor at O:JA&L. Pamelyn Casto’s new book Flash Fiction: Alive in the Flicker (A Portable Workshop), a new release from O:JA&L’s Buttonhook Press, is available now on Amazon.
About Luisa Valenzuela: Luisa Valenzuela is a highly regarded Feminist writer from Argentina.
Image: Perocomplex by Bernardien Sternheim (contemporary). Oil on canvas. No size specified. 2004. By free license. Photograph courtesy of Michele Ahin.
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