Lather And Nothing Else Short Story Analysis

Choices, the story writen by Susan Kerslake is about how the choices that we make everyday affect who we are and how our life can change by making the wrong decission. But is it always a bad decission? is it always our fault?

The decision making process includes cognitive processes that eventually lead to a choice in action while taking into consideration the alternative possibilities (Allen, Dorozenko, & Roberts, 2016). Not all choices have to lead to an action. The values and preferences of the person making the choice also comes into play when making the final decision. Problem-solving to obtain a certain goal or satisfactory by a solution is the main reason people go through the decision making process (Stefaniak, & Tracey, 2014). This process has many factors that end with one final result or solution. The decisions made can be rational or irrational and can be determined by explicit or tacit knowledge (Qingyao, Dongyu, & Weihua, 2016). Since the decision making process can be very difficult at time, psychologists have viewed the process in different perspectives to get a better understanding (Rossi, Picchi, Di Stefano, Marongiu, & Scarsini, 2015). The different perspectives include; psychological, cognitive, and normative or communicative rationality.

Everybody takes risks in their lives. Some risks are worse than other risks. Someone driving a car down the highway at 120 mph is a major risk and someone walking down the street is a small risk. Risks are a common thing that everybody does, and it is inevitable to not do anything risky in that person's life. In literature, there are many risks, to make the story more interesting to read. In the three short stories “The Colomber”, “Contents of a Dead Man's Pocket”, and “Lamb to the Slaughter” the characters do a lot of risky things.

Decisions are what direct a average person's life. Some decisions are easy some are hard. But that’s the way of life and how it works.

Colin Powell once said: “A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work” (Determination Quotes). This quote makes it evident that determination is important if you want to succeed. In Hernando Téllez’s “Just Lather, That’s All”, Edward P. Jones's “The First Day”, and Richard Wagamese’s “Shinny Game Melted the Ice”, the main characters demonstrate determination which results in their success. Although the aforementioned short stories contain similarities and differences in the plot, character, and setting, the theme of determination is clearly portrayed through all of these texts. In “Just Lather, That’s All”, the theme of determination is portrayed through the barber’s determination to kill

In the poem “Choices” by Allen Steble and the book Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers a common theme was presented. Throughout the poem “Choices”, it was explaining that everyone was a choice in life to do what they want. In the book Scorpions, Jamal is a twelve year old boy growing up in Harlem, his brother is in jail for murder, everywhere Jamal goes he seems to get into some sort of trouble. He is bullied at school by a bigger boy, labeled by his teacher as trouble maker and his brother tells his gang that Jamal needs to be the leader of the Scorpion gang. Jamal and his best friend Tito are later found in a dangerous situation. The theme of “Choices” and Scorpions are related. A common theme between these two is making decisions.

The notion of choice in an individual’s life is subject to constant questioning. We have what we like to call the freedom of decision-making, but often it simply seems like a facade. Many believe that one’s morals and ethics are solely responsible for the decisions they make, major or minor. Others attribute the external pressures surrounding them and societal factors as the facilitator of choices. Unquestionably, both personal characteristics and societal factors influence the the majority of choices of individuals everywhere. We must consider, however, that one plats more of a role than the other. Pieces of writing such as Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, Michael Bess’ Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II, and Milton Mayer’s No Time to Think explore the idea of both influential aspects. Nonetheless, more influence can be attributed to societal factors and this idea is supported throughout all of the pieces of writing. Societal factors, for the most part, are composed of a plethora of external pressures that we either actively acquiesce to or subconsciously conform to. Societal factors play a much larger role for the average individual in regards to decision-making and this goes for individuals of all backgrounds and beliefs. This is shown in the lives of the Chambonnais, the Reserve Police Battalion, and the two famous experiments known as the Milgram Experiment and the Stanford Prison

Although several aspects of life are predetermined, there are moments people have control over their fate. For example, no one has control over death, and even though many refuse their undeniable fate, it cannot be avoided. However, there are choices we make that mold our future, thus, changing our fate. On various occasions, there will be a fork in one’s path, and that person will have to choose which journey to take. In life, there are small, ineffective decisions you have to resolve, but there are also larger, life altering choices. Of course, others may feel the same way about fate, or entirely different. In fact, since the beginning of time, authors of literature have discussed their ideas on such matters, a few examples being Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allen Poe. These authors, famous for their thought provoking literary work, provide differing opinions on the fate and destiny of a human being through the use of allegory.

Sometimes the hardest decisions are the most important, and are the ones that shape and sculpt your journey through life. Whenever I am faced with a dilemma, like whether to start a new episode of The Office on Netflix or to proofread my global history essay, I remember to take a step back to better analyze the situation which, at times can change my perspective.

Making difficult decisions show up in life more often than realized. These choices can alter a person’s life in good and bad ways. “The Bicycle” by Jillian Horton is a story that focuses on a young talented pianist named Hannah. Throughout the story Hannah deals with the strict teachings of her Tante Rose, which leads her to make ironic decisions. Similarly, in the story “Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Tellez, the barber undergoes a dilemma in which he must consider his moral values before making his final decision. Both stories have a protagonist that face conflicts which lead to difficult decision making, and in the end leads the characters to discover themselves. In both stories the authors use the literary devices theme, irony

No matter who a person may be, everyone is faced with multiple choices from day to day. Whether the choice be life changing or what to eat for suppertime, there is an impact on the decision maker. Is there a line that must be crossed when making decisions in a life or death situation? In Octavia Butler’s best selling novel, Kindred, the main character, Dana Franklin, comes face to face with numerous decisions affecting her and those around her. In the novel, Dana uncontrollably travels back in time and gives perspective as a young black woman in the antebellum South. The time and place of which she travels to exacerbates her given situation. Each time she travels back in time, she is forced to make a decision. Through seeing her decisions in chronological order, the reader gets an image of how important decisions may be. In Kindred, Octavia Butler uses Dana’s choices in the face of conflict to portray the impact her choices had upon her survival.

make many decisions and if they choose wrong, it may cost them their lives or someone else’s in

Meaning that the decision is so important, so the decision it may be extremely difficult for someone to know the right decision. Four has to make this decision completely off of the faction Four is interested in, which faction Four grew up part of, and what Four’s aptitude

make a decision and at the end of the day, the nature of the decision

All through life, we experience various occasions when decision-making become necessary. A number of them present themselves in difficult forms and at crucial points. Most of the verdict we take will eventually figure and describe our track of lives. These are what we refer to as lessons of life. Choices never present themselves in an easy way. In some instance we are always forced to pay a price to achieve something. This implies that we are trading for an outcome we are seeking.