preview

The Devil In Daniel Orozco's Orientation

Decent Essays
Open Document

The Devil in the Details Few literary giants that have been able to persist in writing with such legendary prestige as “the devil”, or Satan. The literary capabilities of an enigmatic figure of evil, trickery, and deception have been exploited countless times from ancient writings to modernity. Because of his popularity, the devil has donned a wide variety of guises in literature; however, some consistent traits of this fallen hero have remained consistent. In Daniel Orozco’s critically acclaimed short story Orientation, the author uses his knowledge of the classic devil trope to create yet another original rendition of the character. In Orientation, the narrator of the story is likely the most integral element of the narrative due to the …show more content…

The narrator, along with maintaining a starkly neutral tone, frequently speaks in the imperative sense, asserting that the reader “never answer your phone” and “do not let on (Orozco).” No pauses are allowed for a response, and little feedback is necessary. The narrator will often describe luxuries and everyday actions as off-limits, further asserting the power that he or she holds over the speaker. An example of this behavior would be when the narrator describes the coffee maker as belonging to the office, but tells the reader to not touch the coffee maker, stating that decaffeinated coffee is not allowed. The narrator also points out the custodian’s closet, only to state that “You have no business in the custodian’s closet (Orozco).” This language, coupled with the indiscriminate exposure of private information about the other people of the office, presents the narrator as a sort of overbearing, wise, and omniscient bringer of knowledge. Just as the devil figure of Young Goodman Brown brings unwanted knowledge to an unwitting recipient, the narrator serves as a forceful guide to the horrors of the employees of the office in order to trick the reader into viewing the tragedy and suffering of these people in an uninterested and passive way, thereby making the reader desensitized to it. This perspective falls much closer in line to the traditional view of Satan in the bible as the deceiver and

Get Access
Related
Get Access