Un (in)grato ambiente laboral: Crítica al trabajo en Pájaros en la boca y otros cuentos de Samanta Schweblin

Författare

Andres Cotta Cabezas

Summary, in English

This essay presents an analysis of the representation of work in the short stories “Olingiris” “Irman”, “El cavador” and “En la medida de las cosas” by the Argentinian writer Samanta Schweblin. By deviating from the usual interpretation that focuses on the fantastic aspects in the author’s work, this essay takes as its starting point the notion that the aspects that are usually classified as abnormal or unreal have a ground that can be verified using critical theory towards work. From this conviction, our hypothesis is that these stories provide descriptions of labor exploitation such as precariousness, alienation or segmentation, and that in some way their inclusion in the plot could represent a critical view of work.
The result of the analysis confirms the presence of critical elements in each of the stories, pointing to work as an aspect of the plot that indispose its protagonists and that motivates reactions as serious as crimes or a dark mistrust.
The aspects that arise from the reading that we propose illuminate a new meaning for the interpretation of these stories.

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