The Character Analysis at “ The Barber” of “Lather And Nothing Else”

The short story “Lather and Nothing Else”, written by Hernando Tellez, depicts an intelligent, conscientious, and mature male protagonist whose job is to serve as a barber and a secret revolutionary. First and foremost, he has apparently demonstrated his cleverness whilst he is making the vital decision whether to kill Captain Torres. “ I’m sure that with a good strong blow, a deep cut, he would feel no pain. He would not suffer at all. And what would I do then with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leave all this behind, take shelter far away, very far away. But they would follow until they caught up with me. ”(Tellez 4). Wisely, he can emerge numerous inferences and thoughts about the consequences of Captain Torres’s assassination. Subsequently, he perceives that this is explicitly a dumb act and will negatively result in an unfavorable encounter with an abundant number of hindrances in the future, which explains why he chooses not to commit the murder. This decision is evidence for the fact that he is a smart person, as he can calculate and process many outcomes and approach the most beneficial route. Secondly, he is indeed a conscientious person, which is illustrated when he decides to let go of Captain Torres. “ But I don’t want to be a murderer. No, sir. You came in to be shaved. And I do my work honorably. I don’t want to stain my hands with blood. Just with lather, and nothing else. You are an executioner; I am only a barber. Each one to his job. That’s it. Each one to his job. The chin was now clean, polished, soft. The man got up and looked at himself in the glass. He ran his hand over the skin and felt its freshness, its newness. ” (Tellez 4). He has remarkably devoted himself to his job as a barber. He prioritizes his occupation above everything else, although he is serving his enemy. A prime example of this is when he finishes fulfilling his duty, he nicely shaves Captain Torres’s beard and lets him walk away in peace, which has undeniably determined a considerable sense of conscientiousness that the barber has towards his job. Thirdly yet worth mentioning, he is such a mature person due to how he manages an unbelievably awkward circumstance with Captain Torres. “My hands began to tremble again. The man could not be aware of this, which was lucky for me. But I wished he had not come in. . . . I took up the razor, opened the handle wide, releasing the blade, and started to work, downward from one sideburn. The blade responded to perfection. ” (Tellez 2). Even though he is in terror and fury to serve an enemy, he still attempts not to express his feelings to the captain, but instead, he tries to be very manipulative in each of his actions to cope with the dilemma. This particular event demonstrates his maturity to the extent that he does not let the emotions sink over him and barrier his way. To conclude, the story “ Lather And Nothing Else” has beautifully portrayed the male protagonist whose personality is mature and dedicated, yet best thanks to his cleverness, he has been able to come up with an excellent decision that accommodates him to surpass Captain Torres’s test.