The found poem above are words extracted from pages 3-4 of the short story: “Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Tellez. The conflict demonstrated in this story is an example of character versus self, the conflict of the protagonist. In this story, the protagonist is the barber, whose conflict is internal, although his struggle revolves around his enemy. He is contemplating the decision to kill or not to kill his enemy, “Torres”, the antagonist. “And so, which will it be? Murderer or hero? My fate hangs on the edge of this razor blade.” (Tellez 4) The barber has his enemy in his own two hands – blade smoothly sliding down Torres’s neck – one move, and he would be dead. This story expresses the thoughts of the barber: his realization of his place in the current situation; his acknowledgement of what he could do to his enemy – and the consequences that would come forth.

August 29, 2023