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CANYONS

By: Vallery Varble


SUMMARY

This story tells about the journey of the main


character or “I” who have a mental illness
experienced. She was trying to find Billy, but turns
out that he was not real. He was only the main
character’s imagination because she was struck
with a kind of despair. In the end of the story she
finally try to accept the fact that Billy was not real.
CHARACTERS
 I : lonely, despair
 Billy : just the main character imaginary

 Justin : kind, like to entertain “I”

 Father : vulnerable and little shy

 Uncle : calm, quiet, patient, steady man, care to


the main character
 Mr. Ruiz : sympathetic, kind
POINT OF VIEW
 In this story, the author use first person point of
view because everything was said and portrayed
from the main character or “I” perspective. She
knew everything in this story. The author
chooses to show her godlike knowledge of this
story by using “I” perspective.
 Theme: The theme in this story is “a hope", the
main character assume that Billy is her hope.
She imagines Billy’s existence is real and make it
as her action to escape from her reality.
 Setting: Jail in Mexico
SYMBOLISM

 Elvis Presley: Presley became a national symbol


of parents’ consternation

 Esperanza: In Spanish, the word Esperanza


means hope and expectation. When we relate it
with the sentence, it means that “I” trapped in
her own hope and expectation which is about
Billy.
 Heart-break Hotel song
represents about the
loneliness that experienced
by the main character. That
song references to a failed
romance and to the
destruction of all traces of
identification before the
fatal act. It can be that the
main character already
broke up and then she feels
despair (128) and lonely,
that’s why she imagined
Billy becomes a figure she
wanted
 Mañana: In Spanish it means tomorrow, or
another saying which means "later". This later
can mean a week later or two years later. It says
something in a way which is not clear or definite.
And based on our understanding, Mr. Ruiz know
that Billy is not exist, so when “I” asked him to
find Billy he answer “Mañana” which means she
will find the real and exist Billy someday, not
real tomorrow because Billy only exist in her
mind.
 A glimpse in the dark: A glimpse in the dark
means a quick look at someone or something that
does not allow you to see them clearly and from
that meaning it symbolize that “I” will never
meet Billy in real life because he just her
imagination and did not exist in real life.
 Canyons can be signified to an end or relief from
difficulties in life. Canyon also considered as a
place of beauty where people go to experience
some relaxation. The relation of “Canyons” with
the story is because at the end of the story “I”
finally can release and admit that Billy only exist
in her imagination and she tried to forget him. Or
Canyons in this title symbolized Billy as a place
for “I” to relief from difficulties in her life by
imagining that he exists.
 “I was struck with a kind of despair, a darkness
that opened in every direction, vast and deep”

 “I think he’s sympathetic in his way...”

 The jail is not really jail


USING PSYCHOANALYSIS THEORY

 Analyzing based on Sigmund Freud theory


include three part; id, ego, and superego.
 Id (unconscious): Because she can't meet Billy in
the real life, she console herself from sadness and
even not be depressed by imagining/ dreaming of
Billy in Mexican jails.
 Ego (consciousness): She controls all the shadows
about Billy by accepting the fact that Billy is not
real, finally she gets out of jail being picked up by
her lawyer.
 Superego (conscience):

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