Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"
A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"
A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"
Ebook28 pages18 minutes

A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"

By Gale and Cengage

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 6, 2016
ISBN9781535835725
A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"

Read more from Gale

Related to A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"

Related ebooks

Literary Criticism For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge"

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    A Study Guide for Mario Vargas Llosa's "The Challenge" - Gale

    5

    The Challenge

    Mario Vargas Llosa

    1958

    Introduction

    In 1958 (at the age of twenty-two), Mario Vargas Llosa won first place for his short story The Challenge in a fiction contest sponsored in Peru by Revue frangaise. His prize was a trip to Paris, a city he had longed to visit and to which he later returned to seriously pursue writing.

    Among the themes common in Vargas Llosa’s fiction is that of establishment of power by means of violence. Although The Challenge was written very early in his career, this idea is already forming. In the story, the Gimp demonstrates his strength, power, and believability by killing the man he challenged, Justo. That the Gimp wants his opponent to surrender rather than be killed has less to do with the theme of power than with the particular character of the Gimp. The sense of disillusionment often portrayed in Vargas Llosa’s work is also present in The Challenge; when Justo loses the fight, his father is left with the hollow victory of knowing that his son fought

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1