Elements of Magical Realism and Sublime in Toads Mouth...

Elements of Magical Realism and Sublime in Toads Mouth Toads Mouth is a short story written by Isabel Allende in 1989. She has lived in Chili for most of her life, but she was born in Lima, Peru. Her father was a diplomat in Peru, but when her parents divorced, Allendes mother took her back to Santiago, Chili, to live with her grandparents. She wrote her first novel, The House of Spirits, around 1981. It became an international best seller. After reading Toads Mouth, I believe that magical realism and sublime literature have many things in common. Like magical realism, sublime literature has magical and realistic elements. Most of the magical elements in this story seem to fit into the sublime category.†¦show more content†¦Some of the sublime elements also seem to be realists elements. The people and sheep are realistic. The description of the land paints a picture in a persons mind that seems very real. Lust, loneliness, and other feelings or emotions that the people experience are realistic elements. Hermelindas occupation as a prostitute also brings realism to the story. The sublime elements in Toads Mouth are very significant. The land and vast number of sheep show how large the world is and how small a person is in comparison to it. Later in the story, an Asturian named Pablo appeared...by then Hermelinda had accumulated a small fortune, but the idea of retiring to a more conventional life had never occurred to her (86). Pablo managed to win her game called Toads Mouth, and her life changed. He seized Hermelindas hand and pulled her to her feet, prepared to prove in his two hours that she could not do without him (87). They went into another room while the rest of the men stood around checking their watches. Three hours went by, four, the whole night; morning dawned and the bells rang for work, and still the door did not open. At noon the lovers emerged (87). When they came out of the room, they walked outside mounted their horses, and set off together with Hermelinda leaving her old life behind (88). She made a vague wave of farewell to her desola te admirers, then