24 pages • 48 minutes read
Hernando TéllezLather and Nothing Else
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1950A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
“Lather and Nothing Else” is a story that relies on three types of conflict: man versus man, man versus self, and man versus society. In a well-developed essay, compare and contrast the three conflicts and how both protagonist and antagonist navigate these conflicts using evidence from the text.
Analyze the moral dilemma the barber faces throughout the story.
Research the conflicts in 1950s Colombia and examine how they relate to the story and themes in “Lather and Nothing Else.”
Analyze the implications of letting Captain Torres walk out of the barbershop alive.
The story provides sparse information regarding the barber’s physical appearance, and he is never given a name. Describe how this lack of information aids or complicates how the readers view the barber.
Analyze how the story would be different if Captain Torres told the barber from the beginning that he knew he was a rebel. Consider how the barber’s internal monologue might change, how the ending might have been different, and how the conversation between the captain and the barber might have gone.
Téllez utilizes several literary devices to tell the story. Identify at least three devices and analyze how they work within the plot.
Describe the relationship between Captain Torres and the barber. Consider each man’s perspective and unique placement as executioner and rebel.
In a well-developed essay, explain why Captain Torres chose to test the barber rather than arrest him with the other rebels.
Téllez grew up and wrote during tumultuous dictatorships in Columbia. Research his life and describe how Téllez’s background comes through in “Lather and Nothing Else.”
