“Paradise lost in “La Gallina Degollada” (The Slaughtered Hen) and “El Potro Salvaje” (The Wild Colt) by Horacio Quiroga”

Abstract

The works “La gallina degollada” (The Slaughtered Hen) and “El potro salvaje” (The Wild Colt) by Horacio Quiroga, characterized by being linear, simple, and narrated by an extradiegetic narrator, manage to awaken deep sensations in the reader thanks to the construction of the characters and description. Even though a first reading of both stories seems to show only differences in terms of genre, and anecdotes, they present a common topic: the “lost paradise”. In the first case, the loss of happiness, so difficult to acquire, is accompanied by horror, while in the second, the wasted youth of “El potro salvaje” (The Wild Colt) provokes nostalgia. Ultimately, it is the loss that unites these stories. In the following work, we will explore the biblical roots and the author’s management of this resource in the tales.