Characters
Summary
Short Question
1. Why is Armando afraid of the heavy
man on the bus?
2. What made Gonzalez think that he was
going to be robbed?
Or what made Armando think that someone
was going to rob him?
3. As Armando waited for the bus in the
street, why wasn’t he happy about buying a new house?
4. Why did Armando cry for help?
9. Fear
Arlo T. Janssen
Characters
Armando Gonzalez : shoe maker
Bank teller : accountant/ cashier
Six children : Armando’s children
Mother-in-law : Armando’s mother in law
A heavy man : meet in the bank & bus
3 boys : meet in the bus
Puebla; Large city bank, shoe shop, bus, 50,000 pesos, buy house
A story from Puebla, Mexico
Summary
Armando Gonzalez worked in a shoe shop. His wife earned money by taking care of others’ children. They had collected 50,000 pesos. One day, he went to a bank in Mexico City to withdraw his money, because he wanted to buy a house. He wanted to take his money in cash. But the cashier bothered him. Gonzalez felt nervous because cashier count the money with loud voice. Unfortunately, he put his hat backward so everyone looked him in the bank. A heavy man looked twice. When he got the money, he put it into the pocket and left.
He feared so much by everyone's look. He thought that his money would be robbed. And his dream would turn into vain. While waiting the bus on the road, he saw the heavy man standing there next to him. His whole body began to shake and his heart beat faster. He thought that the man was following him. As the bus came, Armando got on the bus and fat man also got on. All the people on the bus looked at him because of his hat. But Armando guessed that they knew about the money. He also saw three young boys talking with the fat man. It led him to think that they were his helpers. He thought to be outsmarting by getting off the bus. When he got off the bus, the three boys also got off. The three boys talked, and looked at him. They walked towards him. Then he started to run and cry for help. The boys also rushed towards him. He crossed the road and fell over the junkyard (dumping site). He cried like a baby. He requested not to rob him, because he was an honest man. Then the boys told him that they were students. And they are going to the stadium to watch football tournament, but got on the wrong bus. So they asked to the fat man about the place.
Armando knew that they were not fat man's helper. And they rushed to him to save him, because of his unnatural behaviors not to rob him. Then he felt light.
Short Question
1. Why is Armando afraid of the heavy man on the bus?
When Armando was withdrawing money from the bank, He had seen the heavy man in the bank lobby/ hall. He saw him at the bus stand, too. He seen mysterious in the bus talking to the boys. And he was hiding his face with the newspaper. All behaviour of the man had psychological effect on Armando. Armando thought that the man was a robber. He thought he had a pistol in his pocket. The heavy man was going to rob him. So Armando is afraid with the heavy man on the bus.
2. What made Gonzalez think that he was going to be robbed?
Or what made Armando think that someone was going to rob him?
When Armando was withdrawing money from the bank, He had seen the heavy man in the bank lobby/ hall. He saw him at the bus stand, too. He seen mysterious in the bus talking to the boys. And he was hiding his face with the newspaper. All behaviour of the man had psychological effect on Armando. Armando thought that the man was a robber. He thought he had a pistol in his pocket. The heavy man was going to rob him. So Armando is afraid with the heavy man on the bus.
So, all these circumstances made him think that someone was going to rob him.
3. As Armando waited for the bus in the street, why wasn’t he happy
about buying a new house?
He wasn’t happy about buying a new house when he waited for the bus in the street. Because he thought his dream was going to be shattered. His money would be robbed. He thought so because the heavy man who was in the bank and staring him was now waiting for the bus with him. He suspected him he was a robber. He earned the money by lobouring hard. Before that he never saw such a large amount of money and which might be robbed soon, so that he was not happy to buy a new house first time in his life.
4. Why did Armando cry for help?
Armando was already nervous in the bank so he could not control his senses. Everybody was looks like robber to him. The sequence is also matched. All the people were looking him so impatiently because of his different behaviour and he thought they were planning to rob him. When he was in the bus he saw an amazing thing that the heavy man had talked with three boys and thought that they were the helpers of the heavy man. He thought to cheat the man he got off the bus in the mid way and saw the boys also getting off. So he became so frightened, and cried for help.
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