Dagoberto Gilb Essay Research Paper Dagoberto Gilb

Dagoberto Gilb Essay, Research Paper

Dagoberto Gilb was born in Los Angeles in 1950. A mix of gritty humor, mundane terror, and economic misfortune distinguishes his short stories. His life has been neither easy nor subdued, and these influences are reflected in his writing style and choice of subject matter. The short story entitled “Love in L.A.,” by Dagoberto Gilb, shows how one can see many reasons in seeing irony and even satire by the story’s title and how all is stories combine in someway.

Dagoberto Gilb’s childhood was spent running wild in a bad part of Los Angeles. At the age of eighteen, Gilb decided to attend college, obtaining degrees in Philosophy and Religious studies. It was during this period that he began to keep personal notebooks. Following completions of a master’s degree, he became a journeyman carpenter from 1976 – 1991, which provided the flexibility to devote large blocks of time to writing. He is married to a woman named Rebeca, and has two children named Antonio and Ricardo. Gilb worked in the Department of English at the University of Texas in 1988, the University of Arizona in 1992, and the University of Wyoming in 1994 (“Dagoberto Gilb”)

Literary magazines were not remotely interested in publishing Gilb’s stories, which focus primarily on the professional and personal struggles of working-class Mexican Americans. But his unapologetic stories about working-class Mexican Americans have made him a voice of his people (Reid130). Gilb’s short stories are set vividly in cites of the desert Southwest and usually feature a Hispanic protagonist who is good-hearted but often irresponsible and is forever one pink slip or automotive breakdown away from disaster (Reid130).

Gilb was persuaded to submit some of the 750 pages of his unpublished stories to the National Endowment of the Arts, and, when he won a grant, it enabled him to take time to put together a collection of his work. That was The Magic of Blood, which was published in 1993 and won him a PEN Hemingway Award. The following year, recognition abounded in the form of prestigious literary awards and a flood of critical attention for The Magic of Blood (“The Magic of Blood”63-74)

Gilb has earned many awards including the Institute of Letters Award for best book of fiction and best short story in 1993. In El Paso, he gave up on New York publishing and sold his story collection to the University of New Mexico Press. He didn’t think he could support his family with his writing, but he could feel in his bones that he couldn’t go on in construction. In 1994, Grove Press purchased rights to Gilb’s The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuna, a novel of inquiry into the lives of residents of a Texas YMCA, which closes with an unsettling conclusion. “Gilb once wrote a story, “Parking Places,” about the absurd tensions born of urban constriction. And this particular misadventure is emblematic enough of the shortcomings of life in his adopted hometown that he weaved an abbreviated version of it into a recent essay” (“Muy Macho”8).

Love is a powerful force that drives one person to draw a deep affection towards another. But in the short story Love in L.A., the definition of love is the exact opposite. Through “Jake,” the protagonist’s definition of “love” is expressed in different fashions, none results in anything positive; He portrays being lazy, irresponsible, somewhat poor, and perhaps something of a scam artist, looking for his freedom. Several essences reveal the main character true identity throughout the story: a love for image, self-conceit, and daydreaming. Jake controls how well he behaves, using image as a grand part of his motivation. First, the author portrays Jake’s worries towards the bumpers of the car before thinking of the other people involved in the accident. After finding out that there is not an ‘impressionable’ scratch, ”he perks up” (Gilb 231). Then, while talking to Mariana, “he straightened out his less than new but not unhip clothes,” while he is attempting to straighten out the mess with the car accident (231). This description of imagery on himself depicts his lack of respect for others and conceit when it came to what is more important according to him. Jake can be seen as vain and egotistical in his cause. Near the end of the story he gets back into the car and he “…took a moment or two to feel both proud and sad about his performance” (232).

The reader believes it means he is proud of getting away with such rambunctious behavior and attempting to court the young lady all throughout the ordeal. With no such luck, in the end, his efforts are in vein and a distant dream and during the whole thing he is lying to her and himself. Another trait which Jake possesses’ is that of a dreamer. In the beginning of the passage, the narrator speaks of things Jake would like to do with the ’58 Buick and ends it with his life. “It [the car] would have crushed velvet interior with electric controls for the L.A. summer…heater and defroster…cruise control…mellow speakers front and rear of course,” he then follows by adding, “The fact was that he’d probably have to change his whole lifestyle… Jake could imagine lots of possibilities when he let himself…” (230-231). Jake could not even afford a tag, license, registration, or insurance for his Buick, let-alone install these extra accessories.

At another instance he shows signs of dreaming is whi