One Of These Days

The theme of power and vulnerability is central to the conflict between Aurelio and the Mayor in “One Of These Days.” Initially, the Mayor attempts to dominate Aurelio. Outside the dentist’s office, the Mayor wields a dictatorial level of power over the town. This is reflected in his behavior in the waiting room where he asserts his power over Aurelio’s son, using him as a mouthpiece to relay his messages to the dentist. When Aurelio tries to ignore the Mayor and deny him service, the Mayor reasserts his power by threatening the dentist with physical violence. The reversals of power and vulnerability within the story suggest that people will take advantage of one another when caught in corrupt and hierarchical contexts.

Within the town’s social structure, Aurelio has far less power than the Mayor. The narrative highlights his lack of education and hints at his poverty through descriptions of his clothing and office space. Aurelio himself acknowledges the Mayor’s destructive tyranny within their town, claiming that he is responsible for the deaths of 20 of “our men” who might either be citizens of the town or members of the same political party as Aurelio (75).