The Old Man Who Read Love Stories

The author often uses metaphor to convey the conflict between the land, indigenous people, and white colonizers. How does metaphor create an understanding of this theme? Locate three metaphors in the text and discuss how they further the author’s thematic position in the narrative as a whole.

What life lessons can you learn from the story? How does it change or affect your view of people, progress, and industrialization, and its impact on the environment? On other people? On yourself? Use references from the text to support your views

The snake symbolizes many qualities in Antonio’s character. What other animals or aspects of nature are symbolic of human characteristics in this book? How are these characteristics revealed, and what is the author trying to convey about the human condition through these symbols?