"Three Hundred Pesos:" Story Analysis

Biography

She lived most of her life in New Mexico. She loved the estate, and she used it as the setting for her stories. They all took place in and around Santa Fe, Albuquerte, and Taos.  Crosnos usually wrote about Spanish setters who lived on the land more than one hundred years ago. Crosno taught English for many years .She was also a poet and an artist. Her article “Why I Teach School” won first Prize in a statewide writing contest.

Summary

The “Three Hundred Pesos” was about three siblings, Anastacio, Emilio and Berta. Emilio and Berta sought financial aid from Anastacio, but Anastacio was very selfish and did not help them. Anastacio's dream was to save three hundred pesos to bought his owned store .Anastacio suffered many problems with his crops and because of that he blamed his two brothers. At the ended of the story he had an accident and died, but he finally saved his three hundred pesos. With the money his brothers Emilio and Berta would pay a nice funeral to Anastacio.

Analyze the story's plot:

•    Conflict: 
 Anastacio wanted to save three hundred pesos to buy his own store.

•    Rising action:
Anastacio did not give one peso to his brother Emilio although he needed a lot.
Berta gave Emilio that money.
Anastacio blamed his brothers because his crops were ruined by a violent storm and a flock of wandering sheep. Anastacio thought that those things happened to him because he did not give money to them.   
Anastacio needed just fifty pesos more to have the amount he wanted.
Anastacio planted beans.
Anastacio left for the village with his crop of fine beans really to sell.

•    Climax:
 Anastacio suffered an accident and die, but he got the three hundred pesos.

•    Resolution:
Berta and Emilio found the Anastacio’s body and they used the three hundred pesos to make a beautiful funeral.

Psychological Characterization:

Main Character

Anastacio

He was the main character of the story. He had two brothers. He was selfish, moody, miser, arrogant. He was money oriented. He was a hard worker, a dreamer and a fighter man.

Secondary characters

Berta

She was a generous, kind, humble, passive, responsible, loving and poor woman. She was not money oriented. She was Anastacio´s sister. She was thin. She was married. She was very different to his brother Anastacio.

Emilio

He was Anastacio´s brother. Emilio was a responsible father, loving, passive, poor, generous, hard worker, kind and humble person. He was very similar to his sister Berta.

TEACHING OF THE STORY

The teaching of “Three Hundred Pesos” was that the money is not the happiness in this world. The money is very important but is more important your family, the people who always is with you in your bad and good moments in life. I think that if you want to be a happy person, you must include your family into your goals. In that way you won end as an Anastacio.

State whether you like the story or not in a five-sentence paragraph

In my personal opinion, I did not like the ended of the story, because I wanted that at the ended Emilio shared his money with his brothers. He would change his behavior and avoid being a materialistic or money oriented man.