Galeano's Lizard Story: Themes, Allegory, and Politics
This paper offers a literary analysis of Eduardo Galeano's short story "The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives," situating the work within the context of Galeano's biography, political beliefs, and career as a Latin American leftist writer. The paper examines the story's classification as both fable and allegory, surveys existing reader and critical commentary, and identifies four major themes: "be careful what you wish for," "what goes around comes around," gender dynamics, and political symbolism. The paper also proposes an additional interpretive lens — the conflict between rich and poor — grounded in Galeano's Marxist convictions and lifelong advocacy for economic justice in Latin America.
- Introduction: Overview of the story's themes and Galeano's background
- Eduardo Galeano: Author Background: Galeano's biography, politics, exile, and awards
- Summary of the Story: Plot overview of the lizard fable
- Critical Reviews and Identified Themes: Fable, allegory, and four thematic readings
- The Rich Against the Poor: An Additional Interpretation: Original argument linking story to class conflict
- Conclusion: Galeano as voice for the poor and free speech
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper anchors literary analysis in biographical context, showing how an author's life and politics illuminate the meaning of a text — a sound and well-executed methodological choice.
- The writer engages honestly with the limits of available scholarship, acknowledging that the story has not been extensively reviewed, and builds a credible original argument from that gap.
- The paper distinguishes clearly between what established reviewers say and what the student personally proposes, keeping the voice transparent and intellectually honest throughout.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of contextual literary analysis — reading a text through the lens of its author's biography and political commitments. By establishing Galeano's Marxist beliefs, his exile, and his advocacy for the poor before interpreting the story, the student builds a credible framework for the "rich against poor" reading that goes beyond what other reviewers have proposed. This shows how authorial context can generate new interpretive angles without distorting the text.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction that previews its major themes. It then moves through three analytical sections: an author biography section, a plot summary, and a review of existing critical commentary. The penultimate section advances the student's own interpretive claim — the "rich against poor" theme — before a conclusion that ties Galeano's biography back to the story's meanings. This classic five-part structure efficiently supports a biographical-contextual argument.
Introduction
"The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives" seems, at first, to be a short, simple, and strange story. However, when a reader looks into Eduardo Galeano's biography, the story makes much more sense and appears to say far more than just "lizard eats women / woman eats lizard." The story actually speaks to themes of "be careful what you wish for," "what goes around comes around," the relationships between men and women, and political symbolism about South America. Perhaps most important is the theme of "rich against poor," given Galeano's background and Marxist political beliefs.
Works Cited
ABC Radio National – Australia. "Sunday Story | The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives by Eduardo Galeano." 2 January 2011. ABC.net.au Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
Dagerman, Lo. "Annual Award." 2011. Dagerman.us Web site. Web. 22 March 2012.
Galeano, Eduardo. "The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives." The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. Ed. Daniel Halpern. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1999. 291–294. Print.
Global Exchange. "Three to Be Awarded for Extraordinary Contributions in Human Rights, Community Building and Economic Justice." 26 May 2006. Globalexchange.org Web site. Web. 22 March 2012.
Goodreads, Inc. "Constant Reader Discussion | Short Stories | The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives." 17 May 2009. Goodreads.com Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
Liukkonen, Petri and Ari Pesonen, Kuusankosken kaupunginkirjasto. "Eduardo Galeano." 2008. Kirjasto Web site. Web. 22 March 2012.
Malan, Michael. "Story Review: The Story of the Lizard Who Had the Habit of Dining on His Wives." 5 November 2010. Lewislitjournal.wordpress.com Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. "Allegory." 2012. Merriam-Webster.com Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. "Fable." 2012. Merriam-Webster.com Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
Raskin, Jonah. "Saying More with Less: Eduardo Galeano Interviewed by Jonah Raskin." October 2009. Monthly Review Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
Sherman, Scott. "Words that Must be Said." 30 November 2000. Atlantic Monthly Web site. Web. 21 March 2012.
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