Our Secret
Analysis of ?Our Secret? by Isabel Allende
In her short story ?Our Secret,? Allende writes about a man and a woman who meet one day and spend the entire day together. They go back to the woman?s house and they begin to make love. He is unable to go through with it because of nightmares and hallucinations. He tries to make love to her, but feels himself losing it. They stop for a moment and lay side by side. Even though they had spent their lives their country, it says they will forever be foreigners and it is not exactly known what that means. He wants to leave before his nightmares consume him, but he stays because of his desire for her friendship. He sees her as innocent and defenseless, and wants to help her keep fear away. Fear is something he is unable to keep away. He then talks about a ?warm, tender feeling, an enormous compassion for himself and for her, made his eyes sting? (pg 185). This feeling hurts or stings him because maybe it reminds him of a feeling he used to have for someone else.
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