Fiction and the Business Lesson

Fiction and the Business Lesson Paper

Michelle Ballard

University of Phoenix

ENG/120 Business Literature

Karen Lindsey

March 10, 2009

Just Lather, That’s All

Many goals of fiction writers are to entertain or teach a lesson. In this paper, Just Lather, That’s All has a story to tell about a lesson to be learned. The paper will describe how the entertaining element of the story relates to the lesson being taught to the reader. Analyzing how the plot and characters in the story teaches the reader to listen and how the story is structured to teach.

After reviewing the story Just Lather, That’s All, the reader can conclude that the two main characters are enemies. The story begins with a barber sharpening his blades on a strop when a gentleman walks in saying nothing (Tellez). The barber recognizes him as Captain Torres and begins to tremble with fear. The barber is now facing his conscience of what is good or bad when he discusses quietly in his head that Captain Torres is his enemy. The barber believes that what Captain Torres is doing is morally wrong and he should be executed for his actions. The barber contemplates how he can take matters in to his own hands, but realizes that he is a professional and he could lose everything he has worked hard for. The barber was a rebel, and he has watched what Captain Torres does to rebels when he called the town’s people into the patio area of the school where naked bodies of rebels were hanging (Tellez). Captain Torres ordered the soldiers to perform target practice on the rebels’ body parts mutilating the bodies in front of the crowd to teach a lesson of obedience and consequence. He speaks to Captain Torres about his four day beard and questions what his intentions are for the rebels found. Once the barber realizes that his thoughts were ridiculous and finishes the shave, Captain Torres pays the barber for his services and explains as he is about to leave that they, being the town’s people, told him...