A Distant Episode, "The Other"

Bowell imagery is extremely vivid as the story rolls in with red September sunsets, “flaming in the west” and the daunting “sharp mountains” looming in the forefront. Bowles artfully utilizes his imagery to set the mood and foreshadow the transformation of the arrogant professor to something almost less than a man through his experiences with the “other.” By looking at specific examples we see how Bowles develops the character of the professor more through his actions, and the atmosphere, than direct description.

The story is set in September, the cold season right before a harsh winter. The Professor travels south, but not just in physical location, but within his mind from a higher state of being to a lower one. This idea reflects deeply with how the professor views himself above the “other.”  Bowles describes the smells most potently as “sun-baked excrement” and “rotten fruit” fill the air showing us the shoddy and filthy conditions.

In the story the aquiji is referred to as the “other,” but when we really think about this, it is the professor whom is set apart from those that surround him. It is only in his mind that the people of the area are “the other.” He childishly is disappointed when more people know the aquiji than him. His arrogance is apparent.

            Looking at specific actions within the story, we see that when the professor originally enters Ramani’s café, the qauaji attempts to have the professor sit in the front, but the arrogant professor decides to sit where he pleases. After placing himself in the room “hazardously out above the river,” we can deduce the purposeful foreshadowing that the professor’s actions are placing him in a position of danger because he does not respect qauaji. 

            I sadly admit that I can relate to the professor at the beginning of the story. In my childish ignorance, I remember traveling to my first large basketball camp at the University of Arkansas. I remember my excitement vividly, as I arrived hardly able to hold back my enthusiasm. In my hometown I was great and I couldn’t wait to show off my skills at a university. My hope were soon not let down, but destroyed, as I swallowed my piece of humble pie and realized that I was not in my small town anymore, but a place where my talents were mediocre compared to all the girls from the big cities. I was the “other” and more so, I was the lesser.