Singing Silence

Sacrificing conventional lives is one of the ways for people to obtain a more fulfilled life. In the short story “ The Singing Silence”, the author Eva-Lis Wuorio tells us a life story of the main character Vicente. Vicente is a person that doesn’t have life stability but has achieved a fulfilled life. First, he worked as a porter on a quay, at which he set himself a goal: to be a successful porter. Secondly, he accidentally made a serious mistake, for which he determined to make up for the loss. Thirdly, Vicente tried to learn a completely new activity in his 60s, which turned out to be another goal to attain. Finally, he realized his dreams dramatically. Through this story, Eva-Lis Wuorio intends for the reader to appreciate that individuals may become more fulfilled if we sacrifice conventional lives because we will always have a new struggling aim resulting in our active participation in our jobs, confidence about the amending for our mistakes, courage to face challenges and the understanding of real life meaning. .
Vicente is the main character of the story, who doesn’t have any stability in his life. “He had been an ambitious boy. ” (Wuorio P431) He left his hometown and ended up a porter on a quay. An unstable life gives Vicente a reason to look forward to a more comfortable life, which becomes an impetus for him to participate in his new job. Thereby he always “waves his hand, points to himself and shouts” (Wuorio P431) to attract more passengers. To be a porter is a milestone in Vicente’s life, not only because it gave Vicente a dream, but also because it led Vicente into another life style. While he was helping an American to carry luggage, Vicente broke the American’s amphora, one of the most expensive properties. He “followed the American to his hotel, pleaded for his name and address” so that he could compensate the American for the loss. The amphora was so valuable that Vicente would have to work hard for his whole life to pay for the damage.