An analysis of the short story "Dead Stars," a story of "what if" as a married managain meets the woman he fell in love with many years earlier while engaged to his wife.The story is basically a compilation of the complicated circumstances that every man has togo through in life.
Alfredo was once in love with Esperanza, no doubt, but there comes a time whenlove fades, and the only thing holding you together is the vow you gave your fiancée, thatwhich you cannot take back. Why can't you take it back? Its because you are afraid of whatwill be the reaction of the people around you, specially during the time of the story. What'svisibly wrong about this is that most often than not, men refuse to listen to their ownyearnings and simply submit to further dehumanization.
Love here, though perhaps genuine to a point, for Alfredo, is seemingly weak andpurposive. Weak, because it is eventually overcome by propriety, and purposive because itwas merely a tool to justify his desire to go against society; that for once he will not be apuppet, but the master of his own fate. In the story, Alfredo falls drastically in love withJulia even as he is engaged to Esperanza, but in the end forgoes the idea. He kept onholding on to that glimmer of "what could have been" through out the years of his marriageto Esperanza, but upon meeting Julia again, he realizes that what he thought was there,had now gone for more than one reason.
First, it is possible to say that after what society has done to him (dehumanizedhim), he found at peace in his place, and sought no more that illusive dream of yesterday.He understood, after meeting her again, that it was nostalgia that was taking hold of hisheart, and not the "love" that he once felt for her. It is said in the story that he is notunhappy with his marriage, but a part of him always slips away from the world in order todream of another life that could have blossomed, had he chose Julia over Esperanza. On theother hand, it is possible that there was no real love to speak of, but a desire for somethingelse. He desired youth. Although relatively young, he desired the qualities that the youthfulpossessed: vigor, passion, vitality. These are a few things that he lacked as a person and tofind these in Julia gave him a sense of completeness. It was a welcomed changed in his life,and he wanted to hold on to it for as long as he could, since even if he couldn't be like Julia,he is comforted by the thought that he was able to meet someone who is different fromeverybody else, and that she could have been his wife. He is noted to be of a cool and calmdemeanor, which is why it seems out of character if he suddenly bursts with energy.
Dead stars symbolize things that are present but are left unspoken of. The lovebetween Alfredo and Julia seemed real, but look closer and one can state that it was hardlymutual, and that it was impossible to last. Esperanza's devotion to Alfredo also resembleslove, but since she believes in the "regenerative virtue of institution" more than true love, itis safe to say that she is in the relationship, because of moral obligation. So what onethought as real (or present) is now nothing but an illusion.