"Three Hundred Pesos:" Story Analysis

Author: Manuela Williams Crosno (1905-1977) was inspired on her host location to  set her stories. Most of her life she lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She was interested on the Hispanic culture from her beginnings. This lady was an accomplished wrtitter, e.g. she won the First Prize in a statewide writing contest.

Three Hundred Pesos story relates about a miser man who wanted to earn 100 pesos to get his own store. This man called "Anastacio" possessed 200 hundred pesos, and he tried some different ways like planting corn and pinto beans to earn his necessary money that was 300 pesos to achieve buy his commerce. But unexpectedly, intermediately he owned the 300 pesos he died. 

Plot diagram:

• Conflict:

Anastacio wanted to earn 100 pesos to buy with 200 pesos more he had, to buy an own store.

• Rising actions:

1. Anastacio's brother, Emilio ask him for a peso to buy medicine for his son.2. Anastacio have planted corn, but it was destroyed by a hailstorm, and he though that it was happening because he did not lend Emilio some money.

3. He replanted again corn,but in this case Berta who is his sister lent him some money to repair her house's roof and asked him if she and her family could live with him , but he did not, and in this case a flock of wandering sheep crushed and ate it. And he thought the samething.

4. He sold some horses and earned 50 pesos.

5. At that time the pinto beans were in shortage, so he decided to plant, and then sell them in 50 pesos, and finally complete the 300 pesos he needed.

6.For one season he was totally dedicated to plant the beans, without see nobody.

7.He decided to visit his brother and sister, and load the beans on a wagon.

•  Climax:

On his journey Anastacio had an accident. His wagon was crushed by a horseless wagon, the beans were scattered, and the responsible person said I do not want further problems so take this 50 pesos cause the beans are valued in that and finally he had 300 hundred pesos he wished.

• Resolution: 

He died because of his wounds by an accident, and the three hundred pesos were used to his beautiful funeral.

Characters: 

• Anastacio: main character, Hard-working. but miser, and some unlucky.
• Emilio: Anastacio's brother.Poor men and very humble, worried about his son,  unlucky too.
• Berta: Anastacio's sister. She worries a lot about her relatives. Poor and humble too.

This story teaches that the dreams are very valuable, but if you are miser or stingy those are not so important, less if you completely forget your relatives. Also this story says implicitly money just works for this world and death it does not exist.

I liked this story cause the final is unexpected. This teaches about what is important in the life, besides it makes you think about what happen if you are miser. Also not only teaches what is important, but what is essential to appreciate if you borned on this planet.