Read the following excerpt from the English translation of the short story 'The Son' ('El hijo'), written in 1935 by the Uruguayan author Horacio Quiroga:
'The sun is already very high; the heat is intense. A father works in his shop, but his thoughts are with his thirteen-year-old son, who went into the forest to hunt. The father suffers from hallucinations of his son dying in terrible accidents, but he has tried to raise him to be independent and strong. Suddenly, a shot rings out. The father glances at his watch: it is ten o'clock. The son promised to return by noon.
By half past twelve, the boy has not returned. The father, trying to stay calm, steps out of the house. The forest is vast, hot, and completely silent. He walks down the red dirt path, his heart pounding in his chest. In his mind, he sees his son lie bleeding, having tripped over a branch and discharged his gun. With every step he takes, the father’s desperation increases, yet when he looks around, the surrounding jungle appears calm, golden, and indifferent to his suffering. He calls his son’s name into the empty air, feeling the crushing weight of the silence that surrounds him.'
Based on this excerpt, what is the author’s primary purpose in contrasting the father’s mounting dread with the serene description of the natural landscape?
- ATo depict the forest as an active, malevolent antagonist that is intentionally trapping the son.
- To highlight the stark contrast between the father's psychological anguish and the indifferent serenity of the natural world.Cevap
- CTo suggest that the father’s fears are entirely unfounded and that his son is safe in the quiet forest.
- DTo show how the physical exhaustion caused by the midday heat is the primary source of the father's panic.