The Boy, Aunt Mathilda, and The Dog: Love and Neglect in Donoso's "Paseo"

The Boy, Aunt Mathilda, and The Dog: Love and Neglect in Donoso's "Paseo" <Tab/>In Donoso's essay "Paseo," the nameless boy talks about his life of neglect and longing. The boy lives with his Aunt Mathilda and her brothers, but receives no love and almost no attention from them. He desires and hopes for the elders to show emotion of any kind for him, but to no avail. Aunt Mathilda lives …

…outside their little circle. He tells the story of this point in his life as though all that mattered was Aunt Mathilda and the men. However, throughout the essay, the boy drops hints of his loneliness. He tries not to talk about his feelings, but his sadness, or unhappiness, for the way that the adults treat him, is apparent. Works Cited Donoso, Jose. "Paseo." The Dolphin Reader. Ed. Douglas Hunt. Boston/ New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.