Fernando Sorrentino S The Lifestyle

Fernando Sorrentino’s “A Lifestyle,” tells the humorous story of a man who accidentally locks himself inside of his apartment. As he calls locksmiths, the janitor of the building, a woman, and co-workers, he simply cannot find someone willing to help him escape his apartment. After trying everything he can to escape, the man’s telephone, gas, electricity, and water are cut off. Upon realizing he would be stuck there, the man, changes his attitude and makes the best out of his unfortunate situation.

Society has thrown all it can at this unfortunate man. Although he struggles in the beginning, the man eventually and slowly finds his own inner peace. Rather than giving up on life and doing something drastic, this man tries to adapt to his circumstances. He is a dynamic character, because he chooses to accept his detachment from the harsh realities and regulations of his society. By the time he is old he realizes that he is “relatively happy” living the life he has been dealt, and thus, gains personal insight.

There is both internal and external conflict in this witty story. Rather than becoming depressed and horribly upset, the man takes his horrid situation into his own hands and makes the best of it. He becomes a “cattleman and a farmer” by planting his own fruits and vegetables and catching his own protein. He manages to make his own fires and realizes that he really only needs to live a simple life with few things. In this way there is an internal conflict of man versus himself. There is also, however an external conflict of man versus society. The man realizes that he does not need to conform to how society tells him to live his life; nor does he need to live it by the rules that society has made. He chooses to be different rather than conform to societal norms.

The theme of the story is individuality, or rather independence. As the man realizes that he can live comfortably by himself and he doesn’t need society and its benefits to make him happy, he