Paranoia And Fear In The Street By Octavio Paz

In “The Street” by Octavio Paz, we believe that the speaker is displaying signs of paranoia and fear. As the speaker walks down the street, he is in complete darkness, allowing for him to imagine presences that are not there or predators lurking in the shadows. He also continues to turn around and check his surroundings, which implies that he has a fear of being followed. In the 1st stanza, he steps on “stones and dry leaves” which could be adding to the fear of someone following him. Another factor that could add to this fear is if the person is going through a dangerous time in his life where his safety is at risk, he is more likely to be shifty and cautious. The person who he assumes is following him possesses qualities like a shadow. Figuratively,