The Man With His Back Turned: by Agustín Cadena

Manaois, Andrea Venus V.
12- STEM B
ACTIVITY: Understanding a story
DIRECTION: Read and analyze the story and answer the following question
below.
The Man with His Back Turned

by Agustín Cadena
Daniela bought the mirror at the flea market one Saturday when she was passing
by in her older brother's car, and for no other reason but to make him mad, insisted
on stopping. The mirror was 12 inches long by 8 inches wide at its base, and the
upper part was finished with a Gothic arch. The brass frame was scratched and
dented in places, but in general still pretty, with vine reliefs and floral motifs. The
mirror itself was rose-tinted, an antique glass in which things were reflected as if
blurred by the mist of the years, as if they were reflections from the past, from long
ago, not from today. Dani loved it. She didn't have enough money to buy the
mirror, but what she had was enough so that the vender agreed to hold it for her.
When she got home, she begged her father for a little, asked her grandmother for a
loan and then at school sold some CDs to a few of her classmates. The next
Saturday she went to get the mirror. She didn't find the vender, just his wife, an
autumnal blond with a witchy look. When Dani told her why she was there, the
woman took the mirror out of a cardboard box where they'd hidden it. Excited, Dani
paid the balance due and ran home with her treasure. She already had a place
picked out for it in her bedroom.
The trouble started that same afternoon. Not every time someone looked in the
mirror, but often, they saw in the background, behind the normal reflections, a man
with his back to the mirror. It was fearsome, strange. Because no one was standing
there, and nothing else in the room could reflect such an image. The worst was that
sometimes it was there, sometimes not. And it always happened that only one
person at a time could see him. How then could they be sure of anything?
The first hypothesis was that there was a ghost in the house and it could only
become visible through the rose mirror. But when they took the mirror to other
locations, the figure facing away remained the same.
The family was mystified. They wanted to find an explanation for this thing. Finally
they arrived at a conclusion: the man with his back turned lived in the mirror.
They didn't want to know more. All they wanted was to get rid of him. Dani went to
sell the mirror back to the vender from whom she'd bought it. He looked at her
steadily with an enigmatic smile and offered her less than half what she'd paid for
it. But Daniela wasn't inclined to bargain. She was already walking away from the
booth when she chanced to hear the man murmuring, as if talking to the mirror:
"Back again."
(Translated by Patricia Dubrava)
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS:
1. Did the story affect you?
 Yes, because Daniela did everything just to buy the mirror
but because of the creater inside of it, she didn’t enjoy what
she brought.
2. What feeling did you get from the story?

 If I were the girl, I would feel betrayed. The seller must
have informed the family about the man with his back first
so they wouldn’t have to loan.
3. Go back to the first paragraph. What was being described? What do

you think does it symbolize?
 The mirror was being described at the first paragraph. It
symbolizes the reflection of the past.
4. Who do you think the man in the mirror is? What does he symbolize?
 The man is a mystery person. He maybe from the past or a
spirit. He symbolizes regret because we, humans are making
choices impulsively without thinking of the possible
consequences of our choices.
5. If you were the main character, would you also do the same to the
mirror? Why or why not?
 No. If I were the main character, I would be very suspicious
because who would sell an old mirror and also we have a lot
of mirrors in the house so I’ll probably wouldn’t buy it.
6. Why do you thing the story was entitled “The Man with His Back
Turned”?
 Because the guy never faced the mirror and always shows
up with only his back.

The Man With His Back Turned: by Agustín Cadena

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Man With His Back Turned: by Agustín Cadena

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Man With His Back Turned: by Agustín Cadena

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Manaois, Andrea Venus V.

ACTIVITY: Understanding a story

The Man with His Back Turned

(Translated by Patricia Dubrava)

2. What feeling did you get from the story?

3. Go back to the first paragraph. What was being described? What do

You might also like