AIDS Messages in Mario Bellatin's Beauty Salon Although the short story of Mario Bellatin's Beauty Salon is Set in an unnamed town where the inhabitants suffer from an unnamed illness, it is commonly interpreted as an allegory for AIDS. The story was originally published in 1999. At that time, Mexico was experiencing the full brunt of the AIDS pandemic. According to Castro and Leyvas' essay, at that time there were between 116,000 and 174,000 reported cases of AIDS in Mexico. (138) The disease, and the social stigma it engendered, constituted a major social problem. Bellatin's short story addresses this social issue by providing an allegory that helps readers understand the state of mind of those suffering from the illness. The short story addresses the social stigma associated with the disease, which correlates with the social stigma faced by people suffering from AIDS. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay In Bellatin's short story, the narrator is a cross-dressing gay man who turns his beauty salon into the Terminal, a place for those who die. leave, at the height of a terrible disease epidemic. “In the terminal, they were guaranteed a bed, a bowl of soup and the company of other dying people.” (Bellatin 38) The narrator is listless throughout the short story, often discussing his hobby of caring for fish rather than the suffering people around him. The fish provide an additional allegory for those facing illness. When beauty salons flourished, fish paralleled the beauty of the salon. However, when the lounge is transformed into Terminal, the narrator often neglects the fish. The narrator struggles with his own feelings about death in conjunction with the fish. Sometimes the narrator neglects the fish and lets them die. This can be interpreted as a kind of power that the narrator possesses. By controlling the lives of the fish, the narrator is able to exert a kind of control over death. This is important because he has no control over those who die from the disease and his own impending death. The narrator considers the dying to be his “guests” and does not grant them much comfort or the opportunity to interact with the outside world. It also does not authorize the use of medication or other attempts at healing. The people he welcomes go to the Terminal only to die. There is no cure for the disease, just as there is no cure for AIDS. Readers learn that at one point the narrator tried to help his first patient with medical treatment. However, it was a wasted trip. “After subjecting the first “guest” to the agony of useless palliatives, he decides to prohibit access to the medication.” (Hollander) This is consistent with the thinking many have expressed because of the AIDS crisis. In the documentary "How To Survive A Plague", the group Act Up fights to obtain the legalization of drugs linked to the treatment of AIDS in the United States. However, several times during the documentary, the despair linked to the cause is expressed. No matter how many drugs were tested, it seemed, especially at that time, that AIDS was simply a death sentence. There are also many stigmas associated with people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, making the struggle to access medication even more difficult. (France)In the novel, as in real life, there was significant stigma around the disease. The narrator and the guests of the story die fromthis disease and face a society already against them. Sometimes the physical suffering caused by illness seems even exceeded by the mental suffering imposed by a heartless society. As the disease primarily affected homosexual men, it became associated with an immoral lifestyle. Although this is not the cause of the disease, it has led to unfair treatment of an already marginalized group. In the short story, this can be seen as the terminal becoming a resource for those who would otherwise be left to die on the streets. The narrator even mentions attempts to destroy the Terminal. “Neighbors tried to burn down the beauty salon, claiming that the place was a breeding ground for infections and that the plague had spread to their homes.” (Bellatin 24) This is very reminiscent of how the United States government responded to the AIDS crisis. Since in real life and in the novel, the disease affected a group of people initially considered immoral, their lives therefore had no value. Even though stigma has led to a rapprochement of gay communities similar to that of Terminal, the majority of the public has failed to treat those suffering with basic human respect, much less attempt to help them. Many also did not realize that the disease could affect anyone. In the news, women and children are turned away from the terminal. Even though they also suffer from the disease, the narrator does not want them to be there. The narrator explains his reasoning by stating: “The beauty salon used to be dedicated to the beautification of women and I was not prepared to sacrifice so many years of work. That's why I never accepted anyone who wasn't a man, no matter how hard he pleaded. (Bellatin, 24 years old) But we can also deduce that women who were not part of the gay community, even if they shared a common suffering, they could not be welcomed in the same way as gay men. This exclusion, while perhaps justifiable, has led to a feeling of even greater marginalization for women suffering from the condition. Similar marginalization for women existed in real life, as Castro and Leyva's essay explain: "there are a multitude of gender-based expectations and conditioning that influence this group's vulnerability to disease." (145) Particularly in Mexican culture, women are expected to remain virgins until marriage while it is “approved” for men to have sex with multiple partners. (Castro 146) This led to a strong stigma around women suffering from AIDS, as the mere fact that they suffered from the disease led to the perception of their promiscuity. Women like those in the novel were also excluded from many AIDS-related communities, as these communities were typically tied to gay identity. patients who cannot overcome social stigma, even in their own minds. (Hollander) The short story even references several effects of the unnamed disease similar to the effects of AIDS. One of the effects of the disease is the formation of marks on the face similar to the lesions associated with AIDS. The narrator describes these marks as one of the first symptoms of the disease: “There were a few pustules on my right cheek. I didn't need to check my glands to see if they were swollen. I had enough experience to immediately recognize the slightest symptoms. (Bellatin 41-42) The reference to the side effects of the disease reinforces the connection with AIDS in the readers' minds. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get..