The deterioration of Romero in El Tonto Del BarrioAfter reading the story of José Armas, "El Tonto Del Barrio", I was very touched by this simple but effective on how the village idiot is used to teach the audience a lesson. However, after researching the subject, I discovered that there had been no literary discussions regarding Armas or "El Tonto del Barrio." I was shocked to discover this and think it's an interesting and important story worth investigating. "El Tonto del Barrio" is not only the story of a young man named Seferino who tries to help the "idiot" Romero community, but it is also the story of a man who slowly deteriorates when his pride is taken away and his dignity is not recognized. First, to understand how Romero deteriorates, we need to look at what Romero's life was like before Seferino tried to pay him a salary for sweeping. Romero seemed happy and he was still whistling and singing. In the first line of the story, Armas even states: “Romero Estrado was called El Cotoro (The Parrot) because he always whistled and sang” (1137). Armas at first makes no obvious point that Romero was a fool who should be avoided; in fact, the story is only about the respect the townspeople had for Romero. Romero is even described as a “respected citizen” (1138). Interestingly, Armas mentions that “even the children didn't make fun of him. It was simply not allowed” (1138). This point lets the audience know that Romero was respected enough that even parents would teach their children to respect him despite his flaws. It is evident that the city knew that Romero was a little "touchy" (1138), but the citizens chose to overlook his faults. Town citizens and Romero...... middle of paper ...... and Kathleen Wilson. Cumulative index. Michigan: Gale Research, Inc., 1998. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Hint. Michigan: Gale Research, Inc., 1991. A critical investigation of short fiction. Ed. Frank N. Magil. Cumulative index. California: Salem Press, 1993. Frenandez, Roberto G. Bibliographic Index of Cuban Authors. Miami: Edidones Universal, 1983. Hispanic Writers. Bryan Ryan. Flight. 1. New York: Gale Research, Inc., 1991. Modern Latin American Literature. Ed. David William Foster. Flight. 2. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1975. Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. Flight. 2. New York: St. James Press, 1991. Short Story Review. Ed. Shelia Fitzgerald. Cumulative index. Michigan: Gale Research, Inc., 1989., Review of World Literature. Ed. James P. Draper. Flight. 6. Michigan: Gale Research Inc..., 1992.