Grief

Having recently lost his wife, Benito is consumed by grief and loneliness. In a very real way, he still feels his wife's presence as he hesitantly moves on with his life. When he retreats to the deck to be alone at the party, the narrator comments, "He is not at all graceful in the usual way of Latins; Elizabeth said that from time to time." Thoughts of Elizabeth are constantly with Benito, and he often brings memories of her into his present life. She has only been gone for five months, after all. He is having difficulty facing the reality that he must now do the work required to build a new life for himself. This is not easy, as revealed in the realization that "he has ended up alone. Childless and without Elizabeth."

Benito realizes that his memory is playing tricks on him. He recalls the good...