Axolotl Short Story Analysis

In the short story “Axolotl” by Julio Cortazar, an axolotl is reflecting upon the past and the metamorphosis it underwent to become the creature it is now. The story begins with a young boy visiting the zoo in his town and spotting the axolotls in the aquarium. He goes,“every morning, morning and afternoon some days” as these creatures begin to take hold of him. He begins to search for information about them and when he visits them he starts to perceive a connection as he finds more and more similarities. Their captivating gold eyes are of particular interest to him as he stares through the glass. He develops an emotional connection with one of the axolotls in particular and begins to question his own identity. The more he goes to the aquarium the more he feels like he does not belong in his own body. Eventually, the boy gets what he wants most and becomes an axolotl. However, he learns this change is not without consequences. The story comes full circle and ends with the idea of complete metamorphosis and separation from his human body. This short story focuses

“Hopelessly, I wanted to prove to myself that my own sensibility was projecting a nonexistent consciousness upon the axolotls.” The young boy feels confined and stuck in his own mind. He wants to feel like his thoughts have an effect on the creatures that have such a hold on him. But as mentally trapped at the boy feels, he is free physically. “It 's that we don 't enjoy moving a lot, and the tank is so cramped—we barely move in any direction and we 're hitting one of the others with our tail or our head—difficulties arise, fights, tiredness.” This quote highlights a major difference between the axolotls and the boy in that they are free mentally but still imprisoned physically. The idea of mental freedom captivates the boy and for a time makes him forget about the physical world in an attempt to understand and become an