Short Story Love In L. A. By Dagoberto Gilb

Dagoberto Gilb’s short story Love in L.A. is not typically love story about two strangers meeting each other during a car accident, falling in love and living happily ever after. This story takes place on the Alvarado freeway in Hollywood. The voice the readers hear is that of the narrator telling us only the thoughts, actions, and emotions of the main character Jake. Jake is currently stuck in a “motionless traffic” daydreaming about sultry girls, money, and a new luxury car. While in his thoughts, we are given a glimpse of what the young man hold dear to him. “A steady occupation had its advantages and he couldn’t deny thinking about that too.” From this line, reader can insinuate that Jake is unemployed and unambitious.

In the meantime, Jake gets

was written in the limited omniscient point of view. The narrator was telling the story from Jake’s point of view and the audience were following Jake’s thought, action, and emotion all throughout this short story. Now, the narrator is telling the story from Mariana point of view. Mariana is not too fond of Jake and his corny pick-up lines nor is she flattered. As a matter of fact, she is highly disgusted with Jake’s behavior and lack of seriousness throughout this ordeal. Moreover, the audience have a slight feel on her personality. She is outspoken, confident, and assertive. On the contrary, Mariana is portrayed as a naïve damsel in distress in the original story. She has a limited knowledge of how to proceed when her vehicle is rear-ended by another car. We can conclude that the writer of this paragraph is impressing their personality and dislike for Jake on to the reader.

Love in L.A. is an example of situational irony because the storyline is taken place on a fast-paced freeway. The wrong-doer “Jake”, came out of this incident victorious and the law-abiding citizen “Mariana”, did not come of this incident as victorious. The tone is manipulative and