Short Stories: A Country Doctor

I had to catch up with the class, but…

I don't know what to say except - WHAT!

This story starts off kinda normal: A country doctor (Hence the title) trying to find a way to travel to a patient that needs help. It reminds me of a show I used to watch, but at least the show was balanced.

We take a weird spin from not having any horses to magically having 2 beautiful, gleaming horses that a creepy old groom produces out of thin air. HOW? I don't know. I decided not to question it, but then the groom gets even weirder by biting the doctor's servant. (I don't know if it was supposed to be foreplay 😉, because the groom goes after her anyway). Back on track now, um, so now these magical horses teleport the doctor to the house of the patient where he is greeted by parents and a sister. In the patient's room it is stuffy, because a stove is burning unattended (symbolism!!!!), but he decides to check the patient first. If it was me, I'd like to think clearly before I have someone's life in my hands. The doctor checks the patient once. Nothing. But the patient tells him to let him die. Healthy as a horse??? Then he gets offered a drink, and decides to check the patient again. Good Idea 👍. Turns out the patient took a turn for the worse, and has this gaping wound on his hip, filled with maggots that are still alive!! What is even worse, he gets high it seems, and then the family strips him and lays him in bed with the patient who tells him how much he isn't helping him. I am so legitimately creeped out by now that I don't know how to react. And then he sneaks out the window and never gets home.

I believe that the author's purpose is undefined, (of course I am WRONG), but there are quite a few literary elements in the story:

• Foreshadow - The groom going after Rosa
• Symbolism - The stuffy room with the stove burning unattended - Not seeing things clearly
• Allusion(???) - to a cult - the family stripping him down and using him to "heal" the patient; they put him in bed with the patient and chant about him saving their son/brother
• Symbolism - intoxication clouds ones mind - yet the doctor doesn't even drink the offered drink, so maybe the stuffy stove(???)