Just Lather, That's All

EQ: How does what I know about the world shape the way we view ourselves?

In the short story "Just Lather, That's All" by Hernando Tellez, the barber comes across a tough decision that he has to make. He has to choose whether or not to kill Captain Torres, the man that is leading the hunt for rebels. The barber was a rebel himself but his identity was kept secret so he could relay information about Torres' actions in the town that they were in. Based on what the way the barber knew about the world greatly influenced the encounter between the two in the barber shop.

During the encounter between the barber and Torres, the barber was under a lot of pressure because he didn't want to reveal his identity as a rebel. He tried to frantically control himself as he gave Torres a shave. The decision the barber had to make wasn't an easy one as one of the first thing Torres talks about is catching 14 rebels that the soldiers caught in the woods. The barber feels uneasy as he is letting down the people in his revolutionary cause if he doesn't kill Torres, but at the same time, the barber knows that murder is a crime and that he cannot simply just end one's life. He simply wants to just be an ordinary barber and work for a living, not to kill. How the barber viewed murder may have very well spared Torres' life as the barber finished his shave and let him walk out the door.