Comments on the short story “Strawberry Cornstarch” by Guillermo Fadanelli

Abstract

This article offers a critical analysis of Guillermo Fadanelli’s short story “Maizena de fresa,” focusing on the relationship between form, content, and narrative style. The author examines how colloquial, direct, and at times obscene language constructs a provocative aesthetic that reflects a marginal social reality shaped by economic precariousness, dehumanization, and the banalization of everyday violence. Through the study of rhetorical devices such as simile, oxymoron, and lexical repetition, the article shows how the homodiegetic narrator—an urban antihero—articulates a cynical and disenchanted view of life, desire, and human relationships. Special attention is given to paratextual elements, including illustrations and slogans within the story, which are interpreted as symbolic devices that anticipate and reinforce the narrative’s meaning. The analysis also addresses the use of symbolism—particularly water symbolism—as a structural axis that provides unity and circularity to the story. The article concludes that “Maizena de fresa” is a formally cohesive and effective short story in which Fadanelli consolidates a distinctive style that combines expressive harshness with narrative coherence to portray an experience marked by marginality and irony.