The long title of this story by Fernando Sorrentino neatly summarizes the plot. The only other thing readers need to know is that the protagonist reaches the point where he does not think he can live without the torment of the “umbrella man”. Themes of tolerance and conditioning lead to two metaphoric interpretations of the story. The first involves leaning to deal with the constant pressures and occasional absurdities of modern life. A more concerning interpretation is our growing indifference towards community and world problems as a result of being reminded about them so often.
There’s a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella Text / PDF (1,100 words)