Epiphany

Like many of the stories in The Stories of Eva Luna, "The Gold of Tomás Vargas" ends on an epiphany, or a sudden revelation. When the story begins, the reader is introduced to "Vargas's gold nuggets," which he refuses to dig up, even when he should to pay for family expenses. Throughout the story, many references to the gold illustrate that Vargas is deathly afraid of having to give it up, to the point where, even though he loves the idea of gambling, "the magnitude of his greed had protected him from temptation." The narrative tension in the story starts to build to its climax after Vargas, in an attempt to prove himself after being threatened by Antonia and Concha, begins gambling. When he loses the largest bet ever in Agua Santa, "a thousand pesos," Vargas, feeling very beaten and almost sick over the thought of...