The “House of Asterion” was kind of difficult to understand but there are gothic elements to the story. The main character, which seems to be the narrator, the Minotaur is a half human half bull creature. He seems to be in a state of depression. The Minotaur speaks of another minotaur but this seems to be a figment of his imagination. There are trails of people going into his castle, but we know it’s a labyrinth. At the end of the story there is mention of Theseus and Ariadne. I do not know Greek mythology so I had to look them up but they are the ones who defeated the Minotaur. This story takes place in a labyrinth, which is an endless maze. This is true because the Minotaur says that there an infinite number of rooms and that these infinite number of rooms look the same. The Minotaur doesn’t seem to notice that he is trapped in this labyrinth. Now the story starts off with the Minotaur talking about himself and his “home”. He seems to be unbothered by the entering of animals and men into his home. The Minotaur likes to daydream and play games with himself because he is alone. He likes to imagine he’s with another minotaur and that he is showing him around his “home”. The story then wraps up with the Minotaur being slayed by Theseus, little did Theseus know that the Minotaur knew he would did which is why he “scarcely defended” himself.

The story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” was confusing for me. I didn’t really get the message of the story or what it was trying ton convey. The character of this story are the couple Pelayo, his wife Elisenda, their son, the wise old woman, Father Gonzaga, the townspeople, and most importantly the old man with wings. The couple Pelayo and Elisenda have a sick child who they want to cure very badly. The old man with wings was believed to be an angel who fell from the sky, according to the old wise woman. Father Gonzaga is the local priest who is trying to see if the angel is real. The setting of the story is on beachfront, because of all the crabs. It also is a place where Catholicism or Christianity is a big influence, which can be around medieval times. The story starts off with the Pelayo spotting the old man on the beach. This then moves on to Pelayo imprisoning the old man in a chicken coup. This attracts a crowd and Elisenda takes advantage and starts charging a viewing fee to the people. It ends with Elisenda watching the old man spread his wings and flying away, far far away.