Breathe, the very force which keeps humans alive. From the first breath which signifies the life of human beings to the final which means their end. In Jonathan Flores’ short story, Breathless, the reader observes the peculiar life of Adeline. Adeline is a woman who among various tragic events taking place in her life, experiences one of the greatest miracles of her life. Jonathan Flores uses time and breath to create sharp, distinct moods for every one of his scenes. Flores’ goes out of his way to describe the time of day and weather within his scenes which thoroughly sets the mood for each chapter. In the first chapter of Breathless, Adeline wakes up to “a bright and beautiful, Sunday morning” which brings the reader into an optimistic and…show more content… From the very beginning of the story, the reader learns of Adeline's severe asthma “, she’s always within arm’s reach of her inhaler" (Flores 2). This breath taking condition is a symbol of how at any moment Adeline's life could turn upside down, but just how asthma can be taken care of, so can life's problems. Correspondingly, her life takes a sudden turn from a light hearted tone to a chaotic fritz once she finds out her husband, Arthur, is cheating on her. The anger which this event instills in her leads her to drive off from her house where she is hit by a truck and left breathless. At this moment, Adeline is at her lowest point in the entire story and this grim setting coincides the state of her breath at the moment as well. This all changes when after recurring visits to the doctor her life is turned upside down once again and she is told she will have a child despite all the doctors before who told her that was impossible. On the day she gives birth to the child she is told to breathe, noting the significant role it plays in this short story. One of the greatest shocks comes when the child is born, it is born breathless, lifeless. For the few moments which the child is breathless, so is Adeline; time is at a standstill, the shock and terror of this event completely take over Adeline. Once the doctors resuscitate the child and put them back into Adeline’s arms, they both regain
