Omar Alomar’s “The Teeth and the Comb”
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Omar Alomar’s “The Teeth and the Comb” is an interlinked series of very brief, miniature stories about everyday objects. How does this author use these non-human, usually immobile things to make comments about human society? How can the teeth of a comb provide us with a parable about our own democracy? Why the choice of a comb as a symbol? What are some other objects that Alomar selects for this symbolic treatment and what “comments” do they make about us?
While Alomar is busy personifying objects (that is, giving them human attributes), Pascale Petit’s poem does the opposite, in a sense. Why might Petit pay tribute to her mother not only by comparing her to an Amazonian warrior, but also the Amazon rainforest and river? We generally believe that comparing a human being to a non-human thing is a downgrade, but can it be uplifting as well?
Sample Solution
Omar Alomar uses everyday objects to make insightful comments about society in his collection of short stories, “The Teeth and the Comb”. He does this by presenting these non-human, usually immobile things as if they were characters that are just as much a part of our lives as people. By personifying these objects, he is able to draw comparisons between their experiences and those experienced by humans.
For instance, one story follows a pair of scissors that works day and night cutting cloth at a tailor shop; while they don’t have any sense of being tired or bored, the scissors gradually starts to feel “heavy” due to the amount of work demanded by its master (Alomar). This highlights how even inanimate objects can become overburdened with tasks assigned by authority figures—much like how people can be subjected to oppressive labor demands under certain conditions.
In another story, a comb watches couples arguing on city streets from her spot on the dressing table: while she knows nothing but love between her teeth, she begins to learn about anger from observing them (Alomar). Through this vignette Alomar conveys how even something static like an object can be deeply affected by life around it—just like human beings who observe and sometimes absorb understanding anger through interactions with others.
Alomar is able to use common everyday items such as scissors and combs in order explore important themes related to humanity such as oppression and emotions. His cleverly crafted stories are meant to remind readers that all aspects of our lives — both living and nonliving — intersect in meaningful ways despite often seeming unrelated on the surface.
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