The Vine Leaf Literary Elements

Short story, suspense

Dr. Malsufrido’s clinic and Marques’ house

An omniscient third person narrator presents the story’s events.

Serious, mystery and romantic

Dr. Malsufrido is the protagonist. The cold-blooded murderer Marquesa is the antagonist.

There is a conflict between Marquesa and the painter Andrade. Andrade painted the vine leaf which was found at the back of his model, in a hurry which is the birthmark of his model and also an unique evidence to identify the murderer. Marquesa murdered him and escaped. She also removed her birthmark and cleared the evidence which would land her up in jail.

The story reaches its climax when Dr. Malsufrido, became aware of the murderer Marquesa who had murdered the painter Andrade and why she removed her birthmark-the vine leaf and the reason behind her veil which she refused to remove when asked to do so.

It could be seen that the vine leaf on the back of the woman in the painting, foreshadows that Dr. Malsufrido has realized the fact that Marquesa is the murderer.

Dr. Malsufrido who was longing to see the face of Senora for whom he had fallen in love and done a surgery to remove her birthmark. When he saw her face, his love was gone and knowing that she is a murderer for whom he was longing to see, which is an understatement.

The narrator alludes to the story by referring to Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous story ''The Birthmark'' in which the wife wants to remove her birthmark like Senora.

Imagery is used in description of the beautiful birthmark - the vine leaf. It is a God's gift that is very unique.

The beautiful and seductive Marquesa was also depicted as a ''femme fatale'' - an evil woman, as she was a clever murderer.

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The birthmark or the blemish is personified as an identity of the killer and enemy of Marquesa, because it was the evidence.