My Life With The Wave, by Octavio Paz, is a short story which leads us to the changing relationship between a man and a wave. The wave, which symbolizes a woman, is the central focus of the story.
             The author, Octavio Paz, was a Mexican-born, 1990 Nobel Prize recipient. He started writing at an early age and since 1933 he has published over 40 books. Pat's father and grandfather were also writers. Thanks to his grandfather's extensive library, he developed an early awareness of literature. Paz's literature pieces encompass a variety of themes and genres. Even though My Life With The Wave is a short story about a passionate human love affair that faces obstacles, Paz didn't completely focus on writing similar literature pieces. His main interest was poetry. The topics and themes he focused on were diverse but most concentrated on Mexican culture, politics, and the "exploration of the cultural and imaginative relationship between the Old and New World" (230).
             Paz had a busy lifestyle, but found time to develop a relationship with Elena Garro. They were both married in 1937. Their marriage lasted approximately 22 years. They were divorced in 1959. This relationship must of had its changing and challenging moments, which might be symbolic of the changes that occurred between the wave and the man in the story. Octavio Paz's "My Life With The Wave" is a story that represents a woman as a "wave" and all the obstacles a man needs to pass through for love. Sometimes these obstacles are so overwhelming that love can be overturned or altered. After reading biographies of Octavio Paz, one can assume that the author was actually writing about his personal relationship with his wife. Octavio Paz and his wife ended their relationship in divorce similarly to the man and the wave.
             The short story takes place in Mexico City, Paz's birthplace. Paz includes two main characters in his short story. They are the man, who is telling the story, ...