My favorite line in Hour of the Star is, without a doubt, the line in the introduction where Rodrigo asks the reader: "Who has not asked himself at some time or other: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?" The first time I read this line, I stopped and got a little shiver and I asked myself the same question. This line occurs during Rodrigo's very convoluted opening section. We have finally gotten to the point where Rodrigo actually seems to be starting the story (ie, telling us a bit about Macabea), but then he pauses again to talk about himself. And yet, while the whole of his introduction is dripping with irony and the reader often finds herself loathing him, one cannot deny that he is good at probing into the depths of human nature--just as he purports himself to be. Not only does he break the fourth wall (again), but he sets this paragraph aside and alone in the longer surrounding narration about Macabea herself. Clearly, the question is meant to stand alone, to give us pause, and to offer commentary on the nature of people who have in the midst of those who have not. The tone is chilling and the reader is forced to confront some ugly truths about him/herself. Rodrigo says "this book is a silence; an interrogation." The "am a I monster?" question is one of the first thing that we must be interrogated about.
I love that quote as well, I was going to blog about the same one! It is a really powerful quote in the beginning of the book, it really makes the reader think since Rodrigo is in fact directly asking the reader a question. I also agree with you that the quote has a very chilling and intense tone that forces the reader to really dig deep within themselves.
It was hard for me to pick my absolute favorite quotes but there were a few quotes that I found rather interesting and liked. The first quote, “Things were somehow so good that they were in danger of becoming very bad because what is fully mature is very close to rotting”. I like this quote because I feel like it is really relatable and applicable to so many people’s lives where things can only be so good for a certain amount of time until they go bad again. When people go through things they feel like they can never catch a break and that whenever it is good they know it is about to go bad again. Also, I really like how Lispector further explained it as “what is fully mature is very close to rotting”. This part immediately caught my attention and I thought this was interesting but also a perfect way to describe what she is trying to explain while throwing in a bit of imagery to help. Another quote that I liked, “She believed in angels, and, because she believed, they existed”. Yet again, I think this is very applicable to many peoples lives where if you believe it, it can happen. It fits with the whole message and idea of believing you can and believing something can happen. This also shows she was able to have such strong beliefs, that to her, the angels existed, all because she believed, which is really important. This quote is beautifully written and simple but it says a lot.
My favorite line was at the end of the book “I’m going to do everything I can to keep her from dying. But what an urge to put her to sleep and to go off to bed myself” (71). This line stood out to me because it pops up right after Macabea gets hit by the Mercedes and is in the street, and is pretty ironic considering the narrator has set up this saddening scene and interrupts it with a humorous comment. Additionally, this line can be kind of confusing, because though the narrator wants to keep Macabea from dying, he’s the one writing the story so does in fact have control. He acknowledges this when he writes “But what an urge to put her to sleep.” This line also suggests that the author is tired of writing about Macabea since her life was really sad and most likely was taxing on him to write about. This quote also adds to the self-absorbed image of the narrator because he wants to wrap the story up and move on.
The section of the introduction that I was assigned to was the first section, the Author's Dedication. My group and I quickly noticed all of the mentions of composers. Also, in the first part, there is a lot of repetition of “I dedicate”. Lispector also mentions her past and childhood, “to the memory of my years of hardship when everything was more austere and honourable, and i had never eaten lobster”. Lobster is more of a luxury food item and not very common, this mention of never eating it helps explain her childhood and how her life has changed. Lispector also mentions the “Death and Transfiguration” which was a tone poem and music of the death in 1889. She further goes on the say “in which Richard Strauss predicts my fate”, referring to the tone poem. This suggests that Lispector would have had to known that she was sick and going to die if she is saying that she knows that her fate is death. Towards the end of the first paragraph the author starts talking about meditation which connects to how Lispector was really into meditating and witchcraft. My group also noticed a really abrupt shift in the second paragraph to talking about existence and the meaning of life. This was interesting since it was a complete switch from what the rest of the dedication was about. When looking at the titles, we concluded that there were so many titles since not one title could answer everything. Originally, I thought that there are 12 additional titles on top of The Hour of the Star is referring to all of the composers she mentions since Lispector mentions “to all those musicians who have touched within me” and “to the twelve-tone composers”. But after doing more research we found that each titles relates to something different within the book or the culture. The Blame is Mine related to how it is the narrator's fault that Macabea life is so terrible, and Let Her Fend for Herself and The Right to Protest involved society and the poorer classes and how Lispector was a voice for them. The quote, “It is a story in technicolour” explains how the story and titles are like a piece of art more than anything and each explain something important since not one title can answer everything.
I like how you explained the different titles and gave more insight to them! At first glance, the Author's Dedication is kind of all over the place but Lispector definitely did that to possibly throw off readers, but maybe just to have a little fun? Readers do get a sense of her personality and I think the dedication is really interesting to read, along with the little pieces of information we get about her life (like the lobster and her beliefs in gnomes and dwarfs!)
For my passage analysis I was assigned to read section 7, which begins at “See how apprehensive I have become…” (p 18) to “This will be my courage: to abandon comforting sentiments from the past” (p 19). I was able to have a really interesting discussion with my group about the text!
To start off, the author opens this passage by essentially complaining about his social status. He says, “The upper class considers me a strange creature, the middle classes regard me with suspicion…while the lower classes avoid me” (18). We thought it was kind of entertaining that the author spent time whining about how he doesn’t belong anywhere, even though he’s about to begin writing about an individual who is much less fortunate than him. He’s already beginning to show glimpses of his ignorant, self-absorbed personality. (This of course all contributes to a perception of the author that Lispector wants to create intentionally, but I’ll get to that in a bit). I did enjoy reading the descriptive imagery “No, it is not easy to write. It is as hard as breaking rocks. Sparks and splinters fly like shattered steel” (19). However, as exciting as this imagery is, the narrator is tying it to himself to further complain about how hard writing is for him. My group and I also discussed the line “With stiff, contaminated fingers I must touch the invisible in its own squalor” (19). We were drawn to this specific sentence because of the reference to his hands being contaminated- I thought he may have described them this way because he is “dirtied” with financial stability, which then prevents him from fully being able to understand Macabea’s situation.
My group also laughed at the blatant insensitivity tossed in yet again when the narrator says he wants to “...walk naked or in rags” (19), most likely to “gain experience” for his book. Overall, this passage shows the complete blindness the narrator has regarding financial stability and the struggles of the lower classes in Brazil. He also gives off the vibe of wanting to exploit financially unstable people and use their struggles for his own gain. Not a fan! I definitely think Clarice Lispector characterized the narrator this way to comment on rich men/artists she may have met or known, and was poking fun at their ignorance. Additionally, our group posed the question, “Is it justifiable for someone who hasn’t experienced a situation to write about said situation?” Food for thought!!
I like how deep you were able to explain the narrator and what he is like in different aspects. Through this passage and analysis, readers are able to learn a lot about the reader. I agree that Lispector characterized the narrator the way she did to comment on men she knew and show their ignorance. I also think it is interesting how he described his fingers as contaminated and agree that it could be because of his financial stability.
Traces of existentialism in the novel: 1. “The truth is always some inner power without explanation. The more genuine part of my life is unrecognizable, extremely intimate and impossible to define (Chapter 1)”. This is interesting since Rodrigo is saying that truth is unrecognizable, so it is weird that Rodrigo would be spending time trying to write about it. 2. “As I prayed I emptied my soul—and this emptiness is everything that I can ever hope to possess. Apart from this, there is nothing. But emptiness, too, has its value and somehow resembles abundance. One way of obtaining is not to search, one way of possessing is not to ask; simply believe that my inner silence is the solution to my—to my mystery. (Chapter 1)” It is interesting how the narrator could have more but wishes for emptiness instead, and is struggling with that. Rodrigo is trying to understand and seems to be striving for something that Macabéa has always already possessed. Macabéa is empty and has nothing and wants nothing, so she overflows with light and purity. 3. “But the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me. This happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands by reality. (Chapter 1)”. It is asking here, “what is reality?” which is one of the biggest questions in philosophy. Rodrigo things that there is not just one reality, and in that, Macabea reality is not the same as him. This can further relate to the overall theme of the novel that everybody is not alone since each person has a different reality. 4. “It isn't necessary to have faith in anyone or in anything—it is enough to have faith. (Chapter 3)”. Since existentialism and absurdism say that value in life is never actually hound, faith might be the only answer. Faith can be the only way meaning is found so having faith will help explain that there is a meaning in life. 5. “I want to escape my freedom without reaching the conclusion like so many others: that existence is only for fools and lunatics: for it would seem that to exist is illogical. (Chapter 1)”. This quote explains absurdism and accepting it. This explains how it's impossible to try to find meaning in life since life is “illogical” and for fools. In the Hour of the Star, Macabéa's existence seems meaningless. Macabea lives a life of hardship and sadness, and she dies without realizing any of her new hopes.
Biblical References (I have the green book so page #’s may be different for others) “She didn’t think about God, God didn’t think about her. God belongs to those who manage to get to him” (18). I think this quote relates to how Macabea’s existence is even invisible to God, though God is supposed to be there for everyone. Her life is so small that even someone that is known as a figure to guide someone in any circumstance doesn’t even acknowledge her, which emphasizes how little her life may mean.
“I’m a fan of Jesus. I’m crazy about Him. He always helped me” (64). Madame Carlota is talking about how God has always been there for her, leading her to a life full of materialistic wealth and happiness. Macabea doesn’t have any of that- maybe because she hasn’t devoted herself fully to religion and doesn’t understand it. Macabea doesn’t have the guidance of a God to help her get out of the cycle of misery she is trapped in, whether she realizes it or not.
“Just in case she made herself feel guilty and mechanically prayed three Hail Marys, amen, amen, amen. She prayed but without God, she didn’t know who he was and so He didn’t exist” (26). Prior to her reciting the Hail Marys she had been dreaming about sex. I think this quote shows Macabea lacks religion to guide her and doesn’t fully understand the significance of the idea of God. The way he describes her praying by using the word “mechanically” kind of makes it sound like she is acting without meaning, and the narrator could have put this in to poke fun at the idea of religion (people pray without meaning it).
“(I’m going through a little hell with this story. May the gods never make me describe a lazar because then I would break out in leprosy)” (30). Rodrigo puts this sentence in parentheses to emphasize that this is one of his internal thoughts about writing the book. Also, I didn’t know what a lazar meant at first, but it is defined as a person afflicted with a repulsive disease. He’s using a hyperbole to show that if he had to write about a sick person, he might turn into one himself- showing that if he writes about Macabea he might turn into her himself.
“As I said before, she didn’t have a guardian angel. But she got on the best she could” (53). Macabea struggles because she’s very alone, and doesn’t have any guidance to help her, like a religious figure. However, the narrator mentions that she does the best she can, which makes the reader want to root for Macabea, since she’s against the odds.
I like all of the biblical references you were able to pull out from the novel, as well as the commentary that followed. I agree that the first quote relates to how Macabea's existence is invisible to God which represents how small her life is. I also agree that why God has not helped her could be because she has not fully devoted herself to God and a religion in general.
In the Hour of the Star, the narrator, Rodrigo, constantly treats Macabea, who is a poor young woman, negatively as a person and as his creation. Some instances throughout the novel where Rodrigo treats Macabea in a cold way include the following. Rodrigo has no sympathy for Macabea and her struggle, "It is true that I, too, feel no pity for my main character, the girl from the North-east: I want my story to be cold and impartial" (Chapter 1). Rodrigo also refers to Macabea "as appetizing as cold coffee" (Chapter 3), saying she is not attractive at all.. In another instance, "There are those who have. And there are those who have not." He then goes on to say in a very straightforward way: "It's very simple: the girl had not" (Chapter 3). Rodrigo explains how no one cares about girls like Macabea who live horrible lives, “There are thousands of girls like this girl from the North-east to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, living in bedsitters or toiling behind counters for all they are worth. They aren't even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence”. (Chapter 1). In all of the cold treatment towards Macabea, Rodrigo still finds a way to not be one sided and relate to her in a way, even though their lives are very different, "It's my obsession to become the other man. In this case, the other woman. Pale and feeling weak, I tremble just like her" (Chapter 3). Rodrigo points out her flaws but is still finds commonalities between him and Macabea.
I think Rodrigo attempting to find commonalities between him and his own character is kind of insulting, and further adds to his ignorant character. He shows no compassion for Macabea whatsoever, judging her appearance and her daily struggles, but still attempts to pretend to find similarities, as if he could even understand her life when he's never experienced what she's gone through. Overall- Rodrigo is irritating, but he's this way for a reason- to reflect people in the real world!! Just a thought!!!
I think I did the blog posts out of order, but oh well! Here is my blog for question #5- our last blog of the year!!! “Yes, I’m in love with Macabea, my dear Maca, in love with her ugliness and total anonymity since she belongs to noone. In love with her weak lungs, the scraggly girl” (59). “As for the girl, she lives in an impersonal limbo, without reaching the worst or the best. She just lives, inhaling and exhaling. Actually-why would she do anything more? Her existence is sparse” (15). “Nobody looked at her on the street, she was cold coffee” (19). “What a thin slice of watermelon” (19). “Because she lacked fat and her body was drier than a half-empty sack of crumbled toast” (30). “Olimpico might have seen that Macabea didn’t have the strength of breeding, she was a subproduct” (50).
Overall, Lispector uses Rodrigo’s perspective to show readers how people in the urban world so easily judge others of a lower social status. Rodrigo comments on Macabea’s appearance- even calling her a “thin slice of watermelon.” He doesn’t show any pity for her, which I think is supposed to make readers feel for Macabea to “provide” what Rodrigo isn’t giving- compassion or understanding. I think Rodrigo’s character is used to show the real and ugly side of the urban world and how people dehumanize others so quickly, leaving people like Macabea to suffer.
My favorite line in “Hour of the Star” is on page 16 where Rodrigo says “To probe oneself is to recognize that one is incomplete.” This is said by Rodrigo after he states that Macabea has been going on living aimlessly, without a purpose. The reason that I appreciated this line so much is because as the reader, it causes you to pause and reflect on your own personal life. Often times, we have trouble questioning our own lives. Often, we are afraid of being wrong and of questioning if we are living up to our full potential. I believe that it is important to have a purpose in life because otherwise, life races past you and before you know it, you are on your deathbed and have not done the things you want to do or left a mark on the world. Especially given the circumstances most of us have, this line particularly applies to us as students and adults. Every day, we attend school and it can seem like a monotonous task. If we do not have an aim in life, we waste over a decade of our lives simply going to school and doing the motions. The same goes with work. This has to do a lot with the idea of existentialism and making your own meaning of your own life; a message that I greatly appreciate.
The passage that I was assigned goes from page 15 to page 16. To sum it up, Rodrigo is essentially degrading Macabea and mostly talking about himself. He talks about how important he is and how terrible it is that he must be the one to tell about this miserable girl. He begins by having the reader question their existence, but not by doing it directly. He explains that Macabea is simple-minded and that she has never once questioned who she is. He then follows this by talking about himself and uses a lot of scholarly language to make it clear how important he is and to further distinguish himself from Macabea. Through this juxtaposition, he is able to get across to the reader just how insignificant Macabea really is. He also states that “This story has no melody that could be rightly termed cantabile. Its rhythm is frequently discordant” (16). Cantabile means smooth and by stating that this story is bumpy and has no apparent rhythm, Clarice Lispector is letting the audience know that this is an experimental novel. One of the things that my group found when researching experimental novels is that they are novels that do not have the typical aspect of ordinary novels. One of the typical aspects is rhythm. By lacking a steady rhythm, it is defying one of the aspects of a novel. Essentially, the purpose of this passage is to engrave an image of how poor Macabea is and to make it clear that this is an experimental novel. The purpose of making it an experimental novel is to draw extra attention and with this extra attention, the author is able to make commentaries on anything they would like and it will be noticed since the novel already stands out.
In today’s blog, I am going to answer the following questions: what was Lispector’s purpose in writing this book? How are philosophical thoughts reflected through Rodrigo’s narration? What role does gender play in the story? In response to the first question, I believe that Lispector’s purpose in writing this book is to send the message that one should make a meaning of their lives and not live aimlessly. She portrays this through the character Macabea and has Rodrigo constantly asking questions to the reader. For example, on page 16, he says, “And how does one satisfy that need?” in response to him saying that we have a need to know our identities. This also addresses the second question because throughout his narration, Rodrigo asks questions in regard to existence and the purpose of life. Existentialism is the most obvious philosophy being shown here. Lastly, gender roles are present in the work simply through Rodrigo and Macabea. Rodrigo, a male, is often compared to God or Jesus whereas Macabea, a female, is often degraded and described as insignificant. Here. Lispector is making a negative commentary on how women in society are treated as insignificant and not respected. Even the alternate titles reflect this: “Let Her Fend for Herself” and “The Right to Protest”. These titles are essentially spreading the message that women are seen as less than men and are then convinced that they are through societal stereotypes (I am not saying that this is the case for all women and that they should be put in lesser roles). For example, in Latino cultures it is expected that women respect their husbands and follow their orders. They do not get to think as openly as men do and Lispector is pointing this out.
Today I am going to talk about traces of existentialism found in “Hour of the Star”. Much of these traces can be found in Rodrigo’s narration as well as the alternate titles.
“First of all, I must make it clear that this girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly” (15). Here, Rodrigo is describing Macabea and her purposeless life, which counteracts the main principle of existentialism; making meaning of your life.
“Is it possible that actions exceed words? As I write-let things be known by their real names. Each thing is a word. And when there is no word, it must be invented.” (17). Here, Rodrigo is saying that things do not have meaning until we make meaning of them ourselves.
“... every day is one more day stolen from death” (16). Death is inevitable and an existentialist accepts this fact. However, each day is an opportunity to make meaning of your life yet at the same time it is one step closer to death as well.
“But the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me. This happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands about reality” (17). Here I am not 100% certain what he is trying to communicate, but I think that Rodrigo is saying that what we can comprehend in terms of reality is up to each of us, which would link back to the idea of making meaning for yourself.
“But let us return to today. As is known, today is today. No one understands my meaning and I can obscurely hear mocking laughter with that rapid, edgy cackling of old men” (20). Here, it is being said that no else can make meaning for you, only yourself. This links back to the idea of individuality, something that is valued by existentialists.
In “Hour of the Star”, one of the things that Lispector expands on is the dehumanizing effect of the urban world on society, especially the poor. One of the ways that she portrays this is through Rodrigo’s cold remarks towards Macabea. Here are 6 examples:
“I seem to know the most intimate details about this girl from the North-east because I live with her. And since I have discovered almost everything about her, she has clung to my skin like some vicious glue or contaminating mud” (21).
“First of all, I must make it clear that this girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly” (15).
“I now want to speak of the girl from the North-east. It’s as follows: like some vagrant bitch she was guided entirely by her own remote control. For she had reduced herself to herself” (18).
“There is little comfort now. In order to speak about the girl I mustn’t shave for days. I must acquire dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep: dozing from sheer exhaustion like a manual labourer. Also wearing threadbare clothes. I am doing all this to put myself on the same footing as the girl from the North-east” (19).
“... perhaps one day I shall intone praises instead of misfortunes of the girl from the North-east” (19). “Meantime, I want to walk naked or in rags; I want to experience at least once the insipid flavour of the Host” (19).
In all of these quotes, Rodrigo is dehumanizing Macabea. Macabea, someone who is quite poor, is being treated as such, regardless of what her personality may be like. Here, Lispector is criticizing how society does not give good treatment to the poor and how we are the reason that people remain in such terrible circumstances.
“Hour of the Star” is an experimental novel. The purpose of making it an experimental novel is to draw extra attention and with this extra attention, the author is able to make commentaries on anything they would like and it will be noticed since the novel already stands out. Here are four examples that support that this novel is an experimental novel:
In the author’s dedication, Clarice Lispector dedicates the book to mythical creatures such as gnomes and dwarves. These are not typical beings to dedicate a book to.
“This story has no melody that could be rightly termed cantabile. Its rhythm is frequently discordant” (16). Cantabile means smooth and by stating that this story is bumpy and has no apparent rhythm, Clarice Lispector is letting the audience know that this is an experimental novel. One of the things that my group found when researching experimental novels is that they are novels that do not have the typical aspect of ordinary novels. One of the typical aspects is rhythm. By lacking a steady rhythm, it is defying one of the aspects of a novel. Macabea is an anti-hero. Macabea is not the ordinary protagonist and thus it is apparent that this novel is different from others.
Multiple titles. Typical novels do not have multiple titles or as many as this book. The fact that there are multiple titles make it evident that this is not an ordinary novel. The multiple titles allow for different messages to be portrayed by Lispector in regards to societal issues.
My group was assigned section 7 of Rodrigo’s introduction. Rodrigo’s arrogance is seen right away at the beginning of the passage, as he talks about the struggle of writing about an impoverished character. Rodrigo explaining that he struggled due to his higher financial status was pretty ironic. He complained about not fitting to a social class which made it seem like he wanted readers to sympathize with him. He also talks about the importance of the story he would go on to share, but his tendency to talk about himself overshadows the meaning. It seems like Rodrigo is trying to justify writing about the life of a person of lower status in order to raise awareness, but his constant remarks about his own success and/or struggles makes him come off as a narcissist.
Guided Discussion Questions: 1. The theme of the novel is the difference in social class and the presence of poverty. The purpose of the book was to bring awareness to the poverty in Brazil during Clarice Lispector’s time. Rodrigo states in his introduction that he intended the story to raise awarness of the issue of poverty as well. This could be seen in Macabea, as she is from the poor north-east Brazil.
11. The way the book is structured, Rodrigo could very well be the protagonist of the novel. The novel starts with an introduction of Rodrigo, and Rodrigo even addresses the reader while speaking from a first person perspective. He makes his goal clear of sharing a story to raise the awareness of poverty in Brazil. He also talks about himself after Macabea’s death, further implying that the novel is really about himself.
16. Gender roles in the book were used to distinguish people of higher power in the story. Social class is always used to create a power dynamic between two different people, but in most cultures gender roles create the same thing. This is seen in the novel through Olimpico. He abused Macabea throughout the book and the role of gender in Brazil contributes to it. In many cultures, males are seen as higher power, and Olimpico took it upon himself to fulfill that.
My favorite line in Hour of the Star is, without a doubt, the line in the introduction where Rodrigo asks the reader: "Who has not asked himself at some time or other: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?" The first time I read this line, I stopped and got a little shiver and I asked myself the same question. This line occurs during Rodrigo's very convoluted opening section. We have finally gotten to the point where Rodrigo actually seems to be starting the story (ie, telling us a bit about Macabea), but then he pauses again to talk about himself. And yet, while the whole of his introduction is dripping with irony and the reader often finds herself loathing him, one cannot deny that he is good at probing into the depths of human nature--just as he purports himself to be. Not only does he break the fourth wall (again), but he sets this paragraph aside and alone in the longer surrounding narration about Macabea herself. Clearly, the question is meant to stand alone, to give us pause, and to offer commentary on the nature of people who have in the midst of those who have not. The tone is chilling and the reader is forced to confront some ugly truths about him/herself. Rodrigo says "this book is a silence; an interrogation." The "am a I monster?" question is one of the first thing that we must be interrogated about.
ReplyDeleteI love that quote as well, I was going to blog about the same one! It is a really powerful quote in the beginning of the book, it really makes the reader think since Rodrigo is in fact directly asking the reader a question. I also agree with you that the quote has a very chilling and intense tone that forces the reader to really dig deep within themselves.
DeleteIt was hard for me to pick my absolute favorite quotes but there were a few quotes that I found rather interesting and liked. The first quote, “Things were somehow so good that they were in danger of becoming very bad because what is fully mature is very close to rotting”. I like this quote because I feel like it is really relatable and applicable to so many people’s lives where things can only be so good for a certain amount of time until they go bad again. When people go through things they feel like they can never catch a break and that whenever it is good they know it is about to go bad again. Also, I really like how Lispector further explained it as “what is fully mature is very close to rotting”. This part immediately caught my attention and I thought this was interesting but also a perfect way to describe what she is trying to explain while throwing in a bit of imagery to help. Another quote that I liked, “She believed in angels, and, because she believed, they existed”. Yet again, I think this is very applicable to many peoples lives where if you believe it, it can happen. It fits with the whole message and idea of believing you can and believing something can happen. This also shows she was able to have such strong beliefs, that to her, the angels existed, all because she believed, which is really important. This quote is beautifully written and simple but it says a lot.
ReplyDeleteI love the first quote, too--I had never thought of it that way until this book, but it's so true!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line was at the end of the book “I’m going to do everything I can to keep her from dying. But what an urge to put her to sleep and to go off to bed myself” (71). This line stood out to me because it pops up right after Macabea gets hit by the Mercedes and is in the street, and is pretty ironic considering the narrator has set up this saddening scene and interrupts it with a humorous comment. Additionally, this line can be kind of confusing, because though the narrator wants to keep Macabea from dying, he’s the one writing the story so does in fact have control. He acknowledges this when he writes “But what an urge to put her to sleep.” This line also suggests that the author is tired of writing about Macabea since her life was really sad and most likely was taxing on him to write about. This quote also adds to the self-absorbed image of the narrator because he wants to wrap the story up and move on.
ReplyDeleteThe section of the introduction that I was assigned to was the first section, the Author's Dedication. My group and I quickly noticed all of the mentions of composers. Also, in the first part, there is a lot of repetition of “I dedicate”. Lispector also mentions her past and childhood, “to the memory of my years of hardship when everything was more austere and honourable, and i had never eaten lobster”. Lobster is more of a luxury food item and not very common, this mention of never eating it helps explain her childhood and how her life has changed. Lispector also mentions the “Death and Transfiguration” which was a tone poem and music of the death in 1889. She further goes on the say “in which Richard Strauss predicts my fate”, referring to the tone poem. This suggests that Lispector would have had to known that she was sick and going to die if she is saying that she knows that her fate is death. Towards the end of the first paragraph the author starts talking about meditation which connects to how Lispector was really into meditating and witchcraft. My group also noticed a really abrupt shift in the second paragraph to talking about existence and the meaning of life. This was interesting since it was a complete switch from what the rest of the dedication was about. When looking at the titles, we concluded that there were so many titles since not one title could answer everything. Originally, I thought that there are 12 additional titles on top of The Hour of the Star is referring to all of the composers she mentions since Lispector mentions “to all those musicians who have touched within me” and “to the twelve-tone composers”. But after doing more research we found that each titles relates to something different within the book or the culture. The Blame is Mine related to how it is the narrator's fault that Macabea life is so terrible, and Let Her Fend for Herself and The Right to Protest involved society and the poorer classes and how Lispector was a voice for them. The quote, “It is a story in technicolour” explains how the story and titles are like a piece of art more than anything and each explain something important since not one title can answer everything.
ReplyDeleteI like how you explained the different titles and gave more insight to them! At first glance, the Author's Dedication is kind of all over the place but Lispector definitely did that to possibly throw off readers, but maybe just to have a little fun? Readers do get a sense of her personality and I think the dedication is really interesting to read, along with the little pieces of information we get about her life (like the lobster and her beliefs in gnomes and dwarfs!)
DeleteFor my passage analysis I was assigned to read section 7, which begins at “See how apprehensive I have become…” (p 18) to “This will be my courage: to abandon comforting sentiments from the past” (p 19). I was able to have a really interesting discussion with my group about the text!
ReplyDeleteTo start off, the author opens this passage by essentially complaining about his social status. He says, “The upper class considers me a strange creature, the middle classes regard me with suspicion…while the lower classes avoid me” (18). We thought it was kind of entertaining that the author spent time whining about how he doesn’t belong anywhere, even though he’s about to begin writing about an individual who is much less fortunate than him. He’s already beginning to show glimpses of his ignorant, self-absorbed personality. (This of course all contributes to a perception of the author that Lispector wants to create intentionally, but I’ll get to that in a bit). I did enjoy reading the descriptive imagery “No, it is not easy to write. It is as hard as breaking rocks. Sparks and splinters fly like shattered steel” (19). However, as exciting as this imagery is, the narrator is tying it to himself to further complain about how hard writing is for him. My group and I also discussed the line “With stiff, contaminated fingers I must touch the invisible in its own squalor” (19). We were drawn to this specific sentence because of the reference to his hands being contaminated- I thought he may have described them this way because he is “dirtied” with financial stability, which then prevents him from fully being able to understand Macabea’s situation.
My group also laughed at the blatant insensitivity tossed in yet again when the narrator says he wants to “...walk naked or in rags” (19), most likely to “gain experience” for his book. Overall, this passage shows the complete blindness the narrator has regarding financial stability and the struggles of the lower classes in Brazil. He also gives off the vibe of wanting to exploit financially unstable people and use their struggles for his own gain. Not a fan! I definitely think Clarice Lispector characterized the narrator this way to comment on rich men/artists she may have met or known, and was poking fun at their ignorance. Additionally, our group posed the question, “Is it justifiable for someone who hasn’t experienced a situation to write about said situation?” Food for thought!!
I like how deep you were able to explain the narrator and what he is like in different aspects. Through this passage and analysis, readers are able to learn a lot about the reader. I agree that Lispector characterized the narrator the way she did to comment on men she knew and show their ignorance. I also think it is interesting how he described his fingers as contaminated and agree that it could be because of his financial stability.
DeleteTraces of existentialism in the novel:
ReplyDelete1. “The truth is always some inner power without explanation. The more genuine part of my life is unrecognizable, extremely intimate and impossible to define (Chapter 1)”. This is interesting since Rodrigo is saying that truth is unrecognizable, so it is weird that Rodrigo would be spending time trying to write about it.
2. “As I prayed I emptied my soul—and this emptiness is everything that I can ever hope to possess. Apart from this, there is nothing. But emptiness, too, has its value and somehow resembles abundance. One way of obtaining is not to search, one way of possessing is not to ask; simply believe that my inner silence is the solution to my—to my mystery. (Chapter 1)” It is interesting how the narrator could have more but wishes for emptiness instead, and is struggling with that. Rodrigo is trying to understand and seems to be striving for something that Macabéa has always already possessed. Macabéa is empty and has nothing and wants nothing, so she overflows with light and purity.
3. “But the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me. This happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands by reality. (Chapter 1)”. It is asking here, “what is reality?” which is one of the biggest questions in philosophy. Rodrigo things that there is not just one reality, and in that, Macabea reality is not the same as him. This can further relate to the overall theme of the novel that everybody is not alone since each person has a different reality.
4. “It isn't necessary to have faith in anyone or in anything—it is enough to have faith. (Chapter 3)”. Since existentialism and absurdism say that value in life is never actually hound, faith might be the only answer. Faith can be the only way meaning is found so having faith will help explain that there is a meaning in life.
5. “I want to escape my freedom without reaching the conclusion like so many others: that existence is only for fools and lunatics: for it would seem that to exist is illogical. (Chapter 1)”. This quote explains absurdism and accepting it. This explains how it's impossible to try to find meaning in life since life is “illogical” and for fools. In the Hour of the Star, Macabéa's existence seems meaningless. Macabea lives a life of hardship and sadness, and she dies without realizing any of her new hopes.
Biblical References (I have the green book so page #’s may be different for others)
ReplyDelete“She didn’t think about God, God didn’t think about her. God belongs to those who manage to get to him” (18). I think this quote relates to how Macabea’s existence is even invisible to God, though God is supposed to be there for everyone. Her life is so small that even someone that is known as a figure to guide someone in any circumstance doesn’t even acknowledge her, which emphasizes how little her life may mean.
“I’m a fan of Jesus. I’m crazy about Him. He always helped me” (64). Madame Carlota is talking about how God has always been there for her, leading her to a life full of materialistic wealth and happiness. Macabea doesn’t have any of that- maybe because she hasn’t devoted herself fully to religion and doesn’t understand it. Macabea doesn’t have the guidance of a God to help her get out of the cycle of misery she is trapped in, whether she realizes it or not.
“Just in case she made herself feel guilty and mechanically prayed three Hail Marys, amen, amen, amen. She prayed but without God, she didn’t know who he was and so He didn’t exist” (26). Prior to her reciting the Hail Marys she had been dreaming about sex. I think this quote shows Macabea lacks religion to guide her and doesn’t fully understand the significance of the idea of God. The way he describes her praying by using the word “mechanically” kind of makes it sound like she is acting without meaning, and the narrator could have put this in to poke fun at the idea of religion (people pray without meaning it).
“(I’m going through a little hell with this story. May the gods never make me describe a lazar because then I would break out in leprosy)” (30). Rodrigo puts this sentence in parentheses to emphasize that this is one of his internal thoughts about writing the book. Also, I didn’t know what a lazar meant at first, but it is defined as a person afflicted with a repulsive disease. He’s using a hyperbole to show that if he had to write about a sick person, he might turn into one himself- showing that if he writes about Macabea he might turn into her himself.
“As I said before, she didn’t have a guardian angel. But she got on the best she could” (53).
Macabea struggles because she’s very alone, and doesn’t have any guidance to help her, like a religious figure. However, the narrator mentions that she does the best she can, which makes the reader want to root for Macabea, since she’s against the odds.
I like all of the biblical references you were able to pull out from the novel, as well as the commentary that followed. I agree that the first quote relates to how Macabea's existence is invisible to God which represents how small her life is. I also agree that why God has not helped her could be because she has not fully devoted herself to God and a religion in general.
DeleteIn the Hour of the Star, the narrator, Rodrigo, constantly treats Macabea, who is a poor young woman, negatively as a person and as his creation. Some instances throughout the novel where Rodrigo treats Macabea in a cold way include the following. Rodrigo has no sympathy for Macabea and her struggle, "It is true that I, too, feel no pity for my main character, the girl from the North-east: I want my story to be cold and impartial" (Chapter 1). Rodrigo also refers to Macabea "as appetizing as cold coffee" (Chapter 3), saying she is not attractive at all.. In another instance, "There are those who have. And there are those who have not." He then goes on to say in a very straightforward way: "It's very simple: the girl had not" (Chapter 3). Rodrigo explains how no one cares about girls like Macabea who live horrible lives, “There are thousands of girls like this girl from the North-east to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, living in bedsitters or toiling behind counters for all they are worth. They aren't even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence”. (Chapter 1). In all of the cold treatment towards Macabea, Rodrigo still finds a way to not be one sided and relate to her in a way, even though their lives are very different, "It's my obsession to become the other man. In this case, the other woman. Pale and feeling weak, I tremble just like her" (Chapter 3). Rodrigo points out her flaws but is still finds commonalities between him and Macabea.
ReplyDeleteI think Rodrigo attempting to find commonalities between him and his own character is kind of insulting, and further adds to his ignorant character. He shows no compassion for Macabea whatsoever, judging her appearance and her daily struggles, but still attempts to pretend to find similarities, as if he could even understand her life when he's never experienced what she's gone through. Overall- Rodrigo is irritating, but he's this way for a reason- to reflect people in the real world!! Just a thought!!!
DeleteI think I did the blog posts out of order, but oh well! Here is my blog for question #5- our last blog of the year!!!
ReplyDelete“Yes, I’m in love with Macabea, my dear Maca, in love with her ugliness and total anonymity since she belongs to noone. In love with her weak lungs, the scraggly girl” (59).
“As for the girl, she lives in an impersonal limbo, without reaching the worst or the best. She just lives, inhaling and exhaling. Actually-why would she do anything more? Her existence is sparse” (15).
“Nobody looked at her on the street, she was cold coffee” (19).
“What a thin slice of watermelon” (19).
“Because she lacked fat and her body was drier than a half-empty sack of crumbled toast” (30). “Olimpico might have seen that Macabea didn’t have the strength of breeding, she was a subproduct” (50).
Overall, Lispector uses Rodrigo’s perspective to show readers how people in the urban world so easily judge others of a lower social status. Rodrigo comments on Macabea’s appearance- even calling her a “thin slice of watermelon.” He doesn’t show any pity for her, which I think is supposed to make readers feel for Macabea to “provide” what Rodrigo isn’t giving- compassion or understanding. I think Rodrigo’s character is used to show the real and ugly side of the urban world and how people dehumanize others so quickly, leaving people like Macabea to suffer.
I like how you noticed most of these were about appearance, and not personality or internals.
Delete-Nathan Eng
My favorite line in “Hour of the Star” is on page 16 where Rodrigo says “To probe oneself is to recognize that one is incomplete.” This is said by Rodrigo after he states that Macabea has been going on living aimlessly, without a purpose. The reason that I appreciated this line so much is because as the reader, it causes you to pause and reflect on your own personal life. Often times, we have trouble questioning our own lives. Often, we are afraid of being wrong and of questioning if we are living up to our full potential. I believe that it is important to have a purpose in life because otherwise, life races past you and before you know it, you are on your deathbed and have not done the things you want to do or left a mark on the world. Especially given the circumstances most of us have, this line particularly applies to us as students and adults. Every day, we attend school and it can seem like a monotonous task. If we do not have an aim in life, we waste over a decade of our lives simply going to school and doing the motions. The same goes with work. This has to do a lot with the idea of existentialism and making your own meaning of your own life; a message that I greatly appreciate.
ReplyDelete-Nathan Eng
The passage that I was assigned goes from page 15 to page 16. To sum it up, Rodrigo is essentially degrading Macabea and mostly talking about himself. He talks about how important he is and how terrible it is that he must be the one to tell about this miserable girl. He begins by having the reader question their existence, but not by doing it directly. He explains that Macabea is simple-minded and that she has never once questioned who she is. He then follows this by talking about himself and uses a lot of scholarly language to make it clear how important he is and to further distinguish himself from Macabea. Through this juxtaposition, he is able to get across to the reader just how insignificant Macabea really is. He also states that “This story has no melody that could be rightly termed cantabile. Its rhythm is frequently discordant” (16). Cantabile means smooth and by stating that this story is bumpy and has no apparent rhythm, Clarice Lispector is letting the audience know that this is an experimental novel. One of the things that my group found when researching experimental novels is that they are novels that do not have the typical aspect of ordinary novels. One of the typical aspects is rhythm. By lacking a steady rhythm, it is defying one of the aspects of a novel. Essentially, the purpose of this passage is to engrave an image of how poor Macabea is and to make it clear that this is an experimental novel. The purpose of making it an experimental novel is to draw extra attention and with this extra attention, the author is able to make commentaries on anything they would like and it will be noticed since the novel already stands out.
ReplyDelete-Nathan Eng
In today’s blog, I am going to answer the following questions: what was Lispector’s purpose in writing this book? How are philosophical thoughts reflected through Rodrigo’s narration? What role does gender play in the story? In response to the first question, I believe that Lispector’s purpose in writing this book is to send the message that one should make a meaning of their lives and not live aimlessly. She portrays this through the character Macabea and has Rodrigo constantly asking questions to the reader. For example, on page 16, he says, “And how does one satisfy that need?” in response to him saying that we have a need to know our identities. This also addresses the second question because throughout his narration, Rodrigo asks questions in regard to existence and the purpose of life. Existentialism is the most obvious philosophy being shown here. Lastly, gender roles are present in the work simply through Rodrigo and Macabea. Rodrigo, a male, is often compared to God or Jesus whereas Macabea, a female, is often degraded and described as insignificant. Here. Lispector is making a negative commentary on how women in society are treated as insignificant and not respected. Even the alternate titles reflect this: “Let Her Fend for Herself” and “The Right to Protest”. These titles are essentially spreading the message that women are seen as less than men and are then convinced that they are through societal stereotypes (I am not saying that this is the case for all women and that they should be put in lesser roles). For example, in Latino cultures it is expected that women respect their husbands and follow their orders. They do not get to think as openly as men do and Lispector is pointing this out.
ReplyDelete-Nathan Eng
Today I am going to talk about traces of existentialism found in “Hour of the Star”. Much of these traces can be found in Rodrigo’s narration as well as the alternate titles.
ReplyDelete“First of all, I must make it clear that this girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly” (15). Here, Rodrigo is describing Macabea and her purposeless life, which counteracts the main principle of existentialism; making meaning of your life.
“Is it possible that actions exceed words? As I write-let things be known by their real names. Each thing is a word. And when there is no word, it must be invented.” (17). Here, Rodrigo is saying that things do not have meaning until we make meaning of them ourselves.
“... every day is one more day stolen from death” (16). Death is inevitable and an existentialist accepts this fact. However, each day is an opportunity to make meaning of your life yet at the same time it is one step closer to death as well.
“But the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me. This happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands about reality” (17). Here I am not 100% certain what he is trying to communicate, but I think that Rodrigo is saying that what we can comprehend in terms of reality is up to each of us, which would link back to the idea of making meaning for yourself.
“But let us return to today. As is known, today is today. No one understands my meaning and I can obscurely hear mocking laughter with that rapid, edgy cackling of old men” (20). Here, it is being said that no else can make meaning for you, only yourself. This links back to the idea of individuality, something that is valued by existentialists.
- Nathan Eng
DeleteIn “Hour of the Star”, one of the things that Lispector expands on is the dehumanizing effect of the urban world on society, especially the poor. One of the ways that she portrays this is through Rodrigo’s cold remarks towards Macabea. Here are 6 examples:
ReplyDelete“I seem to know the most intimate details about this girl from the North-east because I live with her. And since I have discovered almost everything about her, she has clung to my skin like some vicious glue or contaminating mud” (21).
“First of all, I must make it clear that this girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly” (15).
“I now want to speak of the girl from the North-east. It’s as follows: like some vagrant bitch she was guided entirely by her own remote control. For she had reduced herself to herself” (18).
“There is little comfort now. In order to speak about the girl I mustn’t shave for days. I must acquire dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep: dozing from sheer exhaustion like a manual labourer. Also wearing threadbare clothes. I am doing all this to put myself on the same footing as the girl from the North-east” (19).
“... perhaps one day I shall intone praises instead of misfortunes of the girl from the North-east” (19).
“Meantime, I want to walk naked or in rags; I want to experience at least once the insipid flavour of the Host” (19).
In all of these quotes, Rodrigo is dehumanizing Macabea. Macabea, someone who is quite poor, is being treated as such, regardless of what her personality may be like. Here, Lispector is criticizing how society does not give good treatment to the poor and how we are the reason that people remain in such terrible circumstances.
-Nathan Eng
“Hour of the Star” is an experimental novel. The purpose of making it an experimental novel is to draw extra attention and with this extra attention, the author is able to make commentaries on anything they would like and it will be noticed since the novel already stands out. Here are four examples that support that this novel is an experimental novel:
ReplyDeleteIn the author’s dedication, Clarice Lispector dedicates the book to mythical creatures such as gnomes and dwarves. These are not typical beings to dedicate a book to.
“This story has no melody that could be rightly termed cantabile. Its rhythm is frequently discordant” (16). Cantabile means smooth and by stating that this story is bumpy and has no apparent rhythm, Clarice Lispector is letting the audience know that this is an experimental novel. One of the things that my group found when researching experimental novels is that they are novels that do not have the typical aspect of ordinary novels. One of the typical aspects is rhythm. By lacking a steady rhythm, it is defying one of the aspects of a novel.
Macabea is an anti-hero. Macabea is not the ordinary protagonist and thus it is apparent that this novel is different from others.
Multiple titles. Typical novels do not have multiple titles or as many as this book. The fact that there are multiple titles make it evident that this is not an ordinary novel. The multiple titles allow for different messages to be portrayed by Lispector in regards to societal issues.
-Nathan Eng
Space between the rhythm one and the anti-hero
DeleteMy group was assigned section 7 of Rodrigo’s introduction. Rodrigo’s arrogance is seen right away at the beginning of the passage, as he talks about the struggle of writing about an impoverished character. Rodrigo explaining that he struggled due to his higher financial status was pretty ironic. He complained about not fitting to a social class which made it seem like he wanted readers to sympathize with him. He also talks about the importance of the story he would go on to share, but his tendency to talk about himself overshadows the meaning. It seems like Rodrigo is trying to justify writing about the life of a person of lower status in order to raise awareness, but his constant remarks about his own success and/or struggles makes him come off as a narcissist.
ReplyDeleteGuided Discussion Questions:
ReplyDelete1. The theme of the novel is the difference in social class and the presence of poverty. The purpose of the book was to bring awareness to the poverty in Brazil during Clarice Lispector’s time. Rodrigo states in his introduction that he intended the story to raise awarness of the issue of poverty as well. This could be seen in Macabea, as she is from the poor north-east Brazil.
11. The way the book is structured, Rodrigo could very well be the protagonist of the novel. The novel starts with an introduction of Rodrigo, and Rodrigo even addresses the reader while speaking from a first person perspective. He makes his goal clear of sharing a story to raise the awareness of poverty in Brazil. He also talks about himself after Macabea’s death, further implying that the novel is really about himself.
16. Gender roles in the book were used to distinguish people of higher power in the story. Social class is always used to create a power dynamic between two different people, but in most cultures gender roles create the same thing. This is seen in the novel through Olimpico. He abused Macabea throughout the book and the role of gender in Brazil contributes to it. In many cultures, males are seen as higher power, and Olimpico took it upon himself to fulfill that.