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 agree, that is a powerful statement. However, by that point I think a lot more people are frustrated with the author's rambling like you mentioned to truly appreciate that quote. The quote really delves into how people think of themselves and really causes the reader to look into the mirror and question themselves. I think at the base of it, all humans have a monstrous side, that's just human nature. People can be jealous, angry, or unintentionally mean-spirited in their worst of times. This story take that idea and exemplifies it on a greater stage. It is indeed one of the first questions, but it definitely lets the reader know what type of ideas will be brought up throughout the story.
I was assigned to close-read section eight in the packet, and what really grabbed me was how it ended. The section as a whole talks about how the writer went about writing this piece and the internal thoughts, but he also shares his connection with the girl and how they both feel so similar. The section ends by saying: "We live exclusively in the present because forever and eternally it is the day of today, and the day of tomorrow will be today. Eternity is the state of things at this very moment." Now that's a loaded quote and such an existentialist idea. In a way, that's correct; the present time is always referred to as "today." I get confused where the author says that eternity is the state of things at this very moment. When you think the word eternity, you think now and forever, which can be associated with the future. In terms of the story, Macabea does not have the best life and if that is the case, than her eternity is extremely bleak. In a way, that is true because by the end of the story she gets run over by a car in what she thinks is the happiest day in a long while. If you take it into today, does that mean what you are doing now is your eternity. What if you are a thief or are not the best person, but are looking to change. Does that mean you can't really change who you are? I mean, I thought Jaime Lannister truly changed with Brienne, but that clearly never came to compete fruition (although it came close.) So overall, this concept is so complicated and hard to think about by itself. Does anyone else really have opinions about all of this?
We picked similar quotes, and I think the concept of being able/not being able to change your "eternity" is quite interesting. I think this kind of ties back into our No Exit conversations about when someones purest and most genuine time is. Personally, I picked the end of someone's life to be their most authentic and I imagine this can be found in this complex concept of eternity being in the moment. From my interpretation of this quote, it is possible that at the moment, whatever you do sticks with you. This does mean that your past will remain with you, even if you want to change, but it also means that every small step you try and take into becoming possibly a better person has an impact too. They all become part of your eternity or part of your character, leading up to your most honest self at death. In a way, I also believe that eternity being "this very moment" could mean that there is infinite (in a way) opportunities for change, or even to solidify more of what has been established in your life. Although these are just some ideas, and I agree that there are understandably many ways to interpret this.
The comment you made that talked about a persons purest moment was quite an interesting question and stirred a pretty good discussion when we were asked those questions for No Exit in seminar. I agree with you that death is a persons most authentic moment, but you could also make the case for birth to be a person's most authentic moment. At birth a person is not molded. They haven't done anything good or bad yet and haven't started to write the story of their life yet. They have not committed any crimes nor won any awards yet. Obviously death is when you can look back at a person's life and see what they did and see who they truly were over time; that is a pure moment. However, just to play devils advocate, it is easy to see how someone could interpret birth to be a person's most pure moment.
One quote I found quite interesting is "The future, at least, had the advantage of not being the present, and the worse can always take a turn for the better." (page 38). In the passages before and following, the everyday occurrences of Macabéa's life are described, and it is said that time prevents her from feeling sorry for herself. Combining this with the quote, I think the quote is more lighthearted than the tone of the section makes it seem. As just a general perspective on life, the future has the possibility to be awful but also carries the unknown opportunity to be better. While this unsureness can be scary, especially in unfavorable situations, the small probability of bringing happiness to the circumstances usually outweighs the bad. Knowing that Macabéa has a rough life, yet she doesn't feel sorry for herself is a big hint into how much the future impact her emotionally and her outlook on life. Page 38 later says that "she had faith," which might not seem uncommon for characters who are facing unexpected troubles, but as a character who has endured nothing but hardship, having faith is a rarity. I find that this quote is quite powerful and defining in Macabéa's nature, but also an insight into existentialism as she is only looking into the future for her own development and success rather than forces beyond her.
“The future can always take a turn for the better,” quite an interesting statement. I kinda equivalate that to hope (from an optimists point of view at least.) I feel like that’s a very important contradiction in this story; the one between hope versus doom and gloom. There’s always tomorrow and you can write your own story, and just the unknown can be interpreted so differently. I believe that nothing exemplifies this concept more than Macabea’s life. Her life is terrible. Her boyfriend is abusive and leaves her for another girl, she has a job with no growth potential, she lives in a slum with multiple other girls (all named Gloria for that matter), yet she is positive. Her future is uncertain, and she takes that as a sign of hope, that things can get better. She has every reason to be gloomy if she looks at her life and sees her predicament. However, she takes a positive spin on things, and while that may have eventually gotten her killed, she lived life with hope and optimism. I thought that was one of the bigger points that Lispector was trying to get across.
My assigned group was group 7 (page 18-19ish) and we found lots of patterns that have to do with social class of not only Clarice, but also Macabéa. At the beginning of our passage we have the quote "I am a man who possesses more money than those who go hungry..." which could be a reference to how she was often thought of a man, since OBVIOUSLY no woman could ever write books as eloquent as she did. Although we also felt as though it also could be an insight to the social hierarchy at the time, as only men would have influence to speak about social issues or have any influence on the perception of society. This talk about society continues and Clarice talks about how she does not belong to a social class. "The upper class consider me a strange creature, the middle classes regard me with suspicion, afraid that I might unsettle them, while the lower class avoid me." We thought that this quote could represent how much of an outsider Clarice was in her own society, but also how she had no commitment/bias when writing this to satisfy any classes expectations. Earlier in the passage she says that she "writes by ear" which is close to a term I am familiar with in music which is "play by ear." This is pretty self explanatory, but basically anything you hear, you play, without filter and an exact (hopefully) copy of what is playing around you. In this case "writing by ear" could be stating that she wrote with no filter to the world around her and spoke of everything purely without once again, any bias, leaving only the facts and without obligation to a class, this would be made even easier. Throughout the passage there is also many mentions of a "girl from the North-east", which gives us the idea that location probably segregates not only economic status, but also social, and is an important aspect in Macabéa's life as it would be to anyone at that time. There is also an abundance of comments about "misfortunes" and "despair"(general sad boy words), giving a strong tone to the story and emphasizing the hardships that would have been present at the time. With all these references to class and a social hierarchy, it could allow the reader to not only understand the backstory of Macabéa, but it also gives a purpose to the whole book and Clarice's reasons for writing it, as it highlights evident problems in society around her. Even with this, our passage was pretty specific about social class and I was wondering if anyone also found that their passage focused on society, but in another specific aspect?
How the narrator announces his presence throughout the book is indeed very interesting. You mentioned how he refers to himself as having more money than those who go hungry; is that really a good thing or something to be proud of? That statement shows that he is not very generous with his money and that he believes that he is in a much higher class than them where it’s not even worth it to help out a little. That statement in itself just addresses the power that he possesses. The narrator’s commentary throughout the story really made me question how much of these thoughts or details can be tied back to Lispector. I know this is an experimental novel, but to write as a female author while using the perspective of a male narrator to tell the story about a poor Brazilian girl was an interesting choice.
In the section of the book that I had to read for the group, Lispector says: “What Macabea wanted most of all, as I’ve already said, was to look like Marilyn Monroe.” This is another example of the narrator pretty much completely injecting himself into the narrative, especially by using command terms like Ï. He likes to refer to himself and tie Macabea’s story back to him which shows a little bit of power in itself. While Macabea is the main character in this story, Rodrigo is an interesting persona as well and may be more complex than the girl herself.
In the presentations given last class, what I found the most intriguing was the idea of experimental novels. I believe that it is funny that Hour of the Star is still referred to as one of these even four decades after it was published. I didn’t really like the way that it was written as it became too confusing and muddled in words, but it introduced some elements that really added to the story and got the reader to think.
Another thing I found interesting is how Lispector's heritage played an important role in adding to the deeper meaning of the story. The fact that the main characters name is Macabea, which is named after the maccabees (Jewish warriors) is kinda ironic as Macabea is anything, but a warrior or brave and she really doesn’t really represent any of that. But the fact that Lispector drew on her Jewish heritage for some form of inspiration really added to the depth of the novel. She also placed the story in Rio De Janeiro, a place where she lived for so long. I believe that she does this because she sees these situations that Macabea goes through all the time and she wanted to get that point across to readers. And once again, it all drew on her heritage. The presentations that were given really helped me get deeper insight on the story, and it was a good introductory activity to do as it helped me put together deeper pieces that i never thought about.
One part of this story that was pretty interesting and we talked about last class was how the narrator--Rodrigo S.M-- plays into the narrative and how he adds intrigue to the story. Apart from whatever Michael McCann did with his accent, I believe that having the story be told from a narrators perspective was a pretty weird decision in how they wrote it. I know it's supposed to be an experimental novel, but still. The narrative of the story doesn't really begin until a chapter or two in which is a strange decision. I believe that the narrator is Lispector's way of introducing a bunch of existential ideas that cannot be easily woven into the story, or are in the story, but readers are not that inclined to pick up on if they read it by themselves. The inner monologue that Rodrigo gives is informative, but also pretty depressing as he describes Macabea's terrible situation and says such negative things about her and women in genera. Could Lispector have taken on this tone because of the time she wrote the story in to kind of tease the readers and show them that she can conform to how they want authors to write stories? It seems like Rodrigo might play into the inner thoughts of the type of reader who would pick up this type of novel. Overall, I believe having Rodrigo S.M is a necessary admission, but the way she interweaves his thoughts in the story are a little confusing and it can be kind of hard to interpret why she wants this perspective in the story in the first place.
In response to topic #4, one of the biblical references I found is the quotes “Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born.” (page 11) I think most people are familiar with the first lines of Genesis stating "[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." The similarity between these is evident in the fact that both involve some sort of speech or decision in the creation of our life and planet. This thought already sparks ideas into the philosophies being demonstrated in Hour of the Star. While they may not be looking up to God themselves, Macabéa beings to represent that role in her society. As both Jesus and Macabéa come from a place of disadvantage, they are both looked down upon, her for her social class, and Jesus for his CRAZY ideas. In their death, there are even more similarities when Macabéa dies, and we have the quote "Could this be some muted earthquake? The land of Alagoas had opened in gaping cracks." (page 80) From what I see, this could allude to the similarities between the quote from Matthew in the Bible stating "....the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." (Matthew 17.51-52). In this, the destruction of the temple, a holy place, signifies his sacrifice for our sins. While Macabéa may not be dying for our sins, she is a representation of the life she came from, poor and insignificant in the eyes of others. Her death was a symbol of the social class and hierarchy that was Rio at the time.
There were a lot of concepts that had to do with time and the universe in the section I was assigned to read for my group. Lispector does a good job throughout the story of setting up and describing how miserable Macabea’s life is, yet also how she tends to look past the negatives while just enjoying her life. She seems like a much more happy-go-lucky person than I am.
For example, her misery was introduced in my section on page 61 when Lispector wrote: “She was a lost cause. And even sadness was the privilege of the rich, of those who could afford it. Sadness was a luxury.” That entire quote seems to be a juxtaposition. How do sadness and privilege even go together in the same sentence? Yet it also illustrates how Macabea looks at life. I believe that this means that people, like Macabea, who have nothing tend to be more grateful for anything they can get their hands on and for any bit of fortune. People who are rich can be more picky and aren’t as grateful which is why they get sad about the little things that someone like Macabea might be grateful for.
On page 62 Lispector states: “Peace was soon restored between them and Macabea continued to be happy thinking about nothing.” That’s the first quote that really has to do with time in my section and takes place after Macabea has a little bit of a verbal disagreement with Gloria. Macabea seems to relish time and that is made evident from the fact that she was happy just thinking about nothing; she was essentially just enjoying the moment, something that people in today's day and age just do not do enough. Another quote that backs that up is this: “She liked to feel the passage of time. She did not possess a watch, and perhaps for that very reason, she relished the infinity of time.” If one does not care about the time then they might be happier because that definetely would reduce both anxiety or stress. I don’t know how she would like to feel the passage of time because that means getting older, but just acknowledging the infinity of it is already a pretty big existentialist idea in itself. Overall, my section talked a lot about time and how Macabea just enjoyed living in the moment. And just like the end of the story, who really knows how much time you have left on the planet.
I like your perspective on time, I think that the author really makes a statement throughout the book about the idea of time. Lispector is saying that as time goes on that we're approaching mortality, and in the case of Macabea, she lives in the moment. Her mortality isn't on the forefront of her thoughts.
Throughout the entire book Lispector talks alot about what it means to live a life or questions what life is. In my passage, (6) the author really touched on how harsh life can really be and how there is so much yet to discover about what it means to live a life. “How I should love to hear the pealing of bells in order to work up some enthusiasm as I decipher reality.” (17). This quote relays how complicated life is. Sometimes we don’t want to think about it because the truth can be harder to deal with than accepting reality. “For she had reduced herself to herself. After successive failures, I have also reduced myself, but I still want to discover the world and its God.” (18). This also explains how there is so much that we don’t know about life. Existentialism really highlights that there is no handbook that will tell you how to live your life, that’s your own decision. Still, you have to accept that as the truth and move on from there. Even though the world is cruel, there is still so much to learn about and so many opportunities to take.
“They aren’t even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence.” (14).(Also, vocab word). This quote really highlights the main theory of existentialism, that no one on this earth was put here for a certain purpose. Life is indifferent and it’s up to the person living it to give it a purpose. There is no predisposed way that one should go about their life, that is what choices are for. As humans we have the freedom to choose, and with those choices we forget our own path. I really like this quote because, while harsh, it’s said so blatantly. Usually people are too afraid to say what they really think, but here the author is making a statement, saying that this is the truth whether we accept it or not.
Since I have already blogged on topic 4, I thought I would blog on topic 5. There are many instances in the novella where Rodrigo views himself as a high being and dehumanizes Macabea. “Because, I, too am a man of hosannas and perhaps one day I shall intone praises instead of the 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 flavor of the host.” (19). “Also wearing threadbare clothes. I am doing all of this to put myself on the same footing as the girl from the North-east.” (19). “To be frank, I am holding her destiny in my hands and yet I am powerless to invent with freedom.” (20). “Yet I have no intention of adorning the word, for were I to touch the girl’s bread, that bread would turn to gold.” (15). “So I must express myself simply to capture her delicate and shadowy existence. With humility I confine myself.” (15). Rodrigo feels that he has all of this power because he is holding Macabea under his control. He believes that she is lesser than him and that he has some sort of responsibility of telling her story, even though he can never understand what it means to be her. It goes along with the discussion about telling someone else’s story. Rodrigo thinks that by adopting the appearance of the impoverished he somehow understands. It is the same thing we see today. The poor are viewed as lesser than. Social and economic status are the only things that people care about, not character. This is represented in the different instances where Rodrigo puts down Macabea.
Throughout the book Hour of the Star, Clarice scatters references to composers, instruments, and musical terms. Starting in the beginning, we have the quote "To Death and Transfiguration, in which Richard Strauss predicts my fate." While this may just be seen as foreshadowing to Macabéa's death or Rodrigo's angsty personality, I find that it also is the start of many of Rodrigo's materialistic ideas. The word transfiguration appears on page 20 in "The action of this story will result in my transfiguration into someone else and in my ultimate materialization into an object." which overall is a strange quote, but it also shows how burdened he feels to write, as he claims it is his duty, especially in Hour of the Star. With this feeling, being changed into an object would not require him to do any searching into self-discovery or meaning, giving him one purpose. Coming back to music, which is notably emotional and human gives the opposite effect and shows the amount of potential and expressions that are possible in exploring emotions and life. With this, Hour of the Star also mentions the 12-tone scale. The 12-tones in this scale make up every pitch in music, every song, and every idiom, and while Clarice gives a list of composers, and compositions at the beginning which all evoke different feelings, they all hold rearrangements of the chromatic 12 tones. This reference can show how humans, all alike, through discovery, can live vastly different lives by the way they chose to express and find themselves.
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.
ReplyDeleteWritten by Kyle:
DeleteI agree, that is a powerful statement. However, by that point I think a lot more people are frustrated with the author's rambling like you mentioned to truly appreciate that quote. The quote really delves into how people think of themselves and really causes the reader to look into the mirror and question themselves. I think at the base of it, all humans have a monstrous side, that's just human nature. People can be jealous, angry, or unintentionally mean-spirited in their worst of times. This story take that idea and exemplifies it on a greater stage. It is indeed one of the first questions, but it definitely lets the reader know what type of ideas will be brought up throughout the story.
Written by Kyle:
ReplyDeleteI was assigned to close-read section eight in the packet, and what really grabbed me was how it ended. The section as a whole talks about how the writer went about writing this piece and the internal thoughts, but he also shares his connection with the girl and how they both feel so similar. The section ends by saying: "We live exclusively in the present because forever and eternally it is the day of today, and the day of tomorrow will be today. Eternity is the state of things at this very moment." Now that's a loaded quote and such an existentialist idea. In a way, that's correct; the present time is always referred to as "today." I get confused where the author says that eternity is the state of things at this very moment. When you think the word eternity, you think now and forever, which can be associated with the future. In terms of the story, Macabea does not have the best life and if that is the case, than her eternity is extremely bleak. In a way, that is true because by the end of the story she gets run over by a car in what she thinks is the happiest day in a long while. If you take it into today, does that mean what you are doing now is your eternity. What if you are a thief or are not the best person, but are looking to change. Does that mean you can't really change who you are? I mean, I thought Jaime Lannister truly changed with Brienne, but that clearly never came to compete fruition (although it came close.) So overall, this concept is so complicated and hard to think about by itself. Does anyone else really have opinions about all of this?
We picked similar quotes, and I think the concept of being able/not being able to change your "eternity" is quite interesting. I think this kind of ties back into our No Exit conversations about when someones purest and most genuine time is. Personally, I picked the end of someone's life to be their most authentic and I imagine this can be found in this complex concept of eternity being in the moment. From my interpretation of this quote, it is possible that at the moment, whatever you do sticks with you. This does mean that your past will remain with you, even if you want to change, but it also means that every small step you try and take into becoming possibly a better person has an impact too. They all become part of your eternity or part of your character, leading up to your most honest self at death. In a way, I also believe that eternity being "this very moment" could mean that there is infinite (in a way) opportunities for change, or even to solidify more of what has been established in your life. Although these are just some ideas, and I agree that there are understandably many ways to interpret this.
Delete- Mia Hopkins
Written by Kyle:
DeleteHello pretty much Mia and Ms. Ballard,
The comment you made that talked about a persons purest moment was quite an interesting question and stirred a pretty good discussion when we were asked those questions for No Exit in seminar. I agree with you that death is a persons most authentic moment, but you could also make the case for birth to be a person's most authentic moment. At birth a person is not molded. They haven't done anything good or bad yet and haven't started to write the story of their life yet. They have not committed any crimes nor won any awards yet. Obviously death is when you can look back at a person's life and see what they did and see who they truly were over time; that is a pure moment. However, just to play devils advocate, it is easy to see how someone could interpret birth to be a person's most pure moment.
One quote I found quite interesting is "The future, at least, had the advantage of not being the present, and the worse can always take a turn for the better." (page 38). In the passages before and following, the everyday occurrences of Macabéa's life are described, and it is said that time prevents her from feeling sorry for herself. Combining this with the quote, I think the quote is more lighthearted than the tone of the section makes it seem. As just a general perspective on life, the future has the possibility to be awful but also carries the unknown opportunity to be better. While this unsureness can be scary, especially in unfavorable situations, the small probability of bringing happiness to the circumstances usually outweighs the bad. Knowing that Macabéa has a rough life, yet she doesn't feel sorry for herself is a big hint into how much the future impact her emotionally and her outlook on life. Page 38 later says that "she had faith," which might not seem uncommon for characters who are facing unexpected troubles, but as a character who has endured nothing but hardship, having faith is a rarity. I find that this quote is quite powerful and defining in Macabéa's nature, but also an insight into existentialism as she is only looking into the future for her own development and success rather than forces beyond her.
ReplyDelete- Mia Hopkins
Written by Kyle:
Delete“The future can always take a turn for the better,” quite an interesting statement. I kinda equivalate that to hope (from an optimists point of view at least.) I feel like that’s a very important contradiction in this story; the one between hope versus doom and gloom. There’s always tomorrow and you can write your own story, and just the unknown can be interpreted so differently. I believe that nothing exemplifies this concept more than Macabea’s life. Her life is terrible. Her boyfriend is abusive and leaves her for another girl, she has a job with no growth potential, she lives in a slum with multiple other girls (all named Gloria for that matter), yet she is positive. Her future is uncertain, and she takes that as a sign of hope, that things can get better. She has every reason to be gloomy if she looks at her life and sees her predicament. However, she takes a positive spin on things, and while that may have eventually gotten her killed, she lived life with hope and optimism. I thought that was one of the bigger points that Lispector was trying to get across.
My assigned group was group 7 (page 18-19ish) and we found lots of patterns that have to do with social class of not only Clarice, but also Macabéa. At the beginning of our passage we have the quote "I am a man who possesses more money than those who go hungry..." which could be a reference to how she was often thought of a man, since OBVIOUSLY no woman could ever write books as eloquent as she did. Although we also felt as though it also could be an insight to the social hierarchy at the time, as only men would have influence to speak about social issues or have any influence on the perception of society. This talk about society continues and Clarice talks about how she does not belong to a social class. "The upper class consider me a strange creature, the middle classes regard me with suspicion, afraid that I might unsettle them, while the lower class avoid me." We thought that this quote could represent how much of an outsider Clarice was in her own society, but also how she had no commitment/bias when writing this to satisfy any classes expectations. Earlier in the passage she says that she "writes by ear" which is close to a term I am familiar with in music which is "play by ear." This is pretty self explanatory, but basically anything you hear, you play, without filter and an exact (hopefully) copy of what is playing around you. In this case "writing by ear" could be stating that she wrote with no filter to the world around her and spoke of everything purely without once again, any bias, leaving only the facts and without obligation to a class, this would be made even easier. Throughout the passage there is also many mentions of a "girl from the North-east", which gives us the idea that location probably segregates not only economic status, but also social, and is an important aspect in Macabéa's life as it would be to anyone at that time. There is also an abundance of comments about "misfortunes" and "despair"(general sad boy words), giving a strong tone to the story and emphasizing the hardships that would have been present at the time. With all these references to class and a social hierarchy, it could allow the reader to not only understand the backstory of Macabéa, but it also gives a purpose to the whole book and Clarice's reasons for writing it, as it highlights evident problems in society around her. Even with this, our passage was pretty specific about social class and I was wondering if anyone also found that their passage focused on society, but in another specific aspect?
ReplyDelete- Mia Hopkins
Written by Kyle:
DeleteHow the narrator announces his presence throughout the book is indeed very interesting. You mentioned how he refers to himself as having more money than those who go hungry; is that really a good thing or something to be proud of? That statement shows that he is not very generous with his money and that he believes that he is in a much higher class than them where it’s not even worth it to help out a little. That statement in itself just addresses the power that he possesses. The narrator’s commentary throughout the story really made me question how much of these thoughts or details can be tied back to Lispector. I know this is an experimental novel, but to write as a female author while using the perspective of a male narrator to tell the story about a poor Brazilian girl was an interesting choice.
In the section of the book that I had to read for the group, Lispector says: “What Macabea wanted most of all, as I’ve already said, was to look like Marilyn Monroe.” This is another example of the narrator pretty much completely injecting himself into the narrative, especially by using command terms like Ï. He likes to refer to himself and tie Macabea’s story back to him which shows a little bit of power in itself. While Macabea is the main character in this story, Rodrigo is an interesting persona as well and may be more complex than the girl herself.
Written by Kyle:
ReplyDeleteIn the presentations given last class, what I found the most intriguing was the idea of experimental novels. I believe that it is funny that Hour of the Star is still referred to as one of these even four decades after it was published. I didn’t really like the way that it was written as it became too confusing and muddled in words, but it introduced some elements that really added to the story and got the reader to think.
Another thing I found interesting is how Lispector's heritage played an important role in adding to the deeper meaning of the story. The fact that the main characters name is Macabea, which is named after the maccabees (Jewish warriors) is kinda ironic as Macabea is anything, but a warrior or brave and she really doesn’t really represent any of that. But the fact that Lispector drew on her Jewish heritage for some form of inspiration really added to the depth of the novel. She also placed the story in Rio De Janeiro, a place where she lived for so long. I believe that she does this because she sees these situations that Macabea goes through all the time and she wanted to get that point across to readers. And once again, it all drew on her heritage. The presentations that were given really helped me get deeper insight on the story, and it was a good introductory activity to do as it helped me put together deeper pieces that i never thought about.
Written by Kyle:
ReplyDeleteOne part of this story that was pretty interesting and we talked about last class was how the narrator--Rodrigo S.M-- plays into the narrative and how he adds intrigue to the story. Apart from whatever Michael McCann did with his accent, I believe that having the story be told from a narrators perspective was a pretty weird decision in how they wrote it. I know it's supposed to be an experimental novel, but still. The narrative of the story doesn't really begin until a chapter or two in which is a strange decision. I believe that the narrator is Lispector's way of introducing a bunch of existential ideas that cannot be easily woven into the story, or are in the story, but readers are not that inclined to pick up on if they read it by themselves. The inner monologue that Rodrigo gives is informative, but also pretty depressing as he describes Macabea's terrible situation and says such negative things about her and women in genera. Could Lispector have taken on this tone because of the time she wrote the story in to kind of tease the readers and show them that she can conform to how they want authors to write stories? It seems like Rodrigo might play into the inner thoughts of the type of reader who would pick up this type of novel. Overall, I believe having Rodrigo S.M is a necessary admission, but the way she interweaves his thoughts in the story are a little confusing and it can be kind of hard to interpret why she wants this perspective in the story in the first place.
In response to topic #4, one of the biblical references I found is the quotes “Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born.” (page 11) I think most people are familiar with the first lines of Genesis stating
ReplyDelete"[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
The similarity between these is evident in the fact that both involve some sort of speech or decision in the creation of our life and planet. This thought already sparks ideas into the philosophies being demonstrated in Hour of the Star. While they may not be looking up to God themselves, Macabéa beings to represent that role in her society. As both Jesus and Macabéa come from a place of disadvantage, they are both looked down upon, her for her social class, and Jesus for his CRAZY ideas. In their death, there are even more similarities when Macabéa dies, and we have the quote "Could this be some muted earthquake? The land of Alagoas had opened in gaping cracks." (page 80) From what I see, this could allude to the similarities between the quote from Matthew in the Bible stating "....the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." (Matthew 17.51-52). In this, the destruction of the temple, a holy place, signifies his sacrifice for our sins. While Macabéa may not be dying for our sins, she is a representation of the life she came from, poor and insignificant in the eyes of others. Her death was a symbol of the social class and hierarchy that was Rio at the time.
- Mia Hopkins
Written by Kyle:
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of concepts that had to do with time and the universe in the section I was assigned to read for my group. Lispector does a good job throughout the story of setting up and describing how miserable Macabea’s life is, yet also how she tends to look past the negatives while just enjoying her life. She seems like a much more happy-go-lucky person than I am.
For example, her misery was introduced in my section on page 61 when Lispector wrote: “She was a lost cause. And even sadness was the privilege of the rich, of those who could afford it. Sadness was a luxury.” That entire quote seems to be a juxtaposition. How do sadness and privilege even go together in the same sentence? Yet it also illustrates how Macabea looks at life. I believe that this means that people, like Macabea, who have nothing tend to be more grateful for anything they can get their hands on and for any bit of fortune. People who are rich can be more picky and aren’t as grateful which is why they get sad about the little things that someone like Macabea might be grateful for.
On page 62 Lispector states: “Peace was soon restored between them and Macabea continued to be happy thinking about nothing.” That’s the first quote that really has to do with time in my section and takes place after Macabea has a little bit of a verbal disagreement with Gloria. Macabea seems to relish time and that is made evident from the fact that she was happy just thinking about nothing; she was essentially just enjoying the moment, something that people in today's day and age just do not do enough. Another quote that backs that up is this: “She liked to feel the passage of time. She did not possess a watch, and perhaps for that very reason, she relished the infinity of time.” If one does not care about the time then they might be happier because that definetely would reduce both anxiety or stress. I don’t know how she would like to feel the passage of time because that means getting older, but just acknowledging the infinity of it is already a pretty big existentialist idea in itself. Overall, my section talked a lot about time and how Macabea just enjoyed living in the moment. And just like the end of the story, who really knows how much time you have left on the planet.
I like your perspective on time, I think that the author really makes a statement throughout the book about the idea of time. Lispector is saying that as time goes on that we're approaching mortality, and in the case of Macabea, she lives in the moment. Her mortality isn't on the forefront of her thoughts.
DeleteThat was written by Sarah M.
DeleteHeads up: I'm going to be posting all of the blogs I have missed - Sarah M
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entire book Lispector talks alot about what it means to live a life or questions what life is. In my passage, (6) the author really touched on how harsh life can really be and how there is so much yet to discover about what it means to live a life. “How I should love to hear the pealing of bells in order to work up some enthusiasm as I decipher reality.” (17). This quote relays how complicated life is. Sometimes we don’t want to think about it because the truth can be harder to deal with than accepting reality. “For she had reduced herself to herself. After successive failures, I have also reduced myself, but I still want to discover the world and its God.” (18). This also explains how there is so much that we don’t know about life. Existentialism really highlights that there is no handbook that will tell you how to live your life, that’s your own decision. Still, you have to accept that as the truth and move on from there. Even though the world is cruel, there is still so much to learn about and so many opportunities to take.
ReplyDelete(Blog #2, Sarah M)
“They aren’t even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence.” (14).(Also, vocab word). This quote really highlights the main theory of existentialism, that no one on this earth was put here for a certain purpose. Life is indifferent and it’s up to the person living it to give it a purpose. There is no predisposed way that one should go about their life, that is what choices are for. As humans we have the freedom to choose, and with those choices we forget our own path. I really like this quote because, while harsh, it’s said so blatantly. Usually people are too afraid to say what they really think, but here the author is making a statement, saying that this is the truth whether we accept it or not.
ReplyDelete(Blog #3, Sarah M)
ReplyDeleteSince I have already blogged on topic 4, I thought I would blog on topic 5. There are many instances in the novella where Rodrigo views himself as a high being and dehumanizes Macabea. “Because, I, too am a man of hosannas and perhaps one day I shall intone praises instead of the 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 flavor of the host.” (19). “Also wearing threadbare clothes. I am doing all of this to put myself on the same footing as the girl from the North-east.” (19). “To be frank, I am holding her destiny in my hands and yet I am powerless to invent with freedom.” (20). “Yet I have no intention of adorning the word, for were I to touch the girl’s bread, that bread would turn to gold.” (15). “So I must express myself simply to capture her delicate and shadowy existence. With humility I confine myself.” (15). Rodrigo feels that he has all of this power because he is holding Macabea under his control. He believes that she is lesser than him and that he has some sort of responsibility of telling her story, even though he can never understand what it means to be her. It goes along with the discussion about telling someone else’s story. Rodrigo thinks that by adopting the appearance of the impoverished he somehow understands. It is the same thing we see today. The poor are viewed as lesser than. Social and economic status are the only things that people care about, not character. This is represented in the different instances where Rodrigo puts down Macabea.
(Blog #4, Sarah M)
Dearest Kyle,
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book Hour of the Star, Clarice scatters references to composers, instruments, and musical terms. Starting in the beginning, we have the quote "To Death and Transfiguration, in which Richard Strauss predicts my fate." While this may just be seen as foreshadowing to Macabéa's death or Rodrigo's angsty personality, I find that it also is the start of many of Rodrigo's materialistic ideas. The word transfiguration appears on page 20 in "The action of this story will result in my transfiguration into someone else and in my ultimate materialization into an object." which overall is a strange quote, but it also shows how burdened he feels to write, as he claims it is his duty, especially in Hour of the Star. With this feeling, being changed into an object would not require him to do any searching into self-discovery or meaning, giving him one purpose. Coming back to music, which is notably emotional and human gives the opposite effect and shows the amount of potential and expressions that are possible in exploring emotions and life. With this, Hour of the Star also mentions the 12-tone scale. The 12-tones in this scale make up every pitch in music, every song, and every idiom, and while Clarice gives a list of composers, and compositions at the beginning which all evoke different feelings, they all hold rearrangements of the chromatic 12 tones. This reference can show how humans, all alike, through discovery, can live vastly different lives by the way they chose to express and find themselves.
- Mia Hopkins