My passage was #2, which is basically the opening few paragraphs of the Hour of the Star. It begins with an anecdote that explains that, in the opinion of the novel’s fictitious author Rodrigo S.M., “everything in the world began with a yes” (Lispector 11). Here, Lispector could be getting at the idea that everything in the universe, in everything in existence had to receive a “right-of-way” of sorts or in effect: a yes to go ahead and happen or be created. Although that sounds sort of deep and mysterious, it is more simple than it appears in that even though questions like “how did the universe begin” yield relatively inconclusive, unprovable answers, thinking and deducing that the everything had a cause of a “yes” is logical and worthwhile because of its simplification of this deep topic. Anyway, the passage goes on to mention Rodrigo’s opposition to the word and idea of happiness (possibly existentialist?). He concludes that the idea is foolish and invented by Brazilian girls from the “north-east” whatever that may mean. Overall, Rodrigo (or Lispector - one could argue either way) states everything in a very matter-of-fact manner. He has very strong opinions regarding philosophies of existence and the beginning of time, which he explains in a way as if they are truth. However, Rodrigo acknowledges that the answers to such questions are still impossible to determine. He actually embraces this fact and says, “So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing” (11). In this way, Rodrigo is a relatively complex character, although at this point in the story, he is the only character revealed.
Throughout the second passage, Lispector uses an excessive amount of parallelism in order to emphasize the ideas and thoughts of Rodrigo S.M. Although the narrator is conscious of his emotions, he seems very confused, perhaps battling through existentialist philosophies. For example, he states how there cannot possibly be a beginning because for every event, there had been another event that occurred. Yet, he then mentions that ‘God is the world’. In Genesis of the Bible, the initial phrase of the first verse is ‘In the Beginning’. He juxtaposes these two opposites into a satire against religion. Something I found particularly ironic in this introduction was when Rodrigo says, “I don not intend to write anything complicated, although I am obliged to use words to sustain you. The story - I have decided with and illusion of free will…” (13). Free will is ironic because in society, factors beyond human control contribute to one’s life. I believe that the message Lispector is trying to convey is that humans are under the illusion that they have complete control over their lives, when in reality, their minds act impulsively based on experiences of the past such as laws or negative/positive things that have happened to others.
6. Why does the author sometimes use “He”/”She” when Macabéa and Olímpico are talking, but sometimes use just a hyphen? Why in some places, but not in others?
Clarice Lispector could have used this style for a number of reasons, but I see it mostly as a means of explaining the insignificance present in the conversations that Macabéa and Olímpico have. It becomes clear early in the novel that Olímpico is not a very great guy, and he repeatedly is inconsiderate to Macabéa just because he feels like it. He really feels no remorse for any action that he ever commits meaning that he is a sociopath of sorts. Because of this, the relationship that Macabéa and Olímpico goes nowhere and is, much like Macabéa’s whole life (or at least as it is depicted by Rodrigo S.M.), fairly meaningless. Lispector’s use of He/She can therefore be argued to metaphorically reference this insignificance. Basically, it does not matter who is saying what since their lives or the story about their lives would remain largely the same.
11. Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabéa?
I think Macabéa is the protagonist, as the story is mostly about her and not Rodrigo. Even though Rodrigo talks in a first person style and is a part of the story in a weird, omniscient, God-like way, he is only the storyteller of the main narrative, which features Macabéa as the “star” of the show (of course in reference to the one of the titles). In addition, Macabéa is a more dynamic character, as she becomes truly happy towards the end of the novel; this is a quality not shown as thoroughly in Rodrigo.
14. How are the philosophical thoughts reflected in Rodrigo’s narration?
Rodrigo’s writing style weaves in the philosophical thoughts swirling around in his head to produce this stream-of-conscious work. He seemingly narrates as he feels and provides plenty commentary on the side. Much of this commentary deals with a number of different philosophies including many on the creation and continuation of the existence of all things; this is pretty heavy stuff! He seems to enjoy discussing the topics and invites the notion that people cannot get the answers to these deep questions. However, he contradicts that previous statement by spouting off his fantastic philosophies as if they are completely true. Rodrigo is one mysterious guy.
After reading passage number five and discussing it with my group, many ideas and details drew my attention. One of the main themes that my group thought the narrator was trying to present to the readers was the idea of how ‘people act before they think’. There were many details as to why we chose this theme, but the most important ones that we thought were more evident were the amount of times in the short passage that the narrator would say one thing and then totally contradict himself. This happened many times within only a few short sentences even. For example, in the third paragraph he writes, “facts are hard stones and I am much more interested in action than in meditation”(16). Then in the fourth paragraph he writes, “In no sense and intellectual, I write with my body”(16). We noticed how it was very common for the narrator to completely contradict things that he himself had written and this is one reason we thought he was trying to convey a theme how people act before they think. Another reason is how he would quite often change the subject in which he was talking about frequently, making it confusing and difficult for the reader to follow and comprehend. It was almost as if the narrator himself was slightly confused in exactly where he was trying to go forward with the story, so it made the reader more confused as well. He would even say things like “I have no idea how this story will end”(16) which showed how he was confused and almost seemed to be writing for no reason. I was wondering why he continued to write if he had no direct purpose as to what he was going to share with the audience other than facts about a girl. Another thing that our group discovered was how the narrator seemed to present the idea of how it is human instinct to automatically complicate things that are simple. The narrator says, “what I am about to write cannot be assimilated by minds that expect much and crave sophistication”(16). Reading this was not difficult to comprehend, but the rest of the writing in the passage took a lot of thinking about and analysis to make sense of.
My passage from The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector was passage #6. In this section, the narrator discusses his reasons for writing this story. In this passage Lispector characterizes the narrator as egotistical by utilizing anaphora and similes. Throughout the entire passage, there is a constant repetition of ‘I’ and ‘I am’. This passage is about why he is writing about the girl from the North-east, yet he mentions himself more than the girl. This gives the idea that the girl is irrelevant and how he views himself as more important than her. The idea that he views himself as above the girl is consistant throughout the entire novel, as he mentions himself more than Macabea. Lispector also uses similes to characterize the narrator as egocentric, “I tend to write with bold, severe strokes like a painter,”(Lispector, 17). The narrator describes his writing style as a painter. Painters create beautiful works of art and that is definitely not what his book is. He is glorifying his writing, when it's not even about the subject he set out to write about. Along with the simile in this quote there is also consonance of ‘t’ and ‘s’ sounds. The ‘t’ sound in “tend to write” has a harsh sound to it. This is juxtaposed with the soft ‘s’ sounds in “severe strokes”. This contradiction of soft and harsh adds to the contradiction in many experimental novels. Also, the contradiction uncertainty and unreliability of the narrator. This relate to how he says that he is going to write about the girl but actually writes about himself.
The introduction of this novel is lengthy and confusing. Rodrigo goes off on multiple tangents about the girl, philosophy, the world, himself, etc. It seems as though he writes more about what he is writing instead of actually telling the story. When the narrator introduces the girl from the north east for the first time, he explains how he is allowed to be cold and harsh because she is one of the many insignificant women of this society. Lispector writes, “ The person of whom I am about to speak is so simple minded that she often smiles at other people on the streets. No one acknowledges her smile for they don’t even notice her. Coming back to myself: what I am about to write cannot be assimilated by minds that expect much and crave sophistication” (16). Rodrigo warns readers about the bland novel he is about to write. I believe the point of the introduction is to justify the difficulty of writing about a girl who no one cares about. No matter how hard he endeavors to give the girl significance, he is unable to due to his existentialist views.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico?
Olimpico was an abusive boyfriend who consistently mistreated Macabea. Also, he ended up leaving her for her best friend Gloria which doesn’t help his character at all. Despite his nasty personality, I believe Macabea loved Olimpico because he was the only man who ever gave her attention. He gave Macabea worth as a woman. She claims, “Olimpico is mine, but you are sure to find yourself another boyfriend. I know that Olimpico is mine because the fortune teller told me so” (69). No one else would ever love someone as insignificant as her, thus she got attached to him no matter what.
Was Macabea happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? Is she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
I believe that Macabea is unhappy with herself because she tried extremely hard to avoid unhappiness. When she looks at herself in the mirror, Rodrigo informs the audience of how “she is a girl who has never seen her naked body because she is much too embarrassed” (22). Women often get insecure about their bodies because they believe it is the only way man notices them which essentially gives them worth. The fact that Macabea refuses to look at herself naked displays her unhappiness because it shows her fear. She is afraid that looking at her flaws will bring her into a pitiful and depressive state. Later on, Rodrigo says “There wasn’t a trace of human misery in the girl”(38). Macabea has a terrible life. but , it is her ignorance that allows her to avoid the fact that she is unhappy. As readers, I don’t think we are suppose to feel sorry for her because she is unaware of truth and unable to accept the absurd.
What is the significance of dying a virgin?
The purpose of sex is to reproduce and to experience the highest intimacy a human can have with another individual. With Macabea dying as a virgin, it proves that her life was truly meaningless. She was unable to pass down genes that remain in the world and she was unable to have an intimate relationship with another partner. Although it may seem tragic, the fact is, Macabea had no one who truly cared about her. Macabea lies on the gravel and thinks, “ For only now did she understand that a woman is born a woman from the first wail at birth. A woman’s destiny is to be a woman.” (84). Macabea was unable to fulfill her duty as a women. She was unable to bore even a single child. Rodrigo ends this thought with the question of “Did she crave a future?...Yes, it is so”(84). She craved a future because she died incomplete.
In the second passage Lispector introduces the narrator and uses details about his life to introduce the novel. Rodrigo speaks mainly about his views on life. From the text used, my partner and I concluded that he may be religious in a sense because of the various biblical references. The first paragraph addresses his belief that the whole universe started with a yes. Lispector writes, “But before prehistory there was the prehistory of the prehistory and there was the never and there was the yes” (11). When first reading this, I thought he meant that things will always agree and that there is a ‘fate’ to every event. Later it says, “If this history does not exist, it will come to exist” (11). Again, this line supports the idea that Rodrigo believes in fate and that life has a predetermined path that it is going to take. If things haven’t happened yet, they will, but in their own time. It also says, “God is the world. The truth is always some inner power without explanation” (12). Literally, this statement could mean that God has decided the world and the people and the fate, therefore He is the world. Based off of this sentence, it would be clear that Rodrigo is religious. However, due to much of the other book being an illusion to its literal appearance, I feel that this may not be the correct interpretation. It was hard to analysis this section of the book when so much of it was contradicting and ambiguous in its intent.
Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabea?
Rodrigo is the protagonist of this story. The entire novel is told from his point of view, and he talks about Macabea not as a real person, but more as a character that he delicately created in his imagination. He describes her in a way that seems that he is the only one that can see her, yet she is the most common of her kind. Many of his views about women, happiness and life are portrayed through Macabea. In the introduction, Rodrigo talks about his disbelief of happiness and how he believes “we are one of the same person... lacking that essential essence”, however tells the story of a girl who is the epitome of happiness despite her current life situation. If this is only a look into Rodrigo's mind and the story is Macabea is only a tale from his head, then her dead would support the idea that happiness does not exist. If Roderigo believes that all people are one person and that there is no existence of happiness, then Macabea must die because she is happy without cause, and that is something unreal in Rodrigo’s mind.
What is the significance of the beginning, where Rodrigo talks about the beginning of the world? How does that relate to the rest of the story?
Rodrigo talks a lot about how “God is the world” and his belief that happiness does not exist. He also contradicts himself a lot and there is a lot of irony in what he saying and how he continues on to tell the story of Macabea. Overall, the significance of the introduction was to display Rodrigo's, or Lispector's, belief that all people are the same at their core, and fate controls our destiny. Macabea, however, is a seemingly insignificant girl who plays no major role in her life, work, or community in general. Her sad life contradicts her happy demeanor and plays as an exception to Rodrigo's initial beliefs. This girl is important to him because she displays the innate spirit that he wishes him and the rest of the world could possess, that “essential essence”, which ultimately is happiness. So Roderigo tells this story of Macabea and as her life finally comes to a tragic and abrupt end, this is where the story comes full circle with the introduction, the ‘yes’ that was the start and end. Rodrigo believes happiness does not exist, Macabea is happy, people are one in the same, Macabea is not, therefore Macabea’s fate is death because she does not follow the theme of live as Roderigo perceives it to be. He also believes that fate is the reason the ‘essential essence’, happiness, does not exist. Macabea, a rare person possessing this joyous essence, dies and as a result, the world and the people continue on without her and her spirit.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico?
Reading this book, I wasn’t always sure why Macabea stayed with Olimpico. He was an arrogant, abusive man who didn’t much care for Macabea, yet she did not fight him. Part of the reason she stayed with him was due to her worthlessness. Roderigo explained her as someone nobody wanted, yet for some reason, Olimpico wanted to be with her, at least for a short time. He was never kind to her, but they only parted when he left her for Gloria. If Macabea was treated as worthless as she was described, she might have felt valued by Olimpico and enjoyed what little attention he gave her. IF she has never known true love, and Olimpico was all she had, I can understand why she did not blame him for his crude actions and chose to love him instead.
Biblical References: 1. Rodrigo quote: “he who is not poor in terms of money is poor in spirit... for he lacks something more precious than gold” (Lispector 12) This quote says that although Macabea isn't rich or has a luxurious lifestyle, she still has a strong spirit and has faith which is much more valuable than anything money could buy. This sounds awfully similar to what Jesus and other biblical prophets said about faith. 2. One of the most obvious biblical references in Hour of the Star is “the sacred heart of Jesus” that is in Madame Carlota’s room (Lispector 72). This heart represents Jesus’s divine love for humanity and its suffering. Madame Carlotta tells Macabea how Jesus helped her when she was poor and suffering. This is interesting because Macabea has no idea that she is suffering yet she prays often and is still poor and viewed as an outcast in society 3. Quote by Rodrigo: “I want to be both pig and hen”. This is a reference to one of John’s parables: the hen, the cat, and the pig. The hen finds a grain of corn and asks the others if they will help plant it, they refuse, so the hen does it alone. She then asks who will help cut the corn, mill it into flour, and bake it into bread, again the others refuse. However, when the hen asks who will help eat the bread, the animals all want to help, but the hen does not give them any. This story teaches the importance of hard work and God rewarding you for that work. Rodrigo wishes to be a hard worker but also wants to be able to be rewarded without doing anything. 4. Rodrigo references Macabea's roommates as four Marias: Maria de Penha, Maria Aparecida, Maria Jose, and just Maria. These represent the different Marys throughout the bible: Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, a highly devoted follower of Jesus in his lifetime, and Mary of Clopas, the mother of James and Joseph. Similar to the Marys in the Bible, who followed Jesus almost everywhere he went, the Marias represent followers of Macabea. Macabea is shown as spiritually content with her life, just as Jesus was in his lifetime. 5. Quote from the radio clock Macabea was listening to: “repent in Christ and He will give you great joy” (Lispector, 37). Much of biblical teachings in Jesus’ age of time frequently used teachings like these. Saying that if you admit that you are wrong and that you sin, you will be saved by God and have everlasting life.
Even though I’m a Jesus freak myself and have an eye for biblical allusions in the Hour of the Star, it’s extremely obvious that they are well integrated into the structure of this novel to anyone. He’s some examples:
“With humility I confine myself - without talking too much fuss about my humility for then it would no longer be humility” (15). Humbleness manifests as a key characteristic of Jesus. In the bible, Jesus, or God, calls humans to be humble in their actions so they can better love one another and bring attention not to themselves but the one who has given them glory - god. Lispector seems to utilize humility in order to justify that he is trying to censor the horrific events of this novel. Yet, through it, it becomes difficult, because the more he tries to succumb to humility, the further he becomes distant with the trait.
“This alarms me, for I am afraid of losing my sense of order and plunging into an abyss resounding with cries and shrieks: the Hell of human freedom” (36). An Adam and Eve classic. Human freedom and desire is the what initially separated man’s relationship with God. Rodrigo states, “the Hell of human freedom” because free will against God’s wishes and demands corrupts the peace of his kingdom. Henceforth, human freedom is hell.
“She heard the message: ‘ Repent in Christ and He will give you great joy’. So she decided to repent. Not quite knowing what she had to repent of, the girl from the North-East repented everything. The preacher added that vengeance is a deadly sin. So she sought no revenge”(37). In the biblical sense, repenting to God meant confessing one’s sins to show one’s need for his forgiveness and love. Rodrigo uses this allusion to criticize Macabea’s ignorance. Although she is physically repenting, she is simply doing so because a radio station told her. “Repenting to God” isn’t suppose to work if one truly does not believe that he/she is wrong and needs help. Thus, Macabea failed to face her true unhappiness.
“Ah merry month of May, abandon me no more!...the seventh of May… ‘I agree but it’s the name my mother gave me because of a vow she made to Our Lady of Sorrows.” (42-43). This might be a bit of a stretch, especially because the Catholic religion isn’t quite in my expertise, but I believe Lispector alludes to Our Lady of Sorrows (no duh), but more specifically, her seven sorrows. In Catholicism, they have a feast for Mary in order to share her sufferings so that the church may also be unified through each one’s suffering. Here, Macabea doesn’t realize that “Mary” wants her to admit to her suffering. The whole purpose of this novel is for one to realize they are unhappy and find contentment with admitting to the fact that they are unhappy.
“No one would teach her how to die one day: yet one day she would surely die as if she had already learned by heart how to play the starring role. For at the hour of death you become a celebrated film star, it is a moment of glory for everyone, when the choral music scales the top notes” (28). The passage correlates to the crucifixion of Jesus. By saying that one already knows that one day she would die, not only relate to how Jesus already knew his plan of getting hanged, but to how everyone’s lives are predestined, therefore there must be a God. When Jesus died, it acted as a symbol for sacrificing himself for human sin. Because he died on the cross, humans are able to be forgiven and relieved of their past lives. Rodrigo uses this allusion to foreshadow the death of Macabea. It will become the most important moment of her life, but it is also already written without physically being written; Macabea’s death is fate.
I do not know many Biblical stories, but here are a collection of quotes I found regarding spirituality as a whole. The first Biblical quote I found is more about spirituality in general and specifically, prayer. Lispector writes, “Prayer was a means of confronting myself in silence away from the gaze of others. As I prayed i emptied my soul” (Lispector 14). Rodrigo S.M. never explicitly says that he a Christian, but with this quote and others, he gives the impression of being quite spiritual. He describes prayer as a very freeing experience; nothing else matters when he performs the prayer. He feels that he is “away from the gaze of others,” so as to say that he cannot feel judgement when he is praying. Rodrigo later explains, “each thing is a word. And when there is no word, it must be invented. This God of yours who commanded us to invent” (17). This quote reflects Rodrigo’s trait of spirituality but non-belief in Christianity. He says “this God of yours” (referring to the reader) to reflect his ideology that many others believe in God, but he does not. Nevertheless, he is intent on God’s will for humans to invent and create things. This aligns with the story of Adam and Eve in which God instructed them to populate the Earth with humans. Rodrigo repeatedly questions many topics in religion and philosophy and does so in a quote midway through the novel saying, “Whom was she questioning? God? She did not think about God, nor did God think about her. God belongs to those who succeed in pinning Him down. God appears in a moment of distraction” (26). This goes back to the point of Rodrigo being spiritual but not necessarily Christian. He does not seem to believe in God and implies that Macabéa has no notion of Him either. Macabéa does not really question anyone in particular and has no sense of direction in her life. She has no idea what it means to have a full life, but she does not really seem to care. She just goes on living in a sort of existentialist manner, not happy nor sad. Soon after the last quote, Rodrigo goes on in his unfortunately mysterious way writing, “The anonymous girl of this story is so ancient that she could be described as Biblical. She was subterranean and had never really flowered. I am telling a lie: she was wild grass” (30). Here, Rodrigo references Macabéa as a very old-fashioned type of person (so old that she is from Biblical times). She has no idea what it means to act in society. Everything, to her, is just unnatural and unfamiliar. This seems to be where he is going with “she… had never really flowered,” as she cannot overcome her feelings of unfamiliarity with the world. At the end of this quote, Rodrigo throws in some of his classic contradiction by flat-out saying that he lied. He could have done this to give a more natural tone. In the second half of the novel, Rodrigo explains that Macabéa, “prayed mechanically, she felt so grateful. It wasn’t gratitude to God. Macabéa was only repeating what she had learned as a child” (55). This quote ties back into Macabéa’s lack of spirituality. She prays, and yet prays to nobody in particular and in an unnatural, “mechanical” way. She does not really seem to think for herself as she only “repeats what she had learned as a child.” Macabéa just kind of goes through the motions like Meursault from The Stranger. This fits with much of the other aspects of her existentialist nature.
He does not reveal her name until halfway through the book. Rodrigo’s choice of not revealing Macabéa’s name until page 43 of the novel, makes reference to his lack of respect for her. In effect, he basically is indicating that her name does not matter. This can certainly be considered degrading and disrespectful; generally, it is nice to know a person’s name whom you know so much about.
“I, too, feel no pity for my main character, the girl from the North-east: I want my story to be cold and impartial” (13). Rodrigo says, multiple times in fact, that he wants to be cold, unbiased, and pitiless in this book. While I suppose that impartiality is important to telling a non-fiction news article, it is not necessarily required for a piece about a girl whose fate is in the writer’s, in this case Rodrigo, hands. Rodrigo feels no sadness for her death or horrible life. Maybe he is just a sociopath.
“Nobody desires her. She is a harmless virgin whom nobody needs” (14). This is one of the many times in which Rodrigo insults some trait of Macabéa’s. He particularly comments on her body frequently, often noting her ugly appearance. While this is quite mean and cold-hearted to say, he probably thinks nothing of it since he is, after all, going for that “impartial” vibe.
“Her general appearance was grimy for she rarely washed” (26). Rodrigo again insults one of her character traits in this passage. His objectivity is somewhat shocking; nobody in their right mind would say that to someone’s face. On that note, I feel that Rodrigo can be this cold because he never speaks with Macabéa or any of the other character’s (is he even a person at all?). Because of this he feels no remorse for his endless judgemental comments.
“Her life was so monotonous that by the end of the day she could no longer remember what had happened that same morning” (33). This quote shines a light on how awful Macabéa’s life truly is. It is so bad that she does not know one time from the next. The reader here most likely feels compelled to feel sorry for Macabéa in that her life is truly awful. However, when reading this book, the objectivity of Rodrigo makes the reader feel less empathy for the reader because he writes this in such a nonchalant tone (“her life sucks, but whatever”).
“At heart, Macabéa was little better than a music box sadly out of tune” (86). This quote is from the last page of the novel. Here, Lispector (or Rodrigo) sums up the awful nature of Macabéa’s life. She throws in one of the many music references and metaphors here by pretty much saying that everything about Macabéa’s life was off. It is a sad way to describe someone’s whole life and is one of the many moments in which Macabéa is brutally dehumanized.
On several occasions, the narrator dehumanizes Macabea, here are several examples of times the narrator dehumanizing Macabea. “The person whom I am about to write about is so simple minded that she often smiles at other people on the street. No one acknowledges her smile for they don’t even notice her,” (16). Normally, smiling to people on the street is a characterization of a kind and friendly person and has a positive connotation. In this case, the narrator uses it to dehumanize Macabea. He describes her attempts at making connections and being friendly as sad because he believes that she isn’t worth being noticed.
“ Gosh that sounds like the name of a disease...a skin disease,” (43). This is the first mention of Macabea’s name when she is not being referred to as ‘the girl from the north-east’ or just ‘the girl. This is significant because he believes that her name is not that important to mention. When he finally does mention it, he chooses to describe her name as a disease. This further dehumanizes Macabea.
“This tale about a diet of hot dogs is pure neurosis. What you need is a psychiatrist!”(67). This is dehumanizing because this is her diet, and she is being called insane for eating hot dogs? Did the narrator really need to say that? Is a diet of hot dogs completely crazy?
“I swear nothing could be done for her. Believe me, I would help her if I could. I realize that in saying that my typist has a diseased body, I am saying something much more offensive than any obscenity. (It’s as good as saying a healthy dog is worth more),”(34-35). This is another example of how the narrator dehumanizes Macabea. The first thing that I noticed was the fact that he uses the word diseased to describe Macabea. Another thing that I noticed was the parentheses at the end of this quote. First of all he compares Macabea to a dog, which is very dehumanizing.
“The girl didn’t know that she existed, just as a dog doesn’t know that it’s a dog,”(27). This is a clear example of how the narrator dehumanizes Macabea because of the clear comparison of her to a dog. Another example of how the narrator dehumanizes Macabea is that he she was happy not being conscious of her existence.
6.“Don’t forget, in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries,’(86). I know you’re probably thinking “what the heck Sarah? Strawberries aren’t dehumanizing”, but I promise I have a point. This book, while sometimes struggling, was about the story of Macabea. In the last few pages, we discover that Macabea is killed. The narrator basically undermines Macabea’s life by changing the subject from her death to an abrupt ending about strawberries. He is just saying that there are more important things than Macabea, even small, simple things like strawberries.
Is macabea happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all? In this story I believe that macabea is truly happy, or so she thinks she is for the majority of the time. The only part of the novel where I felt she was not happy was after she got her fortune read to her. Although throughout the whole story, Olimpico was trying to convince her of how irrelevant her life was to the rest of the world, I feel that she didn't let that change how she felt about her life. Overall, macabea is happy to herself, but to others she seems as if she would not be very content with the life that she lives. In a sense, I feel like the readers are supposed to feel sorry for her. However, the readers don't, because she herself is content. She could have changed her life to live more excitingly and appeal more to the readers, but she didn’t feel sorry for herself which in essence didn't make the readers feel sorry for her either. What does Macabea’s death represent? How does it fit in with the overall message of the book? The idea of the “absurd” is a common the men in this book. Macabea’s death represents how no one has a purpose in the world. I feel as if Macabea knew this and that contributed to why she was so content with her life, thought others weren't. What does Macabea’s death represent? How does it fit in with the overall message of the book? Macabea’s death represents the absurd. This is why throughout the entire book, her life was so boring and ‘meaningless’ from a reader’s viewpoint. However, to Macabea, her life was perfectly fine and she was content. This is because she had accepted the idea of the absurd and accepted how she was not important and didn’t have a purpose in the world.
Whether derived from jealousy, pity, or complete disgust, Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabea on many accounts. First off, he refers to her as simple body parts instead of a human with emotion, He writes, “Her vagina is the only vehement sign of her existence” (70) and “Macabea, you’re like a hair in one’s soup. It’s enough to make anyone lose their appetite” (60). By stating that Macabea’s importance lies solely on what can give him pleasure, he treats her as an object, unworthy of him. This gives off somewhat of a creepy sense, that he may raped her because he is so focused on her body parts and doesn’t care about the devastation she may feel afterwards. Also, a hair is a soup is a rather annoying simile. Once hair is in one’s food, it is perceived as dirty and unworthy to eat. Here, Rodrigo emphasizes how the girl is disgusting to everyone, unwanted, and unworthy. Another example of edible imagery in order to objectify Macabea is when he states that “No one paid any attention to her on the street, for she was as appetizing as cold coffee” (27). Thousands of people crave a comforting cup of coffee in the morning, afternoons, and even at night! The warmth relaxes the body and allows someone to get through the day. Yet, when the cup is chilled, it no longer becomes tasty and unsuitable for providing joy. It immediately becomes a nuisance. Thus, the narrator correlated Macabea to cold coffee in order to exemplify that she doesn’t provide delight to anyone. In addition, the narrator alludes Macabea to “dirty” things of nature. He mentions that “She has clung to my skin like some vicious glue or contaminating mud.” (21) and“Meanwhile, Macabea was nothing but a vague sentiment lying on the dirt paving stones” (83). Glue, especially super glue, manifests as an annoyance to humans. It creates a mess, and is difficult to get off. Rodrigo mentions Macabea as glue because she is stuck in his mind and no matter how hard he tries to get rid of the thought of her, it is a difficult task. When he mentions her as a vague sentiment lying on the dirt pavement, Rodrigo uses vivid imagery to compare the character as an insignificant object on the ground. This shows that she is “left” on the ground, without anyone caring about her. Finally, in order to dehumanize Macabea even more, the narrator speaks of Macabea as an injured dove. He states, “Was she suffering? I believe she was. Like a hen with its neck half -severed, running about in a panic and dripping blood. Except the hen escapes - as one flees from pain - clucking in desperation. Macabea struggles in silence” (80). At this moment, the girl becomes worth even less than an injured animal. “Except the hen escapes” suggests that she is unable to think smarter than a dove. Rodrigo uses this stupidity to materialize her as a braindead object that cannot think or fend for herself. In the end, Rodrigo's harshness evidently derives from his jealousy towards Macabea. Her ability to be content with such a meaningless and terrible life is something he envies. I’m sure that’s why he decided to murder her in the end. What a cold man.
1. "But the person whom I am about to describe scarcely has a body to sell; nobody desires her, she is a harmless virgin whom nobody needs," (pg 14). This first quote exemplifies the dehumanizing effect of the modern world through the belief that a virgin is of a lesser status than someone who has lost their virginity. In modern society, this is a very common belief and in the novel, it makes Macabéa appear to be less important. Lispector sets the tone in this quote through the use of negative diction.
2. The person I'm going to talk about is dumb she smiles at people on the street. Nobody smiles back because they don't even look at her," (page 7). Once again the feeling of unimportance is present in this quote. To society, she's just another face, or even another person that's living their everyday life. If you think about how many people you see walking on the street each day that you don't know, and just simply pass by, Macabéa is that character.
3. “It is my duty, however unrewarding, to confront her with her own existence” (page 13). Coming from Rodrigo's point of view, it is intruding how he feel obligated to make Macabéa discover herself. This could be because of their differences in social status, as Macabéa came from a poor family, and Rodrigo came from a wealthy one. Because he was born wealthy, he has a pre-established social status, rather than no status. According to society, we don't truly know ourselves unless we know our social status.
4. “I now realize that poverty is both ugly and promiscuous...I have a restless character on my hands who escapes me at every turn and expects me to retrieve her," (page 22). Not only does Rodrigo try to dehumanize Macabéa, but he also calls her ugly, just because she is poor. To him, she has no worth or purpose. This has been a constant theme in society as well, because of how we perceive people. For example, if you see a homeless person on the street, you probably don't think "wow they are beautiful," but instead think "wow they are really dirty and poor."
5. "The one thing she had was faith," (page 25). This quote caused me to wonder how society truly feels about a person who is only surfing through faith. It's clear that Macabéa was confused about her beliefs and her personality. She chose happiness when she had no reason to believe so. If this quote leads me to believe that most people perceive someone who has faith as pathetic, because there are many other outlets. What do you think about this quote?
6. "Sorry but I don't think I'm really people." (39). Macabéa is forced to believe that she isn't even a real human being. This is because of her social status, coming from a poor background. Lispector is able to show (through Rodrigo) that people in the modern world make the poor feel unimportant and unintelligent.
I am unfamiliar with the Bible and it’s references in the book, but I tried to find quotes that related to faith and God and analyzed them based on my knowledge of Christianity. Lispector writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). She is referencing the creation of the world and it was made by God saying ‘yes’ and life began. Molecules began to form and then the world evolved into what it was today. This concept also connects strongly with fate. Lispector also writes, “if this history does not exist, it will come to exist” (11). Displaying the idea of fate, Lispector comments on how everything in life and in future life has a plan. If it has not happened yet, it will because it was in God’s plan to happen. This are out of human control and it is up to a high power to make the decisions of life. This related to Macebea’s life and how her entire life was fated to her death, despite her knowledge of it. This may also be attributed to why it was uncared for. People did not react so much because it was her fate and in God's Plan for her to die. Another trend I recognized as a continuous theme during the book was the narrator's commentary of saying ‘dear God’. Normally, this would be a saying that is fairly common in daily conversation, and I wouldn’t think of it to hold any significance, however in this book there seems to be symbolism in everything and because the narrator/Lispector also seems to be strongly influenced by God I am compelled to believe that the overuse of this phrase is more literal than it lets on. The narrator clearly does not agree with Macabea’s life choices and often says ‘dear God’ after explaining some of her actions. In these cases, Rodrigo may actually be calling to God in hopes that he see’s Macabea’s actions and feels the same as Rodrigo, ashamed. Now, I’m aware the question asked for 5-10 references, but I am struggling to find them considering I know little to nothing about the Bible. The main connections I can make are the ideas of fate in one’s life and the ominous God's knowledge and pathway in everyone’s life.
“As for the girl, she exists in an impersonal limbo, untouched by what is worst or best. She merely exists., inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling” (23). Rodrigo describes Macabea as something living that has no intelligence or feeling. He only says that she breathes. Feeling and emotion is a key factor of being human and Rodrigo deprives her of that simple detail saying that she lacks the ability to feel those thing. “The girl”. Rodrigo avoids using her name and only addresses her as “The girl”. This creates an emotional detachment from the character Macabea herself. All through the initial description of her and Rodrigo says, “The Girl”, her personal is not there and all that the readers have to create an image form are the horrible descriptions Rodrigo creates. This results in Macabea becoming something unworthy of a name, and only a title and a reputation. “No one acknowledges her for they don’t even notice her” (16). Rodrigo also addresses that even the people whom she lives with don’t acknowledge her. She is useless space and provides no greater good to the community in Rodrigo’s mind. This reflects his beliefs about the poor in an urban society. Many unfortunate people live the same way Macabea does, and Rodrigo believes that they all are useless to society and as a result go unnoticed by everyone else. “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” (14). Rodrigo criticizes Macabea by categorizing her into a whole of an entire population. He does not see her as a unique person, and therefore does not describe her as something out of the ordinary. This dehumanises her into a number. One of a thousand girls from the North-east. This also means that in his mind, this entire story could be about any of the other girls because Macabea is one of the same of thousands. He does not care about her existence and makes that clear from the beginning. HIs entire attitude towards her is demeaning as he continually bewittles her self-worth and characterizes her to be an object of his story rather than a real person. “In order to draw the girl, I must control my emotions. In order to capture her soul, I must nourish myself frugally on fruit and drink chilled white wine because it is stiffing in this cubby-hole where I have locked myself away and where I feel and sudden urge to see the world” (22). Here, Rodrigo dehumanises her in a way that suggests she doesn't have a soul. In order for himself to capture it, he must relish in all of life's luxurious treats because talking about Macabea’s soul will be ever so boring and depriving. As Macabea’s is poor and represents the lower-class’s lifestyles, Rodrigo believes that poor people drain the fun and happiness out of life and have dreary souls without the ambition, money, and drive to see and experience the world's’ treasures. “She was hopelessly rachitic at birth, the inheritance of the backwoods-the legacy of misfortune I mentioned earlier” (27). Here, again, Rodrigo addresses his belief in faith, and how Macabea was unfortunate from birth. She was born with an inheritance of a disease and he feels no sympathy for her. He goes on to describe the physical misfortunes as a result of this disease, but speaks of it only in a physical way. He does not address the emotional impact of it, only how others would see it affect her. This suggests that she is only worth was others can see, and because others see only the bad, she is not worth any good. This thorough description of only her physical appearance is another way to dehumanise her and take away her humanity.
An experimental novel stands as one that goes against conventions of it’s time. Some themes include the stream of consciousness, an unreliable character, multiple narrative lines, and stories within stories. One of the main reasons why The Hour of the Star is an experimental novel is because the narrator breaks the fourth wall by directly interacting with the audience. Traditionally, narrators simply explain the plot in a greater depth, add information such as setting, and usually interacts with the other characters. Yet, in this novel, Rodrigo S.M. never interacts with Macabea directly but simply comments on her life with his own opinions and thoughts. A prevalent theme of experimental novels that is evident in this book is a stream of consciousness. Rodrigo writes, “ So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing” (11). It isn’t often that the narrator states that he himself is writing a book, I mean, isn’t it pretty obvious? It seems as though Rodrigo writes every single thought that comes out of his brain setting a mysterious tone and poses questions of his psychological state. Rodrigo also is conscious that his novel is “beyond norms”. He communicates that “I have no desire to be modish and invent colloquialisms under the guise of originality. So I shall attempt, contrary to my normal method, to write a story with a beginning, a middle and a ‘grand finale’ followed by silence and falling rain” (13). Rodrigo is a contradictory man. He says he will write a book in an organized manner but there are no chapters and the books seems all over the place. Another example of stream of consciousness is when Gloria is “ Conscious of her mulatta sex appeal, she painted in a beauty spot above her lips, to add a touch of glamour to the bleaches hairs around her mouth. Gloria was a cunning vixen but nonetheless good-hearted” (64). Sexual immorality, considered a sin in the bible, shows how even though Gloria knows her promiscuity is morally wrong, she encourages it anyways. Through the use of stream of consciousness, Rodrigo is able to comment on the rebellious and confusing nature of humans; how individuals continue to do actions that are wrong even when they are aware that it is. But, he then mentions that she is good-hearted. Does this mean that rebelliousness is simple human nature? He is able to question the theme of moral identity through stream of consciousness. The last reason why this book is an experimental novel is because Macabea is an unreliable character. When she goes to the doctor he says she must go to a psychiatrist because she doesn't need physical help (mainly because she is poor and can’t afford medication anyways). Yet, the narrator clearly states that “ I adore her for her weak lungs and her undernourished body...Maca, however never expressed herself in sentences, first of all, because she was a person of few words. She wasn’t conscious of herself and made no demands for anyone” (68). How contradictory! He explains how Macabea doesn’t demand anything from anyone, but why would she go to the doctor if she wasn’t looking to gain something in return? And, she is obviously physically damaged even though the doctor said she wasn’t. Overall, the theme of this novel is that humans are indecisive and never are as good as they seem to be. They always have different intentions than we actually imagine them to be and we are all misconceived and fooled. Rodrigo experiments this through the use of writting this book.
FYI: I really don’t know much about God, the Bible, or any religious stories… If something is inaccurate, don’t blame me!
Through the novel there are several references to God and to the Bible, and they are well integrated into the writing. Many references to God are clear because Rodrigo outright uses the word, “God,” while others are difficult to spot because they present subtle hints from actions or words spoken from characters. The first biblical allusion I found came from the quote “And when there is no word, it must be invented. This God of yours who commanded us to invent (17). This quote relates to the idea that God created everything in our world. The quote claims that God created humans as originally simple beings, and commanded us to carve our own path in life. This is the idea that we gained all we know from God, it was just our job to find that knowledge and “invent.” The next reference I found is, “I want to walk naked or in rags” (19). This relates to the story of Adam and Eve - the two ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which god forbade them to do. They then realized that they were naked and attempted to make clothes for themselves, and God instructed them how to make proper clothing after seeing their attempts with fig leaves. This relates to how Rodrigo simply does as he pleases, and doesn’t seem to care if he is guided by God or not. He will be happy walking naked OR in rags, guided by God or not. Macabea’s name also relates to a biblical story. Her name comes from the Maccabees, a strong army who fought for their beliefs. This is ironic however, because Macabea is pathetic, weak minded, and skinny. She doesn’t know how to support what she thinks, and she certainly is not strong. The next reference is from Olimpico’s name, which is “Olimpico de Jesus Moreira Chaves.” Olimpico for held this information from Macabea, because he was ashamed of the title. The name “Jesus” was for people who had no father, and it also references how Jesus was poor and didn’t belong. Rodrigo did not want to be connected to this. Finally, with Madam Carlota’s appearance came many biblical references. “She pointed out the colored picture where exposed in red and gold was the heart of Christ” (64). Red signifies blood and martyrdom, and is very important for certain holidays. People who wear it mean they are ready to shed their blood for Christ. Madam Carlota is very passionate about Jesus Christ, and this “heart of Christ” reflects that.
Lispector's "The Hour of The Star" begins with the following,"Everything in the world began with a yes" (11). The very first line brings the first of many profound and intriguing thoughts that quickly construct the novel that possesses the many varying aspects of experimental novels. This particular line brings the reader to confusion and questioning, setting the tone for the open world which is about to be constructed, the conflict and the vastness of it all. The reader is meant to be immediately set into chaos and confusion, for that is the message that is being pushed across, the chaos and disorder in the world. As the story moves in, this becomes more and more clear in Rodrigo's character, beliefs, decisions, writings, and judgments, "I want my story to be cold and impartial. Unlike the reader, I reserve the right to be devastatingly cold" (13). This line reveals the irrationality spread throughout the book, the seemingly contrasting statements of impartiality and judgement. Rodrigo's words also bring the reader to recognize all the contrast and contradictions throughout the book, allowing Lispector to really portray her message of the discordance within the world, with the disparity and divide between people in all societies. Additionally, this line serves to further Rodrigo's character and grant a better grasp of Rodrigo's conflicting character, the so-called deep unconscious natures that Rodrigo possesses that is innate to all of mankind, the ability to be so contradicting and ignore great problems in the world, to act as though they aren't there, don't matter, don't pertain to us, or cannot be solved. Through his writings, Rodrigo divulges into many philosophical thoughts and shares them with the audience, "Will I be condemned to death for discussing a life that contains, like the lives of all of us, an inviolable secret?" (39) In context, it might seem as if Rodrigo is talking about Macabea's virginity, or her poor-being, but the inviolable secret in us all suggests a more abstract thought,that of an experimental novel, one that attempts to grab at and portray the wrong in the world, or something that needs reform. This is clear in Rodrigo's final thoughts, "Dear God, only now am I remembering that people die. Does that include me?" (86) The psychological conflict of the world, all summarized into one character, the narrator, Rodrigo. The inevitability of death, the preciousness of life, the tendency to ignore death, or problems in the world. Rodrigo's final thought truly summarizes the thoughts and natures of all humans, for it involves something all humans must eventually dance with, death.
“I, Rodrigo S.M. A traditional tale for I have no desire to be modish and invent colloquialisms under the guise of originality. So I shall attempt, contrary to my normal method, to write a story with a beginning, a middle, and a ‘grand finale’...” (13). Rodrigo here, as he does throughout the entirety of the text, writes in a first person style, as if he is a “normal character” in a “normal” book. Now, this is, of course, not at all the case. This book is written in an entirely new (experimental) way, in which it is essentially a book inside a book with an oddly omniscient main character, who somehow has control over the fictional events and does not, at the same time. His presence as a knower of all things Macabéa is sort of shocking, but assuming his work is fiction (or Lispector’s depending on which angle from which one takes this), it is not all too odd to have an all-knowing writer, as they are making up the whole thing in the first place. Still the bookception makes this pretty experimental in any case.
“The action of this story will result in my transfiguration into someone else and in my ultimate materialization into an object. Perhaps I might even acquire the sweet tones of the flute and become entwined in a creeper vine” (20). This quote features plenty of visual and auditory imagery and magic realism. Rodrigo goes on a sort of tangent exploring such areas as him becoming an inanimate object. What he may mean by this is that he is so “entwined” in the novel, as he explains in the next line, that his body becomes one with the object or idea that is the story. In the second sentence, Rodrigo refers to music being played on the flute. This is one of the many musical references in the novel; he seems to use them most when he gets into the heavier, more philosophical realm, such as here and in the beginning of the novel.
“I see the girl from the North-east looking in the mirror and - the ruffle of a drum - in the mirror there appears my own face, weary and unshaven” (22). Within experimental novels, irrationality and impossibility are commonplace. The quote above, for instance, employs a touch of magic realism, similar to the last quote, to describe a perfectly normal situation of a girl looking in a mirror morphing into a man, who may not even be part of the same world, in that same mirror. This sort of weird passage delves into Rodrigo’s self-conscious; it is written as if he is in a dream. This stream-of-conscious style also happens to be very common experimental novels.
“She lived in slo-o-ow motion, a hare le-e-eaping through the a-a-air over hi-i-ill and da-a-ale, obscurity was her earth, obscurity was the inner core of nature. Rodrigo is a very expressive character, getting his point across in any way possible. This includes the stretching of words to vividly describe the lethargic nature of Macabéa. Much of this book is written in present tense, as the story unfolds. However, this passage is completely in past tense implying that he wrote it after the fact, reflecting on her character. This jumping (or le-e-eaping as Rodrigo would say) around from tense to tense is yet another experimental element in this short yet magnificently complex book.
In many experimental novels, there is the use of an anti-hero, who is a character who is the focus of the plot yet lacks conventional hero attributes. This is seen in The Hour of The Star, by Clarice Lispector, through the character Macabéa.
“She merely exists, inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling,”(23). Normally, the main characters of novels have important roles and duties to fulfill throughout the course of the novel. Being an experimental novel, Macabéa is the opposite of the traditional hero.The story revolves around how some guy feels the need to write a story about her sad life. This quote represents her role as the anti hero due to the fact that she has no purpose. As the quote says, she just simply exists. She has no special role or purpose in her life.
“Macabéa only noticed unimportant things such as herself,”(51). The anti hero lacks qualities that make them above ordinary. This quote is good evidence for Macabéa being the anti hero of The Hour of the Star because it reminds readers that Macabéa is an average, bland person.
“There are thousands of girls like this girl from the North-east to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro,”(14). This quote found near the beginning of the novel was a good preface to the idea of Macabéa being an anti hero. While Macabéa is the main focus of the novel, the narrator still chooses to describe her as replaceable. He also refers to her as the girl from the North-east instead of using her name. This also add to the anti hero effect as her qualities are so unimportant that her name must be as unimportant and easily forgettable.
“The person whom I am about to write about is so simple minded that she often smiles at other people on the street. No one acknowledges her smile for they don’t even notice her,” (16). Heros typically get the support of the readers and audience of the story. They are typically the underdog that everyone roots for. Macabéa is good example of an anti hero because she is just the opposite. Nobody in her life is rooting for her or even cares to say hello. As a reader, this makes me feel pity for Macabéa. This creates a sympathetic tone in the novel.
“So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing. How does one start at the beginning, if things actually happened before they actually happen? (11). Here, Lispector writes using a stream of consciousness. The narrator questions and contradicts himself as he writes and this creates an ambiguous effect. Rodrigo acts as an unreliable narrator due to his thoughts that seem to be flowing as he writes. These thoughts reflect a connection to God and faith, but also form existential aspects. He addresses fate when talking about the beginning before the beginning, and how things happen before they actually happen, and talks about life without meaning, but yet it has given him a purpose to write. In an existential mindset, there is no true answer in life. Lispector says that as long as Rodrigo has questions that he himself cannot answer, hinting at the existential lifestyle, he shall go on writing.
“I, Rodrigo S.M. A traditional tale for I have no desire to be modish and incent colloquialisms under the guise of originality. SO I shall attempt, contrary to my normal method to write a story with a beginning, a middle, and a ‘grade finale’ followed by silence and rain” (13). Another element of an experimental novel is the ‘ordinariness’ of it. Upon beginning the story of Macabea, Rodrigo informs the readers that his goal is to write a story that is like all other stories, ones with a beginning, middle, and an end. In reality, he does that. The story of Macabea is quite ordinary and uninteresting. Her life is nothing special. She does not own nice things and it is almost ironic how she was ‘chosen’ to be written about due to her perceivable insignificance.
“Anyone who lives, knows, even without he or she knows. So, dear readers, you know more than you imagine, however much you may deny it” (13). By breaking the fifth wall, Lispector creates a personal connection between the reader and the narrator. The rest of the novels feels as if it is being told specifically to the person reading it. In combination with Rodrigo’s conscious writing, it's also portrays an idea that the readers are looking into the mind and thoughts of LIspector/Rodrigo. Therefore, Macabea’s story seemed almost like a dream of the Rodrigo’s and more fiction than reality in the book.
“It is the vision of the imminence of ... of what? Perhaps I shall find out later. Just as I am writing at the same time as I am being read. Only I do not start with the ending that would justify the beginning – as death appears to comment on life – because I must record the preceding events” (12). Again, this is a representation of the stream of consciousness. Rodrigo is an unreliable narrator and bring up questions in his own thinking. In this quote, he finished one thought with a question, and began speaking on a different topic without a clear segue. However, the introduction of the idea that ‘death comments on life’ is a reference to fate. With a preset time for death, one’s life is ruled by the time of one’s death. The personification of death ‘commenting’ on life signifies that the evidence for a fate goes quietly and unnoticed, nevertheless Rodrigo feels he can see it. Because of this, he foreshadows that possibly there is an ending that would explain his writing now, but he cannot explain it due to his nature of only writing the present.
There are many examples of dehumanization in this story especially through Rodrigo. The first example is how he uses "he/she" rather than saying Olimpico and macabea's actually names. He writes, "there are thousands of girls like this girl from the northeast..."(14). He does this to group and objectify women who are similar to macabea. In his mind, there are many girls like her who are boring and basically useless in the world. Another example is when he says, "since nobody wanted to give her a treat, much less become engaged to her, she would give herself s treat"(61). He shows macabea as a lesser version on a human. He shows how other girls are wanted except for macabea making her inferior to all other women. At one point in the novel he also explains how she is like a hair in ones soup... No one wants her. This is another example of dehumanization because he doesn't even explain her as a person, but an object. And a very insignificant object at that. On page 28 the author says, "not knowing sounds awful, but it was not so awful for the girl knew lots of things just as a dog knows how to wag it's tail or a begged how to feel hungry." This is dehumanizing macabea by comparing her to an animal and then explaining how she does "know" things, but very simple things such as how a dog knows how to wag his tail even though that seems almost like second nature for a dog... They're born knowing how to wag their tails. He also compares it to a begger who feel hungry. However, one does not need to "know" anything in order to know that he or she is hungry. On page 21 the author explains why he is writing about this girl and says, "I write because I have nothing better to do in this world." Rodrigo is dehumanizing macabea here by explaining how irrelevant to the world she is. So irrelevant that she is that very last thing one thinks to write about because of how boring and insignificant she is. Lastly, he explains how, "the girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly"(15). He explains that her existence is not important and she could leave the earth and it would not affect a soul. If he were implying that she was equal to all other humans on the world and not any inferior, he would have made it evident that she had a purpose in the world; however, he does not.
My group had passage #7, and I immediately noticed that Lispector is introducing Macabea as well as characterizing the narrator. The narrator says at the beginning of the passage “Yes, I belong to no social category, marginal as I am. The upper classes consider me a strange creature, the middle classes regard me with suspicion, afraid that I might unsettle them, while the lower classes avoid me” (Lispector 18). This quote shows that the narrator thinks that he is an outcast because all the classes don’t seem to like him and he believes that he doesn’t fit into any one of these groups. I feel like this quote is shocking because the narrator was rich and had many possessions, but is poor and now has fewer items to live with. It just shows that people are judgemental over other’s lives and how people view others as barely human and full of disgust. Lispector uses visual imagery to introduce Macabea and characterize the narrator as well. Lispector states “with stiff, contaminated fingers I must touch the invisible in its own squalor” (19). Lispector uses visual imagery to show others how Macabea is struggling on a daily basis. The word “invisible” shows that the narrator is describing Macabea as invisible and unimportant as shown by how the high and middle class view her. Lastly Lispector uses a simile to show the importance of Macabea, she writes “It is as hard as breaking rocks. Sparks and splinters fly like shattered steel” (19). This quote/ simile significance is show how there is more to a person than just looks and money. The narrator chose Macabea as the main character because it helps provide a new perspective.
My passage was #2, which is basically the opening few paragraphs of the Hour of the Star. It begins with an anecdote that explains that, in the opinion of the novel’s fictitious author Rodrigo S.M., “everything in the world began with a yes” (Lispector 11). Here, Lispector could be getting at the idea that everything in the universe, in everything in existence had to receive a “right-of-way” of sorts or in effect: a yes to go ahead and happen or be created. Although that sounds sort of deep and mysterious, it is more simple than it appears in that even though questions like “how did the universe begin” yield relatively inconclusive, unprovable answers, thinking and deducing that the everything had a cause of a “yes” is logical and worthwhile because of its simplification of this deep topic. Anyway, the passage goes on to mention Rodrigo’s opposition to the word and idea of happiness (possibly existentialist?). He concludes that the idea is foolish and invented by Brazilian girls from the “north-east” whatever that may mean. Overall, Rodrigo (or Lispector - one could argue either way) states everything in a very matter-of-fact manner. He has very strong opinions regarding philosophies of existence and the beginning of time, which he explains in a way as if they are truth. However, Rodrigo acknowledges that the answers to such questions are still impossible to determine. He actually embraces this fact and says, “So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing” (11). In this way, Rodrigo is a relatively complex character, although at this point in the story, he is the only character revealed.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the second passage, Lispector uses an excessive amount of parallelism in order to emphasize the ideas and thoughts of Rodrigo S.M. Although the narrator is conscious of his emotions, he seems very confused, perhaps battling through existentialist philosophies. For example, he states how there cannot possibly be a beginning because for every event, there had been another event that occurred. Yet, he then mentions that ‘God is the world’. In Genesis of the Bible, the initial phrase of the first verse is ‘In the Beginning’. He juxtaposes these two opposites into a satire against religion. Something I found particularly ironic in this introduction was when Rodrigo says, “I don not intend to write anything complicated, although I am obliged to use words to sustain you. The story - I have decided with and illusion of free will…” (13). Free will is ironic because in society, factors beyond human control contribute to one’s life. I believe that the message Lispector is trying to convey is that humans are under the illusion that they have complete control over their lives, when in reality, their minds act impulsively based on experiences of the past such as laws or negative/positive things that have happened to others.
ReplyDelete6. Why does the author sometimes use “He”/”She” when Macabéa and Olímpico are talking, but sometimes use just a hyphen? Why in some places, but not in others?
ReplyDeleteClarice Lispector could have used this style for a number of reasons, but I see it mostly as a means of explaining the insignificance present in the conversations that Macabéa and Olímpico have. It becomes clear early in the novel that Olímpico is not a very great guy, and he repeatedly is inconsiderate to Macabéa just because he feels like it. He really feels no remorse for any action that he ever commits meaning that he is a sociopath of sorts. Because of this, the relationship that Macabéa and Olímpico goes nowhere and is, much like Macabéa’s whole life (or at least as it is depicted by Rodrigo S.M.), fairly meaningless. Lispector’s use of He/She can therefore be argued to metaphorically reference this insignificance. Basically, it does not matter who is saying what since their lives or the story about their lives would remain largely the same.
11. Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabéa?
I think Macabéa is the protagonist, as the story is mostly about her and not Rodrigo. Even though Rodrigo talks in a first person style and is a part of the story in a weird, omniscient, God-like way, he is only the storyteller of the main narrative, which features Macabéa as the “star” of the show (of course in reference to the one of the titles). In addition, Macabéa is a more dynamic character, as she becomes truly happy towards the end of the novel; this is a quality not shown as thoroughly in Rodrigo.
14. How are the philosophical thoughts reflected in Rodrigo’s narration?
Rodrigo’s writing style weaves in the philosophical thoughts swirling around in his head to produce this stream-of-conscious work. He seemingly narrates as he feels and provides plenty commentary on the side. Much of this commentary deals with a number of different philosophies including many on the creation and continuation of the existence of all things; this is pretty heavy stuff! He seems to enjoy discussing the topics and invites the notion that people cannot get the answers to these deep questions. However, he contradicts that previous statement by spouting off his fantastic philosophies as if they are completely true. Rodrigo is one mysterious guy.
After reading passage number five and discussing it with my group, many ideas and details drew my attention. One of the main themes that my group thought the narrator was trying to present to the readers was the idea of how ‘people act before they think’. There were many details as to why we chose this theme, but the most important ones that we thought were more evident were the amount of times in the short passage that the narrator would say one thing and then totally contradict himself. This happened many times within only a few short sentences even. For example, in the third paragraph he writes, “facts are hard stones and I am much more interested in action than in meditation”(16). Then in the fourth paragraph he writes, “In no sense and intellectual, I write with my body”(16). We noticed how it was very common for the narrator to completely contradict things that he himself had written and this is one reason we thought he was trying to convey a theme how people act before they think. Another reason is how he would quite often change the subject in which he was talking about frequently, making it confusing and difficult for the reader to follow and comprehend. It was almost as if the narrator himself was slightly confused in exactly where he was trying to go forward with the story, so it made the reader more confused as well. He would even say things like “I have no idea how this story will end”(16) which showed how he was confused and almost seemed to be writing for no reason. I was wondering why he continued to write if he had no direct purpose as to what he was going to share with the audience other than facts about a girl. Another thing that our group discovered was how the narrator seemed to present the idea of how it is human instinct to automatically complicate things that are simple. The narrator says, “what I am about to write cannot be assimilated by minds that expect much and crave sophistication”(16). Reading this was not difficult to comprehend, but the rest of the writing in the passage took a lot of thinking about and analysis to make sense of.
ReplyDeleteMy passage from The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector was passage #6. In this section, the narrator discusses his reasons for writing this story. In this passage Lispector characterizes the narrator as egotistical by utilizing anaphora and similes. Throughout the entire passage, there is a constant repetition of ‘I’ and ‘I am’. This passage is about why he is writing about the girl from the North-east, yet he mentions himself more than the girl. This gives the idea that the girl is irrelevant and how he views himself as more important than her. The idea that he views himself as above the girl is consistant throughout the entire novel, as he mentions himself more than Macabea. Lispector also uses similes to characterize the narrator as egocentric, “I tend to write with bold, severe strokes like a painter,”(Lispector, 17). The narrator describes his writing style as a painter. Painters create beautiful works of art and that is definitely not what his book is. He is glorifying his writing, when it's not even about the subject he set out to write about. Along with the simile in this quote there is also consonance of ‘t’ and ‘s’ sounds. The ‘t’ sound in “tend to write” has a harsh sound to it. This is juxtaposed with the soft ‘s’ sounds in “severe strokes”. This contradiction of soft and harsh adds to the contradiction in many experimental novels. Also, the contradiction uncertainty and unreliability of the narrator. This relate to how he says that he is going to write about the girl but actually writes about himself.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point of Rodrigo’s introduction?
ReplyDeleteThe introduction of this novel is lengthy and confusing. Rodrigo goes off on multiple tangents about the girl, philosophy, the world, himself, etc. It seems as though he writes more about what he is writing instead of actually telling the story. When the narrator introduces the girl from the north east for the first time, he explains how he is allowed to be cold and harsh because she is one of the many insignificant women of this society. Lispector writes, “ The person of whom I am about to speak is so simple minded that she often smiles at other people on the streets. No one acknowledges her smile for they don’t even notice her. Coming back to myself: what I am about to write cannot be assimilated by minds that expect much and crave sophistication” (16). Rodrigo warns readers about the bland novel he is about to write. I believe the point of the introduction is to justify the difficulty of writing about a girl who no one cares about. No matter how hard he endeavors to give the girl significance, he is unable to due to his existentialist views.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico?
Olimpico was an abusive boyfriend who consistently mistreated Macabea. Also, he ended up leaving her for her best friend Gloria which doesn’t help his character at all. Despite his nasty personality, I believe Macabea loved Olimpico because he was the only man who ever gave her attention. He gave Macabea worth as a woman. She claims, “Olimpico is mine, but you are sure to find yourself another boyfriend. I know that Olimpico is mine because the fortune teller told me so” (69). No one else would ever love someone as insignificant as her, thus she got attached to him no matter what.
Was Macabea happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? Is she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
I believe that Macabea is unhappy with herself because she tried extremely hard to avoid unhappiness. When she looks at herself in the mirror, Rodrigo informs the audience of how “she is a girl who has never seen her naked body because she is much too embarrassed” (22). Women often get insecure about their bodies because they believe it is the only way man notices them which essentially gives them worth. The fact that Macabea refuses to look at herself naked displays her unhappiness because it shows her fear. She is afraid that looking at her flaws will bring her into a pitiful and depressive state. Later on, Rodrigo says “There wasn’t a trace of human misery in the girl”(38). Macabea has a terrible life. but , it is her ignorance that allows her to avoid the fact that she is unhappy. As readers, I don’t think we are suppose to feel sorry for her because she is unaware of truth and unable to accept the absurd.
What is the significance of dying a virgin?
The purpose of sex is to reproduce and to experience the highest intimacy a human can have with another individual. With Macabea dying as a virgin, it proves that her life was truly meaningless. She was unable to pass down genes that remain in the world and she was unable to have an intimate relationship with another partner. Although it may seem tragic, the fact is, Macabea had no one who truly cared about her. Macabea lies on the gravel and thinks, “ For only now did she understand that a woman is born a woman from the first wail at birth. A woman’s destiny is to be a woman.” (84). Macabea was unable to fulfill her duty as a women. She was unable to bore even a single child. Rodrigo ends this thought with the question of “Did she crave a future?...Yes, it is so”(84). She craved a future because she died incomplete.
In the second passage Lispector introduces the narrator and uses details about his life to introduce the novel. Rodrigo speaks mainly about his views on life. From the text used, my partner and I concluded that he may be religious in a sense because of the various biblical references. The first paragraph addresses his belief that the whole universe started with a yes. Lispector writes, “But before prehistory there was the prehistory of the prehistory and there was the never and there was the yes” (11). When first reading this, I thought he meant that things will always agree and that there is a ‘fate’ to every event. Later it says, “If this history does not exist, it will come to exist” (11). Again, this line supports the idea that Rodrigo believes in fate and that life has a predetermined path that it is going to take. If things haven’t happened yet, they will, but in their own time. It also says, “God is the world. The truth is always some inner power without explanation” (12). Literally, this statement could mean that God has decided the world and the people and the fate, therefore He is the world. Based off of this sentence, it would be clear that Rodrigo is religious. However, due to much of the other book being an illusion to its literal appearance, I feel that this may not be the correct interpretation. It was hard to analysis this section of the book when so much of it was contradicting and ambiguous in its intent.
ReplyDeleteIs Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabea?
ReplyDeleteRodrigo is the protagonist of this story. The entire novel is told from his point of view, and he talks about Macabea not as a real person, but more as a character that he delicately created in his imagination. He describes her in a way that seems that he is the only one that can see her, yet she is the most common of her kind. Many of his views about women, happiness and life are portrayed through Macabea. In the introduction, Rodrigo talks about his disbelief of happiness and how he believes “we are one of the same person... lacking that essential essence”, however tells the story of a girl who is the epitome of happiness despite her current life situation. If this is only a look into Rodrigo's mind and the story is Macabea is only a tale from his head, then her dead would support the idea that happiness does not exist. If Roderigo believes that all people are one person and that there is no existence of happiness, then Macabea must die because she is happy without cause, and that is something unreal in Rodrigo’s mind.
What is the significance of the beginning, where Rodrigo talks about the beginning of the world? How does that relate to the rest of the story?
Rodrigo talks a lot about how “God is the world” and his belief that happiness does not exist. He also contradicts himself a lot and there is a lot of irony in what he saying and how he continues on to tell the story of Macabea. Overall, the significance of the introduction was to display Rodrigo's, or Lispector's, belief that all people are the same at their core, and fate controls our destiny. Macabea, however, is a seemingly insignificant girl who plays no major role in her life, work, or community in general. Her sad life contradicts her happy demeanor and plays as an exception to Rodrigo's initial beliefs. This girl is important to him because she displays the innate spirit that he wishes him and the rest of the world could possess, that “essential essence”, which ultimately is happiness. So Roderigo tells this story of Macabea and as her life finally comes to a tragic and abrupt end, this is where the story comes full circle with the introduction, the ‘yes’ that was the start and end. Rodrigo believes happiness does not exist, Macabea is happy, people are one in the same, Macabea is not, therefore Macabea’s fate is death because she does not follow the theme of live as Roderigo perceives it to be. He also believes that fate is the reason the ‘essential essence’, happiness, does not exist. Macabea, a rare person possessing this joyous essence, dies and as a result, the world and the people continue on without her and her spirit.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico?
Reading this book, I wasn’t always sure why Macabea stayed with Olimpico. He was an arrogant, abusive man who didn’t much care for Macabea, yet she did not fight him. Part of the reason she stayed with him was due to her worthlessness. Roderigo explained her as someone nobody wanted, yet for some reason, Olimpico wanted to be with her, at least for a short time. He was never kind to her, but they only parted when he left her for Gloria. If Macabea was treated as worthless as she was described, she might have felt valued by Olimpico and enjoyed what little attention he gave her. IF she has never known true love, and Olimpico was all she had, I can understand why she did not blame him for his crude actions and chose to love him instead.
Biblical References:
ReplyDelete1. Rodrigo quote: “he who is not poor in terms of money is poor in spirit... for he lacks something more precious than gold” (Lispector 12) This quote says that although Macabea isn't rich or has a luxurious lifestyle, she still has a strong spirit and has faith which is much more valuable than anything money could buy. This sounds awfully similar to what Jesus and other biblical prophets said about faith.
2. One of the most obvious biblical references in Hour of the Star is “the sacred heart of Jesus” that is in Madame Carlota’s room (Lispector 72). This heart represents Jesus’s divine love for humanity and its suffering. Madame Carlotta tells Macabea how Jesus helped her when she was poor and suffering. This is interesting because Macabea has no idea that she is suffering yet she prays often and is still poor and viewed as an outcast in society
3. Quote by Rodrigo: “I want to be both pig and hen”. This is a reference to one of John’s parables: the hen, the cat, and the pig. The hen finds a grain of corn and asks the others if they will help plant it, they refuse, so the hen does it alone. She then asks who will help cut the corn, mill it into flour, and bake it into bread, again the others refuse. However, when the hen asks who will help eat the bread, the animals all want to help, but the hen does not give them any. This story teaches the importance of hard work and God rewarding you for that work. Rodrigo wishes to be a hard worker but also wants to be able to be rewarded without doing anything.
4. Rodrigo references Macabea's roommates as four Marias: Maria de Penha, Maria Aparecida, Maria Jose, and just Maria. These represent the different Marys throughout the bible: Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, a highly devoted follower of Jesus in his lifetime, and Mary of Clopas, the mother of James and Joseph. Similar to the Marys in the Bible, who followed Jesus almost everywhere he went, the Marias represent followers of Macabea. Macabea is shown as spiritually content with her life, just as Jesus was in his lifetime.
5. Quote from the radio clock Macabea was listening to: “repent in Christ and He will give you great joy” (Lispector, 37). Much of biblical teachings in Jesus’ age of time frequently used teachings like these. Saying that if you admit that you are wrong and that you sin, you will be saved by God and have everlasting life.
Even though I’m a Jesus freak myself and have an eye for biblical allusions in the Hour of the Star, it’s extremely obvious that they are well integrated into the structure of this novel to anyone. He’s some examples:
ReplyDelete“With humility I confine myself - without talking too much fuss about my humility for then it would no longer be humility” (15). Humbleness manifests as a key characteristic of Jesus. In the bible, Jesus, or God, calls humans to be humble in their actions so they can better love one another and bring attention not to themselves but the one who has given them glory - god. Lispector seems to utilize humility in order to justify that he is trying to censor the horrific events of this novel. Yet, through it, it becomes difficult, because the more he tries to succumb to humility, the further he becomes distant with the trait.
“This alarms me, for I am afraid of losing my sense of order and plunging into an abyss resounding with cries and shrieks: the Hell of human freedom” (36). An Adam and Eve classic. Human freedom and desire is the what initially separated man’s relationship with God. Rodrigo states, “the Hell of human freedom” because free will against God’s wishes and demands corrupts the peace of his kingdom. Henceforth, human freedom is hell.
“She heard the message: ‘ Repent in Christ and He will give you great joy’. So she decided to repent. Not quite knowing what she had to repent of, the girl from the North-East repented everything. The preacher added that vengeance is a deadly sin. So she sought no revenge”(37). In the biblical sense, repenting to God meant confessing one’s sins to show one’s need for his forgiveness and love. Rodrigo uses this allusion to criticize Macabea’s ignorance. Although she is physically repenting, she is simply doing so because a radio station told her. “Repenting to God” isn’t suppose to work if one truly does not believe that he/she is wrong and needs help. Thus, Macabea failed to face her true unhappiness.
“Ah merry month of May, abandon me no more!...the seventh of May… ‘I agree but it’s the name my mother gave me because of a vow she made to Our Lady of Sorrows.” (42-43). This might be a bit of a stretch, especially because the Catholic religion isn’t quite in my expertise, but I believe Lispector alludes to Our Lady of Sorrows (no duh), but more specifically, her seven sorrows. In Catholicism, they have a feast for Mary in order to share her sufferings so that the church may also be unified through each one’s suffering. Here, Macabea doesn’t realize that “Mary” wants her to admit to her suffering. The whole purpose of this novel is for one to realize they are unhappy and find contentment with admitting to the fact that they are unhappy.
“No one would teach her how to die one day: yet one day she would surely die as if she had already learned by heart how to play the starring role. For at the hour of death you become a celebrated film star, it is a moment of glory for everyone, when the choral music scales the top notes” (28). The passage correlates to the crucifixion of Jesus. By saying that one already knows that one day she would die, not only relate to how Jesus already knew his plan of getting hanged, but to how everyone’s lives are predestined, therefore there must be a God. When Jesus died, it acted as a symbol for sacrificing himself for human sin. Because he died on the cross, humans are able to be forgiven and relieved of their past lives. Rodrigo uses this allusion to foreshadow the death of Macabea. It will become the most important moment of her life, but it is also already written without physically being written; Macabea’s death is fate.
I do not know many Biblical stories, but here are a collection of quotes I found regarding spirituality as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe first Biblical quote I found is more about spirituality in general and specifically, prayer. Lispector writes, “Prayer was a means of confronting myself in silence away from the gaze of others. As I prayed i emptied my soul” (Lispector 14). Rodrigo S.M. never explicitly says that he a Christian, but with this quote and others, he gives the impression of being quite spiritual. He describes prayer as a very freeing experience; nothing else matters when he performs the prayer. He feels that he is “away from the gaze of others,” so as to say that he cannot feel judgement when he is praying.
Rodrigo later explains, “each thing is a word. And when there is no word, it must be invented. This God of yours who commanded us to invent” (17). This quote reflects Rodrigo’s trait of spirituality but non-belief in Christianity. He says “this God of yours” (referring to the reader) to reflect his ideology that many others believe in God, but he does not. Nevertheless, he is intent on God’s will for humans to invent and create things. This aligns with the story of Adam and Eve in which God instructed them to populate the Earth with humans.
Rodrigo repeatedly questions many topics in religion and philosophy and does so in a quote midway through the novel saying, “Whom was she questioning? God? She did not think about God, nor did God think about her. God belongs to those who succeed in pinning Him down. God appears in a moment of distraction” (26). This goes back to the point of Rodrigo being spiritual but not necessarily Christian. He does not seem to believe in God and implies that Macabéa has no notion of Him either. Macabéa does not really question anyone in particular and has no sense of direction in her life. She has no idea what it means to have a full life, but she does not really seem to care. She just goes on living in a sort of existentialist manner, not happy nor sad.
Soon after the last quote, Rodrigo goes on in his unfortunately mysterious way writing, “The anonymous girl of this story is so ancient that she could be described as Biblical. She was subterranean and had never really flowered. I am telling a lie: she was wild grass” (30). Here, Rodrigo references Macabéa as a very old-fashioned type of person (so old that she is from Biblical times). She has no idea what it means to act in society. Everything, to her, is just unnatural and unfamiliar. This seems to be where he is going with “she… had never really flowered,” as she cannot overcome her feelings of unfamiliarity with the world. At the end of this quote, Rodrigo throws in some of his classic contradiction by flat-out saying that he lied. He could have done this to give a more natural tone.
In the second half of the novel, Rodrigo explains that Macabéa, “prayed mechanically, she felt so grateful. It wasn’t gratitude to God. Macabéa was only repeating what she had learned as a child” (55). This quote ties back into Macabéa’s lack of spirituality. She prays, and yet prays to nobody in particular and in an unnatural, “mechanical” way. She does not really seem to think for herself as she only “repeats what she had learned as a child.” Macabéa just kind of goes through the motions like Meursault from The Stranger. This fits with much of the other aspects of her existentialist nature.
He does not reveal her name until halfway through the book.
ReplyDeleteRodrigo’s choice of not revealing Macabéa’s name until page 43 of the novel, makes reference to his lack of respect for her. In effect, he basically is indicating that her name does not matter. This can certainly be considered degrading and disrespectful; generally, it is nice to know a person’s name whom you know so much about.
“I, too, feel no pity for my main character, the girl from the North-east: I want my story to be cold and impartial” (13).
Rodrigo says, multiple times in fact, that he wants to be cold, unbiased, and pitiless in this book. While I suppose that impartiality is important to telling a non-fiction news article, it is not necessarily required for a piece about a girl whose fate is in the writer’s, in this case Rodrigo, hands. Rodrigo feels no sadness for her death or horrible life. Maybe he is just a sociopath.
“Nobody desires her. She is a harmless virgin whom nobody needs” (14).
This is one of the many times in which Rodrigo insults some trait of Macabéa’s. He particularly comments on her body frequently, often noting her ugly appearance. While this is quite mean and cold-hearted to say, he probably thinks nothing of it since he is, after all, going for that “impartial” vibe.
“Her general appearance was grimy for she rarely washed” (26).
Rodrigo again insults one of her character traits in this passage. His objectivity is somewhat shocking; nobody in their right mind would say that to someone’s face. On that note, I feel that Rodrigo can be this cold because he never speaks with Macabéa or any of the other character’s (is he even a person at all?). Because of this he feels no remorse for his endless judgemental comments.
“Her life was so monotonous that by the end of the day she could no longer remember what had happened that same morning” (33).
This quote shines a light on how awful Macabéa’s life truly is. It is so bad that she does not know one time from the next. The reader here most likely feels compelled to feel sorry for Macabéa in that her life is truly awful. However, when reading this book, the objectivity of Rodrigo makes the reader feel less empathy for the reader because he writes this in such a nonchalant tone (“her life sucks, but whatever”).
“At heart, Macabéa was little better than a music box sadly out of tune” (86).
This quote is from the last page of the novel. Here, Lispector (or Rodrigo) sums up the awful nature of Macabéa’s life. She throws in one of the many music references and metaphors here by pretty much saying that everything about Macabéa’s life was off. It is a sad way to describe someone’s whole life and is one of the many moments in which Macabéa is brutally dehumanized.
On several occasions, the narrator dehumanizes Macabea, here are several examples of times the narrator dehumanizing Macabea.
ReplyDelete“The person whom I am about to write about is so simple minded that she often smiles at other people on the street. No one acknowledges her smile for they don’t even notice her,” (16).
Normally, smiling to people on the street is a characterization of a kind and friendly person and has a positive connotation. In this case, the narrator uses it to dehumanize Macabea. He describes her attempts at making connections and being friendly as sad because he believes that she isn’t worth being noticed.
“ Gosh that sounds like the name of a disease...a skin disease,” (43).
This is the first mention of Macabea’s name when she is not being referred to as ‘the girl from the north-east’ or just ‘the girl. This is significant because he believes that her name is not that important to mention. When he finally does mention it, he chooses to describe her name as a disease. This further dehumanizes Macabea.
“This tale about a diet of hot dogs is pure neurosis. What you need is a psychiatrist!”(67).
This is dehumanizing because this is her diet, and she is being called insane for eating hot dogs? Did the narrator really need to say that? Is a diet of hot dogs completely crazy?
“I swear nothing could be done for her. Believe me, I would help her if I could. I realize that in saying that my typist has a diseased body, I am saying something much more offensive than any obscenity. (It’s as good as saying a healthy dog is worth more),”(34-35).
This is another example of how the narrator dehumanizes Macabea. The first thing that I noticed was the fact that he uses the word diseased to describe Macabea. Another thing that I noticed was the parentheses at the end of this quote. First of all he compares Macabea to a dog, which is very dehumanizing.
“The girl didn’t know that she existed, just as a dog doesn’t know that it’s a dog,”(27).
This is a clear example of how the narrator dehumanizes Macabea because of the clear comparison of her to a dog. Another example of how the narrator dehumanizes Macabea is that he she was happy not being conscious of her existence.
6.“Don’t forget, in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries,’(86).
I know you’re probably thinking “what the heck Sarah? Strawberries aren’t dehumanizing”, but I promise I have a point. This book, while sometimes struggling, was about the story of Macabea. In the last few pages, we discover that Macabea is killed. The narrator basically undermines Macabea’s life by changing the subject from her death to an abrupt ending about strawberries. He is just saying that there are more important things than Macabea, even small, simple things like strawberries.
Is macabea happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
ReplyDeleteIn this story I believe that macabea is truly happy, or so she thinks she is for the majority of the time. The only part of the novel where I felt she was not happy was after she got her fortune read to her. Although throughout the whole story, Olimpico was trying to convince her of how irrelevant her life was to the rest of the world, I feel that she didn't let that change how she felt about her life. Overall, macabea is happy to herself, but to others she seems as if she would not be very content with the life that she lives. In a sense, I feel like the readers are supposed to feel sorry for her. However, the readers don't, because she herself is content. She could have changed her life to live more excitingly and appeal more to the readers, but she didn’t feel sorry for herself which in essence didn't make the readers feel sorry for her either.
What does Macabea’s death represent? How does it fit in with the overall message of the book?
The idea of the “absurd” is a common the men in this book. Macabea’s death represents how no one has a purpose in the world. I feel as if Macabea knew this and that contributed to why she was so content with her life, thought others weren't.
What does Macabea’s death represent? How does it fit in with the overall message of the book?
Macabea’s death represents the absurd. This is why throughout the entire book, her life was so boring and ‘meaningless’ from a reader’s viewpoint. However, to Macabea, her life was perfectly fine and she was content. This is because she had accepted the idea of the absurd and accepted how she was not important and didn’t have a purpose in the world.
Whether derived from jealousy, pity, or complete disgust, Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabea on many accounts. First off, he refers to her as simple body parts instead of a human with emotion, He writes, “Her vagina is the only vehement sign of her existence” (70) and “Macabea, you’re like a hair in one’s soup. It’s enough to make anyone lose their appetite” (60). By stating that Macabea’s importance lies solely on what can give him pleasure, he treats her as an object, unworthy of him. This gives off somewhat of a creepy sense, that he may raped her because he is so focused on her body parts and doesn’t care about the devastation she may feel afterwards. Also, a hair is a soup is a rather annoying simile. Once hair is in one’s food, it is perceived as dirty and unworthy to eat. Here, Rodrigo emphasizes how the girl is disgusting to everyone, unwanted, and unworthy. Another example of edible imagery in order to objectify Macabea is when he states that “No one paid any attention to her on the street, for she was as appetizing as cold coffee” (27). Thousands of people crave a comforting cup of coffee in the morning, afternoons, and even at night! The warmth relaxes the body and allows someone to get through the day. Yet, when the cup is chilled, it no longer becomes tasty and unsuitable for providing joy. It immediately becomes a nuisance. Thus, the narrator correlated Macabea to cold coffee in order to exemplify that she doesn’t provide delight to anyone. In addition, the narrator alludes Macabea to “dirty” things of nature. He mentions that “She has clung to my skin like some vicious glue or contaminating mud.” (21) and“Meanwhile, Macabea was nothing but a vague sentiment lying on the dirt paving stones” (83). Glue, especially super glue, manifests as an annoyance to humans. It creates a mess, and is difficult to get off. Rodrigo mentions Macabea as glue because she is stuck in his mind and no matter how hard he tries to get rid of the thought of her, it is a difficult task. When he mentions her as a vague sentiment lying on the dirt pavement, Rodrigo uses vivid imagery to compare the character as an insignificant object on the ground. This shows that she is “left” on the ground, without anyone caring about her. Finally, in order to dehumanize Macabea even more, the narrator speaks of Macabea as an injured dove. He states, “Was she suffering? I believe she was. Like a hen with its neck half -severed, running about in a panic and dripping blood. Except the hen escapes - as one flees from pain - clucking in desperation. Macabea struggles in silence” (80). At this moment, the girl becomes worth even less than an injured animal. “Except the hen escapes” suggests that she is unable to think smarter than a dove. Rodrigo uses this stupidity to materialize her as a braindead object that cannot think or fend for herself. In the end, Rodrigo's harshness evidently derives from his jealousy towards Macabea. Her ability to be content with such a meaningless and terrible life is something he envies. I’m sure that’s why he decided to murder her in the end. What a cold man.
ReplyDelete1. "But the person whom I am about to describe scarcely has a body to sell; nobody desires her, she is a harmless virgin whom nobody needs," (pg 14).
ReplyDeleteThis first quote exemplifies the dehumanizing effect of the modern world through the belief that a virgin is of a lesser status than someone who has lost their virginity. In modern society, this is a very common belief and in the novel, it makes Macabéa appear to be less important. Lispector sets the tone in this quote through the use of negative diction.
2. The person I'm going to talk about is dumb she smiles at people on the street. Nobody smiles back because they don't even look at her," (page 7).
Once again the feeling of unimportance is present in this quote. To society, she's just another face, or even another person that's living their everyday life. If you think about how many people you see walking on the street each day that you don't know, and just simply pass by, Macabéa is that character.
3. “It is my duty, however unrewarding, to confront her with her own existence” (page 13).
Coming from Rodrigo's point of view, it is intruding how he feel obligated to make Macabéa discover herself. This could be because of their differences in social status, as Macabéa came from a poor family, and Rodrigo came from a wealthy one. Because he was born wealthy, he has a pre-established social status, rather than no status. According to society, we don't truly know ourselves unless we know our social status.
4. “I now realize that poverty is both ugly and promiscuous...I have a restless character on my hands who escapes me at every turn and expects me to retrieve her," (page 22).
Not only does Rodrigo try to dehumanize Macabéa, but he also calls her ugly, just because she is poor. To him, she has no worth or purpose. This has been a constant theme in society as well, because of how we perceive people. For example, if you see a homeless person on the street, you probably don't think "wow they are beautiful," but instead think "wow they are really dirty and poor."
5. "The one thing she had was faith," (page 25).
This quote caused me to wonder how society truly feels about a person who is only surfing through faith. It's clear that Macabéa was confused about her beliefs and her personality. She chose happiness when she had no reason to believe so. If this quote leads me to believe that most people perceive someone who has faith as pathetic, because there are many other outlets. What do you think about this quote?
6. "Sorry but I don't think I'm really people." (39).
Macabéa is forced to believe that she isn't even a real human being. This is because of her social status, coming from a poor background. Lispector is able to show (through Rodrigo) that people in the modern world make the poor feel unimportant and unintelligent.
Biblical References.
ReplyDeleteI am unfamiliar with the Bible and it’s references in the book, but I tried to find quotes that related to faith and God and analyzed them based on my knowledge of Christianity. Lispector writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). She is referencing the creation of the world and it was made by God saying ‘yes’ and life began. Molecules began to form and then the world evolved into what it was today. This concept also connects strongly with fate. Lispector also writes, “if this history does not exist, it will come to exist” (11). Displaying the idea of fate, Lispector comments on how everything in life and in future life has a plan. If it has not happened yet, it will because it was in God’s plan to happen. This are out of human control and it is up to a high power to make the decisions of life. This related to Macebea’s life and how her entire life was fated to her death, despite her knowledge of it. This may also be attributed to why it was uncared for. People did not react so much because it was her fate and in God's Plan for her to die. Another trend I recognized as a continuous theme during the book was the narrator's commentary of saying ‘dear God’. Normally, this would be a saying that is fairly common in daily conversation, and I wouldn’t think of it to hold any significance, however in this book there seems to be symbolism in everything and because the narrator/Lispector also seems to be strongly influenced by God I am compelled to believe that the overuse of this phrase is more literal than it lets on. The narrator clearly does not agree with Macabea’s life choices and often says ‘dear God’ after explaining some of her actions. In these cases, Rodrigo may actually be calling to God in hopes that he see’s Macabea’s actions and feels the same as Rodrigo, ashamed. Now, I’m aware the question asked for 5-10 references, but I am struggling to find them considering I know little to nothing about the Bible. The main connections I can make are the ideas of fate in one’s life and the ominous God's knowledge and pathway in everyone’s life.
Dehumanizing of Macabea.
ReplyDelete“As for the girl, she exists in an impersonal limbo, untouched by what is worst or best. She merely exists., inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling” (23). Rodrigo describes Macabea as something living that has no intelligence or feeling. He only says that she breathes. Feeling and emotion is a key factor of being human and Rodrigo deprives her of that simple detail saying that she lacks the ability to feel those thing.
“The girl”. Rodrigo avoids using her name and only addresses her as “The girl”. This creates an emotional detachment from the character Macabea herself. All through the initial description of her and Rodrigo says, “The Girl”, her personal is not there and all that the readers have to create an image form are the horrible descriptions Rodrigo creates. This results in Macabea becoming something unworthy of a name, and only a title and a reputation.
“No one acknowledges her for they don’t even notice her” (16). Rodrigo also addresses that even the people whom she lives with don’t acknowledge her. She is useless space and provides no greater good to the community in Rodrigo’s mind. This reflects his beliefs about the poor in an urban society. Many unfortunate people live the same way Macabea does, and Rodrigo believes that they all are useless to society and as a result go unnoticed by everyone else.
“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” (14). Rodrigo criticizes Macabea by categorizing her into a whole of an entire population. He does not see her as a unique person, and therefore does not describe her as something out of the ordinary. This dehumanises her into a number. One of a thousand girls from the North-east. This also means that in his mind, this entire story could be about any of the other girls because Macabea is one of the same of thousands. He does not care about her existence and makes that clear from the beginning. HIs entire attitude towards her is demeaning as he continually bewittles her self-worth and characterizes her to be an object of his story rather than a real person.
“In order to draw the girl, I must control my emotions. In order to capture her soul, I must nourish myself frugally on fruit and drink chilled white wine because it is stiffing in this cubby-hole where I have locked myself away and where I feel and sudden urge to see the world” (22). Here, Rodrigo dehumanises her in a way that suggests she doesn't have a soul. In order for himself to capture it, he must relish in all of life's luxurious treats because talking about Macabea’s soul will be ever so boring and depriving. As Macabea’s is poor and represents the lower-class’s lifestyles, Rodrigo believes that poor people drain the fun and happiness out of life and have dreary souls without the ambition, money, and drive to see and experience the world's’ treasures.
“She was hopelessly rachitic at birth, the inheritance of the backwoods-the legacy of misfortune I mentioned earlier” (27). Here, again, Rodrigo addresses his belief in faith, and how Macabea was unfortunate from birth. She was born with an inheritance of a disease and he feels no sympathy for her. He goes on to describe the physical misfortunes as a result of this disease, but speaks of it only in a physical way. He does not address the emotional impact of it, only how others would see it affect her. This suggests that she is only worth was others can see, and because others see only the bad, she is not worth any good. This thorough description of only her physical appearance is another way to dehumanise her and take away her humanity.
An experimental novel stands as one that goes against conventions of it’s time. Some themes include the stream of consciousness, an unreliable character, multiple narrative lines, and stories within stories. One of the main reasons why The Hour of the Star is an experimental novel is because the narrator breaks the fourth wall by directly interacting with the audience. Traditionally, narrators simply explain the plot in a greater depth, add information such as setting, and usually interacts with the other characters. Yet, in this novel, Rodrigo S.M. never interacts with Macabea directly but simply comments on her life with his own opinions and thoughts. A prevalent theme of experimental novels that is evident in this book is a stream of consciousness. Rodrigo writes, “ So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing” (11). It isn’t often that the narrator states that he himself is writing a book, I mean, isn’t it pretty obvious? It seems as though Rodrigo writes every single thought that comes out of his brain setting a mysterious tone and poses questions of his psychological state. Rodrigo also is conscious that his novel is “beyond norms”. He communicates that “I have no desire to be modish and invent colloquialisms under the guise of originality. So I shall attempt, contrary to my normal method, to write a story with a beginning, a middle and a ‘grand finale’ followed by silence and falling rain” (13). Rodrigo is a contradictory man. He says he will write a book in an organized manner but there are no chapters and the books seems all over the place. Another example of stream of consciousness is when Gloria is “ Conscious of her mulatta sex appeal, she painted in a beauty spot above her lips, to add a touch of glamour to the bleaches hairs around her mouth. Gloria was a cunning vixen but nonetheless good-hearted” (64). Sexual immorality, considered a sin in the bible, shows how even though Gloria knows her promiscuity is morally wrong, she encourages it anyways. Through the use of stream of consciousness, Rodrigo is able to comment on the rebellious and confusing nature of humans; how individuals continue to do actions that are wrong even when they are aware that it is. But, he then mentions that she is good-hearted. Does this mean that rebelliousness is simple human nature? He is able to question the theme of moral identity through stream of consciousness. The last reason why this book is an experimental novel is because Macabea is an unreliable character. When she goes to the doctor he says she must go to a psychiatrist because she doesn't need physical help (mainly because she is poor and can’t afford medication anyways). Yet, the narrator clearly states that “ I adore her for her weak lungs and her undernourished body...Maca, however never expressed herself in sentences, first of all, because she was a person of few words. She wasn’t conscious of herself and made no demands for anyone” (68). How contradictory! He explains how Macabea doesn’t demand anything from anyone, but why would she go to the doctor if she wasn’t looking to gain something in return? And, she is obviously physically damaged even though the doctor said she wasn’t. Overall, the theme of this novel is that humans are indecisive and never are as good as they seem to be. They always have different intentions than we actually imagine them to be and we are all misconceived and fooled. Rodrigo experiments this through the use of writting this book.
ReplyDeleteFYI: I really don’t know much about God, the Bible, or any religious stories… If something is inaccurate, don’t blame me!
ReplyDeleteThrough the novel there are several references to God and to the Bible, and they are well integrated into the writing. Many references to God are clear because Rodrigo outright uses the word, “God,” while others are difficult to spot because they present subtle hints from actions or words spoken from characters. The first biblical allusion I found came from the quote “And when there is no word, it must be invented. This God of yours who commanded us to invent (17). This quote relates to the idea that God created everything in our world. The quote claims that God created humans as originally simple beings, and commanded us to carve our own path in life. This is the idea that we gained all we know from God, it was just our job to find that knowledge and “invent.”
The next reference I found is, “I want to walk naked or in rags” (19). This relates to the story of Adam and Eve - the two ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which god forbade them to do. They then realized that they were naked and attempted to make clothes for themselves, and God instructed them how to make proper clothing after seeing their attempts with fig leaves. This relates to how Rodrigo simply does as he pleases, and doesn’t seem to care if he is guided by God or not. He will be happy walking naked OR in rags, guided by God or not.
Macabea’s name also relates to a biblical story. Her name comes from the Maccabees, a strong army who fought for their beliefs. This is ironic however, because Macabea is pathetic, weak minded, and skinny. She doesn’t know how to support what she thinks, and she certainly is not strong.
The next reference is from Olimpico’s name, which is “Olimpico de Jesus Moreira Chaves.” Olimpico for held this information from Macabea, because he was ashamed of the title. The name “Jesus” was for people who had no father, and it also references how Jesus was poor and didn’t belong. Rodrigo did not want to be connected to this.
Finally, with Madam Carlota’s appearance came many biblical references. “She pointed out the colored picture where exposed in red and gold was the heart of Christ” (64). Red signifies blood and martyrdom, and is very important for certain holidays. People who wear it mean they are ready to shed their blood for Christ. Madam Carlota is very passionate about Jesus Christ, and this “heart of Christ” reflects that.
Lispector's "The Hour of The Star" begins with the following,"Everything in the world began with a yes" (11). The very first line brings the first of many profound and intriguing thoughts that quickly construct the novel that possesses the many varying aspects of experimental novels. This particular line brings the reader to confusion and questioning, setting the tone for the open world which is about to be constructed, the conflict and the vastness of it all. The reader is meant to be immediately set into chaos and confusion, for that is the message that is being pushed across, the chaos and disorder in the world. As the story moves in, this becomes more and more clear in Rodrigo's character, beliefs, decisions, writings, and judgments, "I want my story to be cold and impartial. Unlike the reader, I reserve the right to be devastatingly cold" (13). This line reveals the irrationality spread throughout the book, the seemingly contrasting statements of impartiality and judgement. Rodrigo's words also bring the reader to recognize all the contrast and contradictions throughout the book, allowing Lispector to really portray her message of the discordance within the world, with the disparity and divide between people in all societies. Additionally, this line serves to further Rodrigo's character and grant a better grasp of Rodrigo's conflicting character, the so-called deep unconscious natures that Rodrigo possesses that is innate to all of mankind, the ability to be so contradicting and ignore great problems in the world, to act as though they aren't there, don't matter, don't pertain to us, or cannot be solved. Through his writings, Rodrigo divulges into many philosophical thoughts and shares them with the audience, "Will I be condemned to death for discussing a life that contains, like the lives of all of us, an inviolable secret?" (39) In context, it might seem as if Rodrigo is talking about Macabea's virginity, or her poor-being, but the inviolable secret in us all suggests a more abstract thought,that of an experimental novel, one that attempts to grab at and portray the wrong in the world, or something that needs reform. This is clear in Rodrigo's final thoughts, "Dear God, only now am I remembering that people die. Does that include me?" (86) The psychological conflict of the world, all summarized into one character, the narrator, Rodrigo. The inevitability of death, the preciousness of life, the tendency to ignore death, or problems in the world. Rodrigo's final thought truly summarizes the thoughts and natures of all humans, for it involves something all humans must eventually dance with, death.
ReplyDelete“I, Rodrigo S.M. A traditional tale for I have no desire to be modish and invent colloquialisms under the guise of originality. So I shall attempt, contrary to my normal method, to write a story with a beginning, a middle, and a ‘grand finale’...” (13).
ReplyDeleteRodrigo here, as he does throughout the entirety of the text, writes in a first person style, as if he is a “normal character” in a “normal” book. Now, this is, of course, not at all the case. This book is written in an entirely new (experimental) way, in which it is essentially a book inside a book with an oddly omniscient main character, who somehow has control over the fictional events and does not, at the same time. His presence as a knower of all things Macabéa is sort of shocking, but assuming his work is fiction (or Lispector’s depending on which angle from which one takes this), it is not all too odd to have an all-knowing writer, as they are making up the whole thing in the first place. Still the bookception makes this pretty experimental in any case.
“The action of this story will result in my transfiguration into someone else and in my ultimate materialization into an object. Perhaps I might even acquire the sweet tones of the flute and become entwined in a creeper vine” (20).
This quote features plenty of visual and auditory imagery and magic realism. Rodrigo goes on a sort of tangent exploring such areas as him becoming an inanimate object. What he may mean by this is that he is so “entwined” in the novel, as he explains in the next line, that his body becomes one with the object or idea that is the story. In the second sentence, Rodrigo refers to music being played on the flute. This is one of the many musical references in the novel; he seems to use them most when he gets into the heavier, more philosophical realm, such as here and in the beginning of the novel.
“I see the girl from the North-east looking in the mirror and - the ruffle of a drum - in the mirror there appears my own face, weary and unshaven” (22).
Within experimental novels, irrationality and impossibility are commonplace. The quote above, for instance, employs a touch of magic realism, similar to the last quote, to describe a perfectly normal situation of a girl looking in a mirror morphing into a man, who may not even be part of the same world, in that same mirror. This sort of weird passage delves into Rodrigo’s self-conscious; it is written as if he is in a dream. This stream-of-conscious style also happens to be very common experimental novels.
“She lived in slo-o-ow motion, a hare le-e-eaping through the a-a-air over hi-i-ill and da-a-ale, obscurity was her earth, obscurity was the inner core of nature.
Rodrigo is a very expressive character, getting his point across in any way possible. This includes the stretching of words to vividly describe the lethargic nature of Macabéa. Much of this book is written in present tense, as the story unfolds. However, this passage is completely in past tense implying that he wrote it after the fact, reflecting on her character. This jumping (or le-e-eaping as Rodrigo would say) around from tense to tense is yet another experimental element in this short yet magnificently complex book.
In many experimental novels, there is the use of an anti-hero, who is a character who is the focus of the plot yet lacks conventional hero attributes. This is seen in The Hour of The Star, by Clarice Lispector, through the character Macabéa.
ReplyDelete“She merely exists, inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling,”(23).
Normally, the main characters of novels have important roles and duties to fulfill throughout the course of the novel. Being an experimental novel, Macabéa is the opposite of the traditional hero.The story revolves around how some guy feels the need to write a story about her sad life. This quote represents her role as the anti hero due to the fact that she has no purpose. As the quote says, she just simply exists. She has no special role or purpose in her life.
“Macabéa only noticed unimportant things such as herself,”(51).
The anti hero lacks qualities that make them above ordinary. This quote is good evidence for Macabéa being the anti hero of The Hour of the Star because it reminds readers that Macabéa is an average, bland person.
“There are thousands of girls like this girl from the North-east to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro,”(14).
This quote found near the beginning of the novel was a good preface to the idea of Macabéa being an anti hero. While Macabéa is the main focus of the novel, the narrator still chooses to describe her as replaceable. He also refers to her as the girl from the North-east instead of using her name. This also add to the anti hero effect as her qualities are so unimportant that her name must be as unimportant and easily forgettable.
“The person whom I am about to write about is so simple minded that she often smiles at other people on the street. No one acknowledges her smile for they don’t even notice her,” (16).
Heros typically get the support of the readers and audience of the story. They are typically the underdog that everyone roots for. Macabéa is good example of an anti hero because she is just the opposite. Nobody in her life is rooting for her or even cares to say hello. As a reader, this makes me feel pity for Macabéa. This creates a sympathetic tone in the novel.
“So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing. How does one start at the beginning, if things actually happened before they actually happen? (11).
ReplyDeleteHere, Lispector writes using a stream of consciousness. The narrator questions and contradicts himself as he writes and this creates an ambiguous effect. Rodrigo acts as an unreliable narrator due to his thoughts that seem to be flowing as he writes. These thoughts reflect a connection to God and faith, but also form existential aspects. He addresses fate when talking about the beginning before the beginning, and how things happen before they actually happen, and talks about life without meaning, but yet it has given him a purpose to write. In an existential mindset, there is no true answer in life. Lispector says that as long as Rodrigo has questions that he himself cannot answer, hinting at the existential lifestyle, he shall go on writing.
“I, Rodrigo S.M. A traditional tale for I have no desire to be modish and incent colloquialisms under the guise of originality. SO I shall attempt, contrary to my normal method to write a story with a beginning, a middle, and a ‘grade finale’ followed by silence and rain” (13). Another element of an experimental novel is the ‘ordinariness’ of it. Upon beginning the story of Macabea, Rodrigo informs the readers that his goal is to write a story that is like all other stories, ones with a beginning, middle, and an end. In reality, he does that. The story of Macabea is quite ordinary and uninteresting. Her life is nothing special. She does not own nice things and it is almost ironic how she was ‘chosen’ to be written about due to her perceivable insignificance.
“Anyone who lives, knows, even without he or she knows. So, dear readers, you know more than you imagine, however much you may deny it” (13). By breaking the fifth wall, Lispector creates a personal connection between the reader and the narrator. The rest of the novels feels as if it is being told specifically to the person reading it. In combination with Rodrigo’s conscious writing, it's also portrays an idea that the readers are looking into the mind and thoughts of LIspector/Rodrigo. Therefore, Macabea’s story seemed almost like a dream of the Rodrigo’s and more fiction than reality in the book.
“It is the vision of the imminence of ... of what? Perhaps I shall find out later. Just as I am writing at the same time as I am being read. Only I do not start with the ending that would justify the beginning – as death appears to comment on life – because I must record the preceding events” (12). Again, this is a representation of the stream of consciousness. Rodrigo is an unreliable narrator and bring up questions in his own thinking. In this quote, he finished one thought with a question, and began speaking on a different topic without a clear segue. However, the introduction of the idea that ‘death comments on life’ is a reference to fate. With a preset time for death, one’s life is ruled by the time of one’s death. The personification of death ‘commenting’ on life signifies that the evidence for a fate goes quietly and unnoticed, nevertheless Rodrigo feels he can see it. Because of this, he foreshadows that possibly there is an ending that would explain his writing now, but he cannot explain it due to his nature of only writing the present.
There are many examples of dehumanization in this story especially through Rodrigo. The first example is how he uses "he/she" rather than saying Olimpico and macabea's actually names. He writes, "there are thousands of girls like this girl from the northeast..."(14). He does this to group and objectify women who are similar to macabea. In his mind, there are many girls like her who are boring and basically useless in the world. Another example is when he says, "since nobody wanted to give her a treat, much less become engaged to her, she would give herself s treat"(61). He shows macabea as a lesser version on a human. He shows how other girls are wanted except for macabea making her inferior to all other women. At one point in the novel he also explains how she is like a hair in ones soup... No one wants her. This is another example of dehumanization because he doesn't even explain her as a person, but an object. And a very insignificant object at that. On page 28 the author says, "not knowing sounds awful, but it was not so awful for the girl knew lots of things just as a dog knows how to wag it's tail or a begged how to feel hungry." This is dehumanizing macabea by comparing her to an animal and then explaining how she does "know" things, but very simple things such as how a dog knows how to wag his tail even though that seems almost like second nature for a dog... They're born knowing how to wag their tails. He also compares it to a begger who feel hungry. However, one does not need to "know" anything in order to know that he or she is hungry. On page 21 the author explains why he is writing about this girl and says, "I write because I have nothing better to do in this world." Rodrigo is dehumanizing macabea here by explaining how irrelevant to the world she is. So irrelevant that she is that very last thing one thinks to write about because of how boring and insignificant she is. Lastly, he explains how, "the girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly"(15). He explains that her existence is not important and she could leave the earth and it would not affect a soul. If he were implying that she was equal to all other humans on the world and not any inferior, he would have made it evident that she had a purpose in the world; however, he does not.
ReplyDeleteMy group had passage #7, and I immediately noticed that Lispector is introducing Macabea as well as characterizing the narrator. The narrator says at the beginning of the passage “Yes, I belong to no social category, marginal as I am. The upper classes consider me a strange creature, the middle classes regard me with suspicion, afraid that I might unsettle them, while the lower classes avoid me” (Lispector 18). This quote shows that the narrator thinks that he is an outcast because all the classes don’t seem to like him and he believes that he doesn’t fit into any one of these groups. I feel like this quote is shocking because the narrator was rich and had many possessions, but is poor and now has fewer items to live with. It just shows that people are judgemental over other’s lives and how people view others as barely human and full of disgust. Lispector uses visual imagery to introduce Macabea and characterize the narrator as well. Lispector states “with stiff, contaminated fingers I must touch the invisible in its own squalor” (19). Lispector uses visual imagery to show others how Macabea is struggling on a daily basis. The word “invisible” shows that the narrator is describing Macabea as invisible and unimportant as shown by how the high and middle class view her. Lastly Lispector uses a simile to show the importance of Macabea, she writes “It is as hard as breaking rocks. Sparks and splinters fly like shattered steel” (19). This quote/ simile significance is show how there is more to a person than just looks and money. The narrator chose Macabea as the main character because it helps provide a new perspective.
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