My passage was the 4th, “It is my intention… be a person?” (Lispector 14-15). The passage deals with the narrator’s own feelings and struggles with writing juxtaposed with “the girl’s” own flaws. At the beginning of the passage, the narrator discloses that he is going to be inconsistent and unreliable due to the fact that he has “few details about my characters… stem from me and only return to me” (14). Essentially, not only is the narrator not prepared to write the story, but he has nothing to help him except his own mind because all the characters are made up. This explains the narrator’s erratic style of writing, constantly stopping to go off on a tangent then continuing on with the main plot. He is most likely trying to piece together what he is going to say next during those off-topic paragraphs, but is so scattered that he is unable to. He lacks direction, and his characters reflect that. However, he still thinks relatively highly of himself. He speaks of humility directly after comparing himself to King Midas, the man whose touch turned objects into gold. In comparison, he doesn’t even name Macabea, and just calls her “the girl.” It is an obvious sense of superiority that is developed throughout the novel. Rodrigo would love to be like the girl, but he hates her because he can’t.
The passage which I color marked was, “The Author’s Dedication”, for the Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. The most prominent aspect of this dedication is its emphasis towards different composers. Clarice Lispector lists off numerous composers who the novel, “The Hour of the Star”, is dedicated to. They include: Mr. and Mrs. Schumann, Beethoven, Bach, Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Marlos Nobre, Prokofiev, Carl Orff, Schoenberg, and the twelve-tone composers. These composers have shaped Clarice throughout her lifetime. It seems that without them, Clarice may not have had the strength to explore her true being and find herself. The act of meditation is also very significant within the dedication. Clarice explains the value in simply meditating which leads to her questioning one’s existence. However, it is not meditating which directly causes her to question things, but writing which forces the question of existence. She then proceeds to explore the topic of existence through an anecdote about the invisibility of atoms, and what they make. Once the question of existence and purpose is placed carefully within the reader, the actual story is introduced. “The Hour of the Star” is then described as taking place in a disaster and intends to answer nothing. Lispector’s audience is then left questioning everything as they begin her novel. The last part of the dedication clarifies that the story which proceeds will add a “touch of luxury”. Clarice leaves the reader with the understanding that this book may be dedicated explicitly to composers, but it is also a dedication for everyone as humans are extremely interconnected.
In my close reading and color marking, I chose to read the second passage. One of the most prominent motifs that I found was that of cyclical systems and things 'coming together' in the end. Lispector writes "If before the prehistory there already existed apocalyptic monsters?"(11). In this instance Lispector is talking about how the end and the beginning and sometimes come together to become one in the same (or at least asking if this is possible with the examples of the monster destroying the world being the start of the beginning, for example.) I think that this motif is very significant in this book as it helps to add meaning to the shocking ending and helps us make sense out of it. More will be said about this later. "My heart has shed every desire and reduced itself to one final or initial beat." This, like the one I cited earlier, is an example of Lispector tying the end and the beginning together as if they are the same point. What object's starting point is also its endpoint? A circle! These strangely worded examples show that in this passage and throughout the rest of the book Lispector is implying that the end is not the end. What I mean by this is that when things like Macabea dies, Lispector makes it seem like it is just over - but throughout the rest of the book and in this passage in particular she hints at death not being final, but it being the beginning of something else. Wether that be one's body decomposing to feed the plants growing out of it, or the impact that one's legacy leaves, Lispector is constantly toying with the idea that thing don't end - they are circular this is shown in the second passage.
My group did our close reading on passage 5 of the section. Basically, the narrator takes up a whole page explaining the insignificance and lack of purpose that Macabéa’s life is marked by, along with the density & lack of clarity that his subsequent writing entails. He begins by saying that she would fail epically if she attempted to pose the question “Who am I?” to herself. The narrator states that this question “creates a need” and “to probe oneself [for the answer] is to recognize that one is incomplete” (16). So, not only her, but all people that attempt to answer this question are pretty much stupid because if none of us have any purpose in life, why ask what our purpose is? Rodrigo then says, “what I am about to write cannot be assimilated by minds that expect much and crave sophistication” (16). This personification of the mind suggests that Macabéa's story is so painstakingly simplistic that the mind will force itself to create something more complex out of nothing in an attempt to satisfy its own need. Other examples of this simplicity and dullness include the narrator stating that it “will be quite stark” and “nothing will scintillate”. Later, the narrator says that he is “much more interested in action than in meditation” and that he should “jump ahead in time and sketch out an ending immediately” (16). These quotes present the theme that humans naturally do before we think, more concerned with the action rather than the motivation behind it. This could be a reason why the narrator keeps jumping back and forth between talking about himself and bashing on his main character, because he is writing before he is really thinking about it.
I only wrote about 2 questions because I had a lot to say :) 4. Why do you think Macabéa “loved” Olímpico? In my opinion, Macabéa loved Olímpico simply because he was the first man to show her any form of attention. Yes, it was attention, but obviously we’re aware that he was probably the most negative thing in her pitiful life. Due to her complete ignorance to the notion that she was carrying out a horrifically sad existence, she didn’t know any better to understand that “Olímpico de Jesus Moreira Chaves” was bad news from the minute he introduced himself with such a ridiculous name. Rodrigo write that, “she was starving but not for food, it was a numb sort of pain that rose from her lower abdomen, making the nipples of her breast quiver and her empty arms starved of any embrace came out in goose pimples” (44). Olímpico’s abrupt entrance into her life created a sudden longing within her that she couldn’t understand, and therefore, couldn’t control. All Macabéa knew was that she wanted him around, but did she really know it at all?
7. What does Macabéa’s death represent? How does it fit in with the overall message of the book? Most obviously, Macabéa’s death is the star in the title, as the narrator states, “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” (28). This supports the existential idea that death is the most glorious and authentic moment of our lives, as we live each day aware of what is to come but not aware of when. Lispector also uses Macabéa’s death as a representation of birth and the coming of a new being. After being hit by the yellow Mercedes, “some people...gathered round Macabéa. They just stood there doing nothing...except that these people peered at her and this gave her an existence” (81). Her whole life people ignored her, shunned her, and made her feel insignificant, yet in death she finally receives the existence she has always lacked. On her deathbed she “seemed to become more and more transformed into a Macabéa, as if she were arriving at herself” (81). This suggests the idea of complete authenticity at the time of death because the individual comes to terms with who they were in life.
What is the significance of the dying virgin? Macabėa’s tragic death occurs when she is only 19 years of age. At this point in her life she has had a boyfriend, Olímpico, but she is still a virgin. This inexperience in sexual relations may have been pushed on her from her maiden aunt. Having a guardian figure such as her aunt in Maceió, was very impactful as her aunt thought that, “intercourse was so disgusting that she never married” (28). The symbolism of being a virgin represents all things pure, innocent, new, and young. It emphasizes how new she still is to the world, and magnifies the tragic-ness of her death. However, Rodrigo’s description of the girl continually contradict the lovely image of a virgin. Her death was quick to come, and relatively unimportant. Although Macabėa dies when she is young, it seems as though nothing more was to be accomplished during her lifetime. Ultimately, the idea of someone dying as a virgin portrays a tragic death of an innocent girl who had a lot of potential left. Macabėa’s death as a virgin is still tragic, but it is almost expected as she had nothing much to offer the world.
Was Macabėa happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all? Happiness is difficult to define and quantify. However, the reader can easily grasp the level of Macabėa’s and Rodrigo’s happiness. Macabėa was happy in her oblivion and small naive bubble. Because she did not know that her life was truly unfortunate and unbearable, she had nothing to worry about. Contradictory to this, Rodrigo knew that he is unhappy, as he is aware of his conditions and surroundings. He writes, “my own pain, of someone who carries this world where there is so little happiness. Happiness?” (12). This quote expands on Rodrigo’s struggle to understand his character and her perception of life. Initially, the reader may feel pity and sorrow for Macabėa, as she lives in horrible conditions. As the novel continues, the audience begins to receive mixed feelings about her which include disgust, sorrow, and pity. Her ignorance provides her with bliss, which leaves her self-content. In the end her character is still extremely pitiful, but maybe this is exaggerated through her lack of understanding. The audience almost feels sorry for her that she cannot comprehend her unfortunate conditions.
What was Lispector’s purpose is writing this book? What is the theme? In the introduction, Rodrigo continually mentions the question of existence. He writes, “nobody cares a damn about their existence” (14). This forces the audience to ponder the meaning of their existence, while being presented with the idea that there is no meaning. This existentialist philosophy is prevalent throughout the novel. Lispector also writes, “Where she [Macabėa] foolish enough to ask herself, ‘Who am I?’, she would fall flat on her face (15). This novel places importance on the questions and unexplained aspects of life. Macabėa appears to have no purpose in her life, yet Rodrigo feels the need to write about her. The introduction which leads into the story depicts an internal battle within Rodrigo. Rodrigo continually contradicts himself with the thought of Macabėa’s existence, happiness, and his physical writing. When the reader initially reads this book, the author’s purpose may seem slightly confusing. However, the message becomes more clear as it focuses on the questioning of human existence with the theme of understanding life’s meaning.
Question 1: What is Lispector’s purpose in writing this book? What is the theme? Lispector’s purpose in writing this book was to explore the mechanisms through which one reflects on themselves. Rodrigo wrote the entire novel with the intention of writing a story about a women he knows nothing about, but rather is just a reflection of himself in many different forms. Often times, self reflection is begins as unintentional, like the story of “the girl,” but once it becomes apparent what is happening, those who are self reflecting continue to see where the train of thought takes them. The story wasn’t intended to be Rodrigo’s exploration of himself, but once he realized it was, he saw it through to the literal end. This makes one of the themes of the book the realization that humans don’t want to look within, but once they do, they can’t look away.
Question 11: Is Rodrigo the protagonist of the novel? Or is it Macabea? The definition of protagonist is “the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.” According to that, there is no reason that both Rodrigo and Macabea aren’t protagonists. However, that wouldn’t be very interesting. I tend to lean more towards Rodrigo being the protagonist. He is the more interesting of the two as well as the voice in the reader’s head throughout the novel. It is his internal struggle that is being expressed through Macabea, “Through this young person I scream the horror of life” (Lispector 25). The events of the novel are creations of his imagination, it is his inner psyche that is being explored, making him the protagonist. If Macabea is a symbol of the horrors of life, that makes Rodrigo the one who is supposed to learn what to do with the knowledge she provides.
Question 7: What does Macabea’s death represent? How does it fit with the overall message of the story? Macabea’s death represents the inability of informed people to be happy. Macabea was ignorant to the fact that she was unhappy, but once she was told that she should be unhappy, that she had a horrible, miserable life, she died. Ignorance is bliss, and the intelligent are miserable; that is the truth, at least the one Lispector wants to convey. Rodrigo understands the world, or at least he believes he does, and he is miserable. Olimpico has some degree of understanding, and he can’t allow himself to be happy. He has an opportunity to get what he has wanted for most of his life with Macabea, who he has wrapped around his finger, but he gives it up for an off chance with Gloria. Life is torture to people who realize it.
Dying a virgin may not seem like that big of a deal to some people, but to others (including most of Latin and South America) dying a virgin can be seen as a failure in life. Essentially, the goal of the human race (and all other species) is to reproduce to make sure that their is next generation of humans. When a person fails to do this (die a virgin) those who see the point of life to be reproducing may see this person as a failure in life. However, dying as a virgin may show that the person has truly not lived and has thus been robbed of their human experience as they have died without being able to have sex, so in a sense, as with Macabea the reader has a sort of pity and sympathy for that person. This case seems to happen more often when the dying person is younger.
16. What role do gender roles play in this book?
Throughout the book we see the types of differences that existed between men and women in the 70s in Brazil. For example, take Macabea - she is a typist which was the type of job a woman could have, while men were able to work where ever they choose (or were qualified to). I feel that Lispector makes the narrator a male not because she felt that it would be more traditional, or align with what would be expected. I think that she made the narrator a man because the narrator was the one looking with an outside perspective into Macabea's life - much like how most of the people judging Macabea and telling her what she was worth.
Throughout “The Hour of the Star”, Clarice Lispector utilizes religion and the bible to emphasize the question of human existence, purpose, and to contrast existentialism. Rodrigo, the narrator, can be seen as a religious person. This is seen when the narrator writes, "God is the world" (12). This short sentence is very abruptly thrown in, but it serves a significant purpose in letting the reader know of his religion. The name of the girl, Macabéa, refers to a bible story which depicts a strong army who fights for their beliefs, named the Maccabees. This is quite contradictory to Macabéa who is pathetic, weak, and wimpy. Another example of a biblical reference is when Lispector writes, “To eat communion bread will be to taste the world’s indifference, and to immerse myself in nothingness” (19). When one takes the cup and bread during communion, it represents the blood and body which Jesus sacrificed for human’s sin. When used by Rodrigo in this context, it is slightly confusing. Why would eating the bread show human apathy? Prior to this, Rodrigo mentions that he would “want to walk naked or in rags” (19). Although this is a very broad aspect, it may refer to the rags which Jesus wore. Rodrigo additionally touches on the topic of prayer when he says, “Prayer was a means of confronting myself in silence away from the gaze of others (14). This affirms that Rodrigo is indeed religious, and shows his faith in God. Overall, Rodrigo’s faith seems quite confusing as there are existentialist thoughts mixed in with traditional religion.
There are many biblical references used all around this novel to create allusions that connect Macabea’s life to the Bible. Some examples include the introduction of Omlipico de Jesus, whose name references to Jesus Christ in the bible also known as the savior. This is a clear connection, because to Macabea Olimpico is her savior as he saved her from her Hell of being lonely. However ironically, she fails to follow the actual Jesus Christ within the Christian religion within the bible when Lispector writes, "She mechanically recited three Hail Marys, Amen, Amen, Amen. She prayed but without God. She did not know Him, therefore He did not exist," (34). The main word here is mechanically, it portrays Macabea’s prayers to seem robot, routine, and fail to show any emotion. Then the last part of the quote implies she does not need God, and that she can live without him, leaving prayer as only a cultural thing. Although this empty feeling of her’s does not just limit to God, she feels empty about almost everything as Lispector writes, "Most of the time, she possessed, without knowing it, the emptiness that replenishes the souls of saints" (37). The last part of the quote is actually a biblical reference, because it calls her temptation less life one that would be fit for a saint. There are more references of religion not only from Macabea, but from other character’s as well such as Rodrigo who says, “To eat communion bread will be to taste the world’s indifference, and to immerse myself in nothingness” (19). Communion bread is said to be the body of Jesus turned into bread, and when eaten will save an individual that chooses Jesus as their savior. Although to Rodrigo he views religion as just something to help people see they have a purpose, which he thinks is a fake purpose, and this then connects Rodrigo to an existentialist. Finally, out of all the references there is one that stood out to me that defined Macabea’s isolation when Rodrigo describes her loneliness as, "Gosh, it sounds like the name of a disease...a skin disease" (43). Rodrigo is making a reference to leprosy, which was one of the most profound if not common disease found in the bible and in almost every situation victims of this disease are left alone in isolation.
Throughout The Hour of the Star, Rodrigo treats Macabéa with complete disrespect and ridicule in order to objectify and dehumanize her, bringing to light the pattern of this treatment on the poor in particular. In general, the narrator rarely refers to his main character by her name, not even mentioning it until she meets Olímpico (page 43 in our books). Up to this point, Rodrigo called her “the girl” or “the girl from the North-east”, making her seem almost imaginary, as if she isn't truly a person, completely lacking an avenue to speak or advocate for herself. Obviously this is what Rodrigo wants because it allows him to make with her what he wants, refusing to consider the truth of her existence. By not mentioning her name for so long, he makes the book more about himself than about her, remaining in complete control of her story, as if she's a pet on a short leash. Early in the novel Rodrigo discusses “girls who sell their bodies” but states that Macabéa “scarcely has a body to sell; nobody desires her” (14). In this way, he dehumanizes her in the sense that he figuratively takes away her body. Saying that she barely has any substance is like saying that she's practically nothing at all. On page 16, Rodrigo says she 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”. Not only does he dehumanize her in his own eyes, but he brings strangers into the situation, suggesting that others don't look right through her in the same way she does. Furthering this idea of dehumanizing her from multiple perspectives, a discussion with Olímpico goes as follows: “He-- Why the fuss? Aren't you a human being? Human beings talk about other human beings. She-- Forgive me, but I don't believe that I am all that human” (48). Here, Rodrigo makes her dehumanize herself. By making her verbalize her lack of human qualities, her dehumanization is authenticated. A few pages later, Macabéa talks to Olímpico about Marilyn Monroe, to whom he compares her to by saying, “and you're the color of mud” (53). Belittling her in this way adds to her insignificance as a person by comparing her to wet dirt that most people consider gross. Adding onto this, on page 60, Olímpico says, “Macabéa, you're like a hair in one’s soup”. Obviously people think this is gross, yet a single hair is such a minute thing. This characterizes Macabéa as a social inconvenience when, if noticed, is a real stick in the mud ;)
In the “Hour of the Star”, Clarice Lispector utilizes dehumanization and objectivity of Macabéa and the urban world through the commentary of Rodrigo, the narrator. An example of this objectification is seen through Rodrigo’s desire to distance himself from his character, the girl. This is more explicitly shown when he says, “I do not even know the girl’s name” (19). Lispector’s audience then views Rodrigo as one who values himself more than others. By distancing himself, he is less poor, unfortunate, and has less in common with Macabéa. His disgust for Macabéa seeps through cracks of the novel, and her insignificance amplifies with his continuing dehumanization. When describing his writing, Rodrigo says, “my story is almost trivial” (24). This alludes to Macabéa’s invisibility and supports the idea that she does not matter to anyone. When characterizing Macabéa, Rodrigo writes, “she was inept. Inept for living” (24). Her ineptitude for living adds another dehumanizing remark, as she is not seen as being capable of completing the simple human task of living. Another example of dehumanization is through name calling (in the beginning Macabéa was not referred to by name to show dehumanization). Madame Carlota, the fortune teller, remarks, “Are you [Macabéa] frightened of words, my pet?” (74). She declares Macabéa to be less than human by calling her by a pet name. Olímpico also makes rude remarks as leaves Macabéa by saying, “Macabéa, you’re like a hair in one’s soup” (60). The city in which Macabéa lives is overwhelming and overrides her existence.
Lispector shows the dehumanizing effect of the modern world in Hour of The Star a number of different times. For almost the entire first half of the story, we do not know the main character's name, because she is referred to as “the girl”. I think that this is done in order to disrespect her and to show that she was thought of as a lower class. Rodrigo even blatantly dehumanizes her, saying “It’s as good as saying that a healthy dog is worth more” (35). Here, Rodrigo compares her to a dog. We know that this isn't a meaningless analogy because of the many other times that he has disrespected her. The societal views on the rich and the poor are shown on page 46, when macabea is compared to a primitive creature and a more wealthy man is praised. These societal norms were widely accepted, and even changed the way that poor women viewed themselves in society. Lispector gives an example of this later on (can't find the page) when Macabea says that she doesn't believe that she is human herself. I found this very interesting because it shows the extent to which the opinions of others can change how we view ourselves. Lispector went on to show how brutal and blunt the shaming of these people was when on page 53 he tells Macabea to her face to look in the mirror because she doesn't have the face/body to become a movie star. Throughout all of these instances, we can see that it is shared knowledge that the middle and upper class look down upon the lower class so much so that on occasion they aren't even considered humans.
In Hour of the Star, Rodrigo is constantly belittling and dehumanizing Macabéa. In the first section of the book, he refused to call her by anything other than “the girl.” Of course it could be that he hadn’t come up with a name yet, but it still causes the reader to believe that she isn’t deserving of a name. A name is essential to one’s identity. Once he does give her a name, he often compares her to animals, like he does here: “Macabéa was undeniably a primitive creature while Olímpico de Jesus saw himself as a man about town, the type of man for whom all doors open to” (Lispector 46). Not only does he claim that Macabéa is a “primitive creature,” he also insinuates that Olímpico is much more human because he is a man and he has money. This is a statement regarding the values of society; those who have something of value are the ones that are valued. Later, when Rodrigo goes off tangent, he seeks pity and claims that he is telling the “truth that nobody wants to see” (48), referring to Macabéa. Macabéa is the reality for a lot of people, and it is unsightly. No one wants to hear anything about the poor and sad, humanity wants to be happy. When speaking to Gloria, Macabéa was asked, “Don’t you have a face?” (40). Although it could easily be construed as a claim that she was ugly, which is insulting enough, it is also possible that Gloria was being literal. Faces are but one of many ways humans identify with each other, and saying that Macabéa doesn’t have one is similar to saying she doesn’t have an identity or that she isn’t human. The fortune teller, Madame Carlota says, “Are you [Macabéa] frightened of words, my pet?” (66). Again, another remark at her being anything but human. Although pets can be loved like humans, by definition, pets are inferior to humans. After being hit by the Mercedes, Rodrigo writes, “that puny creature named Macabéa…” (71). One last time, Macabéa is less than human. She is a “creature.” Not even given the satisfaction of being distinguishable, just that she is still living a pathetic and horrid life.
In "The Hour of The Star" Lispector is able to consistently show that human life has no worth and that the endless pursuits are trivial, though the objectification of several characters. First, Lispector writes "There are some people who get all worked up if you mention certain words. Are you scared of words my pet?" (74) In this encounter Madame is speaking to Macabea about prostitution and Macabea's overall appearance. Throughout the conversation Madame refers to Macabea as a plethora of things that includes "My pet": Madame thinks of Macabea as nothing more than an object which she can mentor or provide some guidance to in her life and predict her future. The objectification of Macabea by Madame in this instance shows that Macabea's life is insignificant in any and all regards. Early on Lispector writes "Were she foolish enough to ask herself 'who am I?'". Up to this point Lispector has more or less gone on a very large rant about how Macabea's life doesn't matter. In addition she has outlined some possibilities highlighting just how insignificant Macabea's life is. Anyways, this quote in particular sort of shows that Lispector does not think that Macabea should have the right to question her own existence as she is not important enough. This is not exactly objectification but it is dehumanizing and takes away from the worth of Macabea's life. Both of these two instances mark points at which either the narrator or some of Macabea's peers have made somewhat passive remarks about how her life does not matter and how insignificant her life is. In both cases Macabea has had some of her fundamental human rights stripped in the sense that she is being considered as nothing more than an object. But do human rights really apply when one claims that someone's life is trivial/insignificant? (I think so, but others might not)
In Lispector’s novel there are many examples that contribute altogether to the fact that she dehumanizes the poor of the urban world by using Rodrigo constantly attacking Macabea with insults and terms that should not be used to any person. Different examples of Rodrigo just plainly insulting and being completely and utterly rude to Macabea is when he says things such as these: "... nobody wants her, she's a virgin and harmless, nobody would miss her" (6), "Her existence is sparse. Yes. But why should I feel guilty?" (15), "She makes me so uncomfortable that I feel hollow" (18), "That girl didn't know she was what she was, just as a dog doesn't know it's a dog."(19), "I get the impression that her life was one long meditation about nothingness"(37), "Her life was duller than plain bread and butter"(58). The first two quotes written expose the nothingness she really is, and how her existence is relatively meaningless. Lispector uses Rodrigo’s words to elaborate upon how the urban world views the poor by believing that the poor are useless to any kind of contribution for society. Going on he then compares her to an animal which is a clear insult dehumanizing her as a human being. It would also then imply she was uneducated as much of the poor who live in cities. Then as a recurring insult in the novel he once again says her life is meaningless with the next quote found in page 37. Then the final quote I found even though this novel is limitless with insults at Macabea was the one where Rodrigo compares Macabea to something once again not human. He even calls her life boring, and dull with it. Altogether all of these quotes/insults Rodrigo uses however give insight into actual human nature that humans often put others down especially the poor to try and believe how they believe they are living a meaningful life. However the reasons for all of this are all so vague, so personally I believe Lispector who is existentialist writes these parts down to ultimately show how people who put others down in this way are only doing it so that they may find meaning in this meaningless world.
In various interactions between the characters in the experimental novel "The Hour of The Star" Clarice Lispector uses biblical references in regular dialogue in excess to show that the human hope for a higher power is innate and is often the cause for action or inaction. In the conversation between Olímpico and Macabéa that begins on page 46 and runs through 55 demonstrates this overuse of biblical references. For example Olímpico says things like "Damn your aunt!", "Thanks be to god,...", and "God Almighty". These are totally normal things to use in conversation, however if one uses them in just about every other sentence it can get a little bit repetitive - and that is the point that Lispector is trying to make. Her using these types of phrases so often shows that she thinks that people are just too dependent on a higher power and need to perhaps accept the possibility of one not existing. You see, in the bible all of the "characters" have a pretty well defined purpose and that most if not all interactions are able to teach the reader a message. In the bible everything has a meaning, however in "Hour of the Star" and in life Lispector is trying to show that not everything has a purpose or matters at all. For example, Rodrigo says "just how tough he was, he bit right into the devil's fruit." (65). In Rodrigo comparing this situation to something from the bible (specifically the Garden of Eden and the devil's fruit being the forbidden fruit) he is implying that this situation and the people in it have purpose- which Lispector wants to show don't. Lispector's use of biblical references and comparisons is an attempt to show that the human hope for a higher power is ironic.
In the “Hour of the Star”, it is not Macabea who is the anti-hero, but Rodrigo. Rodrigo continually expresses his thoughts as being contradictory. This can be seen when Lispector writes, “I do not intend to write anything complicated” (13). Rodrigo’s writing style shows how strong his internal conflict is within his psychological world. The way in which the novel is written is quite complicated, and the audience is never really sure of the author’s meaning. As Rodrigo introduces broad, confusing, and unanswerable topics into the book, there is a greater confusion within the reader. His stream of thought in the beginning is frequently interrupted by the idea that he is not writing anything complicated. Rodrigo insists that he shall try to write a story which is a form of true simplicity. Another aspect of the novel which portrays Rodrigo’s internal conflict can be found with his feelings toward Macabéa. Rodrigo says, “As the author, I alone love her” (27). His feelings about Macabéa are contradicted to his disgust for her throughout the novel. Lispector ensures that Rodrigo’s motivation for writing about Macabéa is unknown, and stems from a deep unconscious source of his being. Rodrigo writes, “ I am forced to seek a truth that transcends me” (20). This truth is that of which Macabéa’s life story holds. He never seems to mention anything more than the “truth” which is ambiguous. Initially, Rodrigo says that he must write this story and that it is his duty. However, I find it interesting that he later writes, “I accept no responsibility for what I am writing” (72). Even Rodrigo’ s deep unconscious nature is plagued by contradiction!
In “Hour of the Star,” it is Rodrigo that is the anti-hero that lends to the idea that the book is an “Experimental Novel.” An anti-hero is a protagonist who isn’t likeable in the traditional sense for whatever reason. Rodrigo fits this role perfectly. Firstly, Rodrigo constantly places himself above Macabea and some other characters, not letting the reader forget that they are poor and insignificant compared to him. The constant reminders that the narrator is arrogant does not lend itself well to a positive outlook on him. Contrasting the reminders of Rodrigo’s arrogance are his tangents for when he doesn’t have the will to continue, but does so anyway, “I have to write about this northeastern girl or I’ll choke” (Lispector 8). It sounds desperate, like Rodrigo’s life depends on this expulsion of thoughts and events to manifest onto paper. Along with that, the very fact that Rodrigo inserts himself into the story so often, when he goes off on his tangents, is an example of the Experimental Novel. Hour of the Star is written in the style of a stream of consciousness, which means that the narrator seems to write with whatever pops into their head. This is exactly what Rodrigo does. His tangents are his inner thoughts about the work he is writing and the story he is making up; how it kills him, makes him feel closer to humanity, and ever farther from it. Another key aspect of the novel that makes it experimental is the numerous titles and the illusions to them. One of these titles is, “The Right to Scream” and it is referenced almost immediately, on the fourth page of the book. The alternate titles allude to themes and motifs of the story.
There are so many factors that qualify The Hour of the Star as most definitely an experimental novel. It was so revolutionary at not only its time, but also its place (Brazil), as it included so many innovative literary elements of modern mind boggling thoughts. A common theme among experimental novels are anti-heroes and in here, despite the novel supposedly revolving around Macabea, it appears that Rodrigo is actually truly the anti-hero of the book. To the audience Rodrigo is initially seen as a very negative cold character who also comes off as very unlikeable. His rude explanation of Macabea and his brutal honesty, is portrayed within every comment he makes about her. In this quote Rodrigo says,"It's true that I have no pity for my main character, the northeastern girl: it's a story I want to be cold. But I have the right to be sadly cold, and you do not," (page 5), and clearly his displeasing attitude is portrayed. Furthermore he treats the life of Macabea as if it is something he has divine superiority over as he explains it with little sensitivity. However, despite his lack of sensitivity the novel implies he can connect to Macabea in way where he dislikes the structure of society in the way that it creates poverty. Rodrigo states, "...the record that is about to begin is written under the sponsorship of the most popular soft drink in the world even though it does not earn me anything; a soft drink that is distributed throughout the world" (23). Through this quote it can be interpreted that consumerism has a dangerous nature that saps the meaning of life, as even Rodrigo himself must advertise the soft drink while attempting to display his true purpose of what he wants to explain. Although Rodrigo is not the only who suffers from this internal conflict of the realization of the beauty of obliviousness, he is just the only one who notices it as he like all antiheroes is nothing but an ordinary person. Rodrigo even states multiple times that he is nothing but ordinary, especially in this quote here "Let no one be mistaken. I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort" (11). On top of everything else Rodrigo questions even more about Macabea when he asks himself, "Why struggle? I ask myself: will she one day experience love and its farewell? Will she one day experience love and its deceptions?..." (40). He keeps going on and on about questioning how obliviousness of a matrix kind of happiness causes her to try so much as if she is living the life in her poor kind of state. He thinks she is the one struggling to try and achieve a fake happiness, but truly it is the ordinary Rodrigo who cannot come to terms with his thoughts in deciding on which perspective he should look at life with.
I highly consider "Hour of the Star " by Clarice Lispector to be an experimental novel and there is a bountiful collection of evidence to support this viewpoint. Firstly, a trait that is characteristic of most experimental novels is the fact that the story is told by a narrator in a non-linear fashion; by this I mean that Lispector tells the story in a way that puts the events in an order that they did not occur in. As Rodrigo puts it "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. This indicates that while the story is trying to be told in a normal and chronological manner, some traces of non-linear storytelling can be still found. Secondly, Lispector writes in a very hypothetical type of way, meaning that she proposes many possibilities for what may actually be true, and never is absolute on anything; for example "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 happen before they actually happen? If before the pre-prehistory there already existed apocalyptic monsters? "(11) While this quote can have some very different connotations, it has a lot of 'if's implying that perhaps there is no absolute truth and what has or is happening in the novel and in life in general is left up to personal interpretation. Also, in many instances Rodrigo breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience as seen in the previous two sections, but also towards the end of the novel: "I accept no responsibility for what I am writing."(72). Rodrigo partakes in many reader-narrator observations, for example: "Now I awaken to find that I miss Macabea. Let's take up the threads again."(70). Here, he is narrating the shift from his personal life to write about what is happening with Macabea. I'm not sure how much I like this style of writing, I suppose that I would have to read more experimental novels to find out, but it certainly is much different from most traditional forms of literature.
Obviously, due to the introductory presentation on the subject, The Hour of the Star is classified as an experimental novel. The definition of experimental novel encompasses many different attributes of literature, and The Hour of the Star possesses many of these qualities. First and foremost, the presence of Rodrigo S.M. as an unreliable narrator characterizes The Hour of the Star as an experimental novel. Throughout the book, especially in his introduction, Rodrigo contradicts his thoughts and opinions. For example, the narrator states, “...this story will consist of words that from phrases from which there emanates a secret meaning that exceeds both words and phrases” (14), then goes on to say, “I swear that this book is composed without words: like a mute paragraph” (17). These quotes show just how quickly Rodrigo changes his mind about things as he’s writing, not bothering to cross check what he’s previously written in order to stay true to his words. This simple example is just a glimpse of more serious contradictions throughout the novel, especially in terms of his opinions regarding Macabéa. These contradictions also add to the stream of consciousness aspect of experimental novel, as it seems he is writing before thinking about what he’s writing. Aside from this example, stream of consciousness characteristics can also be seen in the quote, “Just as I am writing at the same time as I am being read” (12). This exemplifies stream of consciousness because Rodrigo explicitly states that he is putting on the page whatever he happens to be thinking up, without any preconception or planning. This notion becomes more obvious a little later when he says, “As it happens, I have no idea how this story will end” (16). Another aspect of the experimental novel that is present in The Hour of the Star is the lack of traditional structure. A typical novel usually consists of some sort of chapter separation, a semi-distinct beginning, middle, and end, as well as a climax thrown in there somewhere. The Hour of the Star is considered experimental because it lacks all of these things. It seems as though it is all one long sentence, one long thought. Macabéa’s death could be considered the climax, but that’d be quite a stretch considering the insignificance of it, having the equivalent impact on the reader that all the rest of the book has. Aside from the absence of typical novel parts, Lispector’s structure, or lack-thereof, of the dialogue present in the novel. The first dialogue is present on page 43, where Olímpico and Macabéa meet for the first time. Here, a simple hyphen is used to separate each line of dialogue, without quotation marks. Later, the dialogue on page 48 is separated by “He” and “She” accompanied by a hyphen. This untraditional way of presenting dialogue can be considered experimental because it defies the “rules”, not specifying who is talking, which allows the reader to do a little bit of thinking in order to understand who is talking. Lispector’s list of titles prior to the first page of the novel is another experimental quality of the book. A subtitle is the closest thing that most other novels come to what she has done here. Although her final decision was “The Hour of the Star”, she chose to leave each of the alternate titles remaining because deserves to be there as they each pertain to a different part of the novel, once again allowing the reader to decide which suits their interpretation of the novel best.
My passage was the 4th, “It is my intention… be a person?” (Lispector 14-15). The passage deals with the narrator’s own feelings and struggles with writing juxtaposed with “the girl’s” own flaws. At the beginning of the passage, the narrator discloses that he is going to be inconsistent and unreliable due to the fact that he has “few details about my characters… stem from me and only return to me” (14). Essentially, not only is the narrator not prepared to write the story, but he has nothing to help him except his own mind because all the characters are made up. This explains the narrator’s erratic style of writing, constantly stopping to go off on a tangent then continuing on with the main plot. He is most likely trying to piece together what he is going to say next during those off-topic paragraphs, but is so scattered that he is unable to. He lacks direction, and his characters reflect that. However, he still thinks relatively highly of himself. He speaks of humility directly after comparing himself to King Midas, the man whose touch turned objects into gold. In comparison, he doesn’t even name Macabea, and just calls her “the girl.” It is an obvious sense of superiority that is developed throughout the novel. Rodrigo would love to be like the girl, but he hates her because he can’t.
ReplyDeleteCyan Perry:
ReplyDeleteThe passage which I color marked was, “The Author’s Dedication”, for the Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. The most prominent aspect of this dedication is its emphasis towards different composers. Clarice Lispector lists off numerous composers who the novel, “The Hour of the Star”, is dedicated to. They include: Mr. and Mrs. Schumann, Beethoven, Bach, Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Marlos Nobre, Prokofiev, Carl Orff, Schoenberg, and the twelve-tone composers. These composers have shaped Clarice throughout her lifetime. It seems that without them, Clarice may not have had the strength to explore her true being and find herself. The act of meditation is also very significant within the dedication. Clarice explains the value in simply meditating which leads to her questioning one’s existence. However, it is not meditating which directly causes her to question things, but writing which forces the question of existence. She then proceeds to explore the topic of existence through an anecdote about the invisibility of atoms, and what they make. Once the question of existence and purpose is placed carefully within the reader, the actual story is introduced. “The Hour of the Star” is then described as taking place in a disaster and intends to answer nothing. Lispector’s audience is then left questioning everything as they begin her novel. The last part of the dedication clarifies that the story which proceeds will add a “touch of luxury”. Clarice leaves the reader with the understanding that this book may be dedicated explicitly to composers, but it is also a dedication for everyone as humans are extremely interconnected.
In my close reading and color marking, I chose to read the second passage. One of the most prominent motifs that I found was that of cyclical systems and things 'coming together' in the end. Lispector writes "If before the prehistory there already existed apocalyptic monsters?"(11). In this instance Lispector is talking about how the end and the beginning and sometimes come together to become one in the same (or at least asking if this is possible with the examples of the monster destroying the world being the start of the beginning, for example.) I think that this motif is very significant in this book as it helps to add meaning to the shocking ending and helps us make sense out of it. More will be said about this later. "My heart has shed every desire and reduced itself to one final or initial beat." This, like the one I cited earlier, is an example of Lispector tying the end and the beginning together as if they are the same point. What object's starting point is also its endpoint? A circle! These strangely worded examples show that in this passage and throughout the rest of the book Lispector is implying that the end is not the end. What I mean by this is that when things like Macabea dies, Lispector makes it seem like it is just over - but throughout the rest of the book and in this passage in particular she hints at death not being final, but it being the beginning of something else. Wether that be one's body decomposing to feed the plants growing out of it, or the impact that one's legacy leaves, Lispector is constantly toying with the idea that thing don't end - they are circular this is shown in the second passage.
ReplyDeleteMy group did our close reading on passage 5 of the section. Basically, the narrator takes up a whole page explaining the insignificance and lack of purpose that Macabéa’s life is marked by, along with the density & lack of clarity that his subsequent writing entails. He begins by saying that she would fail epically if she attempted to pose the question “Who am I?” to herself. The narrator states that this question “creates a need” and “to probe oneself [for the answer] is to recognize that one is incomplete” (16). So, not only her, but all people that attempt to answer this question are pretty much stupid because if none of us have any purpose in life, why ask what our purpose is? Rodrigo then says, “what I am about to write cannot be assimilated by minds that expect much and crave sophistication” (16). This personification of the mind suggests that Macabéa's story is so painstakingly simplistic that the mind will force itself to create something more complex out of nothing in an attempt to satisfy its own need. Other examples of this simplicity and dullness include the narrator stating that it “will be quite stark” and “nothing will scintillate”. Later, the narrator says that he is “much more interested in action than in meditation” and that he should “jump ahead in time and sketch out an ending immediately” (16). These quotes present the theme that humans naturally do before we think, more concerned with the action rather than the motivation behind it. This could be a reason why the narrator keeps jumping back and forth between talking about himself and bashing on his main character, because he is writing before he is really thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteI only wrote about 2 questions because I had a lot to say :)
ReplyDelete4. Why do you think Macabéa “loved” Olímpico?
In my opinion, Macabéa loved Olímpico simply because he was the first man to show her any form of attention. Yes, it was attention, but obviously we’re aware that he was probably the most negative thing in her pitiful life. Due to her complete ignorance to the notion that she was carrying out a horrifically sad existence, she didn’t know any better to understand that “Olímpico de Jesus Moreira Chaves” was bad news from the minute he introduced himself with such a ridiculous name. Rodrigo write that, “she was starving but not for food, it was a numb sort of pain that rose from her lower abdomen, making the nipples of her breast quiver and her empty arms starved of any embrace came out in goose pimples” (44). Olímpico’s abrupt entrance into her life created a sudden longing within her that she couldn’t understand, and therefore, couldn’t control. All Macabéa knew was that she wanted him around, but did she really know it at all?
7. What does Macabéa’s death represent? How does it fit in with the overall message of the book?
Most obviously, Macabéa’s death is the star in the title, as the narrator states, “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” (28). This supports the existential idea that death is the most glorious and authentic moment of our lives, as we live each day aware of what is to come but not aware of when. Lispector also uses Macabéa’s death as a representation of birth and the coming of a new being. After being hit by the yellow Mercedes, “some people...gathered round Macabéa. They just stood there doing nothing...except that these people peered at her and this gave her an existence” (81). Her whole life people ignored her, shunned her, and made her feel insignificant, yet in death she finally receives the existence she has always lacked. On her deathbed she “seemed to become more and more transformed into a Macabéa, as if she were arriving at herself” (81). This suggests the idea of complete authenticity at the time of death because the individual comes to terms with who they were in life.
What is the significance of the dying virgin?
ReplyDeleteMacabėa’s tragic death occurs when she is only 19 years of age. At this point in her life she has had a boyfriend, Olímpico, but she is still a virgin. This inexperience in sexual relations may have been pushed on her from her maiden aunt. Having a guardian figure such as her aunt in Maceió, was very impactful as her aunt thought that, “intercourse was so disgusting that she never married” (28). The symbolism of being a virgin represents all things pure, innocent, new, and young. It emphasizes how new she still is to the world, and magnifies the tragic-ness of her death. However, Rodrigo’s description of the girl continually contradict the lovely image of a virgin. Her death was quick to come, and relatively unimportant. Although Macabėa dies when she is young, it seems as though nothing more was to be accomplished during her lifetime. Ultimately, the idea of someone dying as a virgin portrays a tragic death of an innocent girl who had a lot of potential left. Macabėa’s death as a virgin is still tragic, but it is almost expected as she had nothing much to offer the world.
Was Macabėa happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
Happiness is difficult to define and quantify. However, the reader can easily grasp the level of Macabėa’s and Rodrigo’s happiness. Macabėa was happy in her oblivion and small naive bubble. Because she did not know that her life was truly unfortunate and unbearable, she had nothing to worry about. Contradictory to this, Rodrigo knew that he is unhappy, as he is aware of his conditions and surroundings. He writes, “my own pain, of someone who carries this world where there is so little happiness. Happiness?” (12). This quote expands on Rodrigo’s struggle to understand his character and her perception of life. Initially, the reader may feel pity and sorrow for Macabėa, as she lives in horrible conditions. As the novel continues, the audience begins to receive mixed feelings about her which include disgust, sorrow, and pity. Her ignorance provides her with bliss, which leaves her self-content. In the end her character is still extremely pitiful, but maybe this is exaggerated through her lack of understanding. The audience almost feels sorry for her that she cannot comprehend her unfortunate conditions.
What was Lispector’s purpose is writing this book? What is the theme?
In the introduction, Rodrigo continually mentions the question of existence. He writes, “nobody cares a damn about their existence” (14). This forces the audience to ponder the meaning of their existence, while being presented with the idea that there is no meaning. This existentialist philosophy is prevalent throughout the novel. Lispector also writes, “Where she [Macabėa] foolish enough to ask herself, ‘Who am I?’, she would fall flat on her face (15). This novel places importance on the questions and unexplained aspects of life. Macabėa appears to have no purpose in her life, yet Rodrigo feels the need to write about her. The introduction which leads into the story depicts an internal battle within Rodrigo. Rodrigo continually contradicts himself with the thought of Macabėa’s existence, happiness, and his physical writing. When the reader initially reads this book, the author’s purpose may seem slightly confusing. However, the message becomes more clear as it focuses on the questioning of human existence with the theme of understanding life’s meaning.
Question 1: What is Lispector’s purpose in writing this book? What is the theme?
ReplyDeleteLispector’s purpose in writing this book was to explore the mechanisms through which one reflects on themselves. Rodrigo wrote the entire novel with the intention of writing a story about a women he knows nothing about, but rather is just a reflection of himself in many different forms. Often times, self reflection is begins as unintentional, like the story of “the girl,” but once it becomes apparent what is happening, those who are self reflecting continue to see where the train of thought takes them. The story wasn’t intended to be Rodrigo’s exploration of himself, but once he realized it was, he saw it through to the literal end. This makes one of the themes of the book the realization that humans don’t want to look within, but once they do, they can’t look away.
Question 11: Is Rodrigo the protagonist of the novel? Or is it Macabea?
The definition of protagonist is “the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.” According to that, there is no reason that both Rodrigo and Macabea aren’t protagonists. However, that wouldn’t be very interesting. I tend to lean more towards Rodrigo being the protagonist. He is the more interesting of the two as well as the voice in the reader’s head throughout the novel. It is his internal struggle that is being expressed through Macabea, “Through this young person I scream the horror of life” (Lispector 25). The events of the novel are creations of his imagination, it is his inner psyche that is being explored, making him the protagonist. If Macabea is a symbol of the horrors of life, that makes Rodrigo the one who is supposed to learn what to do with the knowledge she provides.
Question 7: What does Macabea’s death represent? How does it fit with the overall message of the story?
Macabea’s death represents the inability of informed people to be happy. Macabea was ignorant to the fact that she was unhappy, but once she was told that she should be unhappy, that she had a horrible, miserable life, she died. Ignorance is bliss, and the intelligent are miserable; that is the truth, at least the one Lispector wants to convey. Rodrigo understands the world, or at least he believes he does, and he is miserable. Olimpico has some degree of understanding, and he can’t allow himself to be happy. He has an opportunity to get what he has wanted for most of his life with Macabea, who he has wrapped around his finger, but he gives it up for an off chance with Gloria. Life is torture to people who realize it.
8. What is the significance of dying a virgin?
ReplyDeleteDying a virgin may not seem like that big of a deal to some people, but to others (including most of Latin and South America) dying a virgin can be seen as a failure in life. Essentially, the goal of the human race (and all other species) is to reproduce to make sure that their is next generation of humans. When a person fails to do this (die a virgin) those who see the point of life to be reproducing may see this person as a failure in life. However, dying as a virgin may show that the person has truly not lived and has thus been robbed of their human experience as they have died without being able to have sex, so in a sense, as with Macabea the reader has a sort of pity and sympathy for that person. This case seems to happen more often when the dying person is younger.
16. What role do gender roles play in this book?
Throughout the book we see the types of differences that existed between men and women in the 70s in Brazil. For example, take Macabea - she is a typist which was the type of job a woman could have, while men were able to work where ever they choose (or were qualified to). I feel that Lispector makes the narrator a male not because she felt that it would be more traditional, or align with what would be expected. I think that she made the narrator a man because the narrator was the one looking with an outside perspective into Macabea's life - much like how most of the people judging Macabea and telling her what she was worth.
Cyan Perry:
ReplyDeleteThroughout “The Hour of the Star”, Clarice Lispector utilizes religion and the bible to emphasize the question of human existence, purpose, and to contrast existentialism. Rodrigo, the narrator, can be seen as a religious person. This is seen when the narrator writes, "God is the world" (12). This short sentence is very abruptly thrown in, but it serves a significant purpose in letting the reader know of his religion. The name of the girl, Macabéa, refers to a bible story which depicts a strong army who fights for their beliefs, named the Maccabees. This is quite contradictory to Macabéa who is pathetic, weak, and wimpy. Another example of a biblical reference is when Lispector writes, “To eat communion bread will be to taste the world’s indifference, and to immerse myself in nothingness” (19). When one takes the cup and bread during communion, it represents the blood and body which Jesus sacrificed for human’s sin. When used by Rodrigo in this context, it is slightly confusing. Why would eating the bread show human apathy? Prior to this, Rodrigo mentions that he would “want to walk naked or in rags” (19). Although this is a very broad aspect, it may refer to the rags which Jesus wore. Rodrigo additionally touches on the topic of prayer when he says, “Prayer was a means of confronting myself in silence away from the gaze of others (14). This affirms that Rodrigo is indeed religious, and shows his faith in God. Overall, Rodrigo’s faith seems quite confusing as there are existentialist thoughts mixed in with traditional religion.
There are many biblical references used all around this novel to create allusions that connect Macabea’s life to the Bible. Some examples include the introduction of Omlipico de Jesus, whose name references to Jesus Christ in the bible also known as the savior. This is a clear connection, because to Macabea Olimpico is her savior as he saved her from her Hell of being lonely. However ironically, she fails to follow the actual Jesus Christ within the Christian religion within the bible when Lispector writes, "She mechanically recited three Hail Marys, Amen, Amen, Amen. She prayed but without God. She did not know Him, therefore He did not exist," (34). The main word here is mechanically, it portrays Macabea’s prayers to seem robot, routine, and fail to show any emotion. Then the last part of the quote implies she does not need God, and that she can live without him, leaving prayer as only a cultural thing. Although this empty feeling of her’s does not just limit to God, she feels empty about almost everything as Lispector writes, "Most of the time, she possessed, without knowing it, the emptiness that replenishes the souls of saints" (37). The last part of the quote is actually a biblical reference, because it calls her temptation less life one that would be fit for a saint. There are more references of religion not only from Macabea, but from other character’s as well such as Rodrigo who says, “To eat communion bread will be to taste the world’s indifference, and to immerse myself in nothingness” (19). Communion bread is said to be the body of Jesus turned into bread, and when eaten will save an individual that chooses Jesus as their savior. Although to Rodrigo he views religion as just something to help people see they have a purpose, which he thinks is a fake purpose, and this then connects Rodrigo to an existentialist. Finally, out of all the references there is one that stood out to me that defined Macabea’s isolation when Rodrigo describes her loneliness as, "Gosh, it sounds like the name of a disease...a skin disease" (43). Rodrigo is making a reference to leprosy, which was one of the most profound if not common disease found in the bible and in almost every situation victims of this disease are left alone in isolation.
ReplyDeleteThroughout The Hour of the Star, Rodrigo treats Macabéa with complete disrespect and ridicule in order to objectify and dehumanize her, bringing to light the pattern of this treatment on the poor in particular. In general, the narrator rarely refers to his main character by her name, not even mentioning it until she meets Olímpico (page 43 in our books). Up to this point, Rodrigo called her “the girl” or “the girl from the North-east”, making her seem almost imaginary, as if she isn't truly a person, completely lacking an avenue to speak or advocate for herself. Obviously this is what Rodrigo wants because it allows him to make with her what he wants, refusing to consider the truth of her existence. By not mentioning her name for so long, he makes the book more about himself than about her, remaining in complete control of her story, as if she's a pet on a short leash. Early in the novel Rodrigo discusses “girls who sell their bodies” but states that Macabéa “scarcely has a body to sell; nobody desires her” (14). In this way, he dehumanizes her in the sense that he figuratively takes away her body. Saying that she barely has any substance is like saying that she's practically nothing at all. On page 16, Rodrigo says she 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”. Not only does he dehumanize her in his own eyes, but he brings strangers into the situation, suggesting that others don't look right through her in the same way she does. Furthering this idea of dehumanizing her from multiple perspectives, a discussion with Olímpico goes as follows: “He-- Why the fuss? Aren't you a human being? Human beings talk about other human beings.
ReplyDeleteShe-- Forgive me, but I don't believe that I am all that human” (48). Here, Rodrigo makes her dehumanize herself. By making her verbalize her lack of human qualities, her dehumanization is authenticated. A few pages later, Macabéa talks to Olímpico about Marilyn Monroe, to whom he compares her to by saying, “and you're the color of mud” (53). Belittling her in this way adds to her insignificance as a person by comparing her to wet dirt that most people consider gross. Adding onto this, on page 60, Olímpico says, “Macabéa, you're like a hair in one’s soup”. Obviously people think this is gross, yet a single hair is such a minute thing. This characterizes Macabéa as a social inconvenience when, if noticed, is a real stick in the mud ;)
In the “Hour of the Star”, Clarice Lispector utilizes dehumanization and objectivity of Macabéa and the urban world through the commentary of Rodrigo, the narrator. An example of this objectification is seen through Rodrigo’s desire to distance himself from his character, the girl. This is more explicitly shown when he says, “I do not even know the girl’s name” (19). Lispector’s audience then views Rodrigo as one who values himself more than others. By distancing himself, he is less poor, unfortunate, and has less in common with Macabéa. His disgust for Macabéa seeps through cracks of the novel, and her insignificance amplifies with his continuing dehumanization. When describing his writing, Rodrigo says, “my story is almost trivial” (24). This alludes to Macabéa’s invisibility and supports the idea that she does not matter to anyone. When characterizing Macabéa, Rodrigo writes, “she was inept. Inept for living” (24). Her ineptitude for living adds another dehumanizing remark, as she is not seen as being capable of completing the simple human task of living. Another example of dehumanization is through name calling (in the beginning Macabéa was not referred to by name to show dehumanization). Madame Carlota, the fortune teller, remarks, “Are you [Macabéa] frightened of words, my pet?” (74). She declares Macabéa to be less than human by calling her by a pet name. Olímpico also makes rude remarks as leaves Macabéa by saying, “Macabéa, you’re like a hair in one’s soup” (60). The city in which Macabéa lives is overwhelming and overrides her existence.
ReplyDeleteLispector shows the dehumanizing effect of the modern world in Hour of The Star a number of different times. For almost the entire first half of the story, we do not know the main character's name, because she is referred to as “the girl”. I think that this is done in order to disrespect her and to show that she was thought of as a lower class. Rodrigo even blatantly dehumanizes her, saying “It’s as good as saying that a healthy dog is worth more” (35). Here, Rodrigo compares her to a dog. We know that this isn't a meaningless analogy because of the many other times that he has disrespected her. The societal views on the rich and the poor are shown on page 46, when macabea is compared to a primitive creature and a more wealthy man is praised. These societal norms were widely accepted, and even changed the way that poor women viewed themselves in society. Lispector gives an example of this later on (can't find the page) when Macabea says that she doesn't believe that she is human herself. I found this very interesting because it shows the extent to which the opinions of others can change how we view ourselves. Lispector went on to show how brutal and blunt the shaming of these people was when on page 53 he tells Macabea to her face to look in the mirror because she doesn't have the face/body to become a movie star. Throughout all of these instances, we can see that it is shared knowledge that the middle and upper class look down upon the lower class so much so that on occasion they aren't even considered humans.
ReplyDeleteIn Hour of the Star, Rodrigo is constantly belittling and dehumanizing Macabéa. In the first section of the book, he refused to call her by anything other than “the girl.” Of course it could be that he hadn’t come up with a name yet, but it still causes the reader to believe that she isn’t deserving of a name. A name is essential to one’s identity. Once he does give her a name, he often compares her to animals, like he does here: “Macabéa was undeniably a primitive creature while Olímpico de Jesus saw himself as a man about town, the type of man for whom all doors open to” (Lispector 46). Not only does he claim that Macabéa is a “primitive creature,” he also insinuates that Olímpico is much more human because he is a man and he has money. This is a statement regarding the values of society; those who have something of value are the ones that are valued. Later, when Rodrigo goes off tangent, he seeks pity and claims that he is telling the “truth that nobody wants to see” (48), referring to Macabéa. Macabéa is the reality for a lot of people, and it is unsightly. No one wants to hear anything about the poor and sad, humanity wants to be happy. When speaking to Gloria, Macabéa was asked, “Don’t you have a face?” (40). Although it could easily be construed as a claim that she was ugly, which is insulting enough, it is also possible that Gloria was being literal. Faces are but one of many ways humans identify with each other, and saying that Macabéa doesn’t have one is similar to saying she doesn’t have an identity or that she isn’t human. The fortune teller, Madame Carlota says, “Are you [Macabéa] frightened of words, my pet?” (66). Again, another remark at her being anything but human. Although pets can be loved like humans, by definition, pets are inferior to humans. After being hit by the Mercedes, Rodrigo writes, “that puny creature named Macabéa…” (71). One last time, Macabéa is less than human. She is a “creature.” Not even given the satisfaction of being distinguishable, just that she is still living a pathetic and horrid life.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Hour of The Star" Lispector is able to consistently show that human life has no worth and that the endless pursuits are trivial, though the objectification of several characters. First, Lispector writes "There are some people who get all worked up if you mention certain words. Are you scared of words my pet?" (74) In this encounter Madame is speaking to Macabea about prostitution and Macabea's overall appearance. Throughout the conversation Madame refers to Macabea as a plethora of things that includes "My pet": Madame thinks of Macabea as nothing more than an object which she can mentor or provide some guidance to in her life and predict her future. The objectification of Macabea by Madame in this instance shows that Macabea's life is insignificant in any and all regards. Early on Lispector writes "Were she foolish enough to ask herself 'who am I?'". Up to this point Lispector has more or less gone on a very large rant about how Macabea's life doesn't matter. In addition she has outlined some possibilities highlighting just how insignificant Macabea's life is. Anyways, this quote in particular sort of shows that Lispector does not think that Macabea should have the right to question her own existence as she is not important enough. This is not exactly objectification but it is dehumanizing and takes away from the worth of Macabea's life. Both of these two instances mark points at which either the narrator or some of Macabea's peers have made somewhat passive remarks about how her life does not matter and how insignificant her life is. In both cases Macabea has had some of her fundamental human rights stripped in the sense that she is being considered as nothing more than an object. But do human rights really apply when one claims that someone's life is trivial/insignificant? (I think so, but others might not)
ReplyDeleteIn Lispector’s novel there are many examples that contribute altogether to the fact that she dehumanizes the poor of the urban world by using Rodrigo constantly attacking Macabea with insults and terms that should not be used to any person. Different examples of Rodrigo just plainly insulting and being completely and utterly rude to Macabea is when he says things such as these: "... nobody wants her, she's a virgin and harmless, nobody would miss her" (6), "Her existence is sparse. Yes. But why should I feel guilty?" (15), "She makes me so uncomfortable that I feel hollow" (18), "That girl didn't know she was what she was, just as a dog doesn't know it's a dog."(19), "I get the impression that her life was one long meditation about nothingness"(37), "Her life was duller than plain bread and butter"(58). The first two quotes written expose the nothingness she really is, and how her existence is relatively meaningless. Lispector uses Rodrigo’s words to elaborate upon how the urban world views the poor by believing that the poor are useless to any kind of contribution for society. Going on he then compares her to an animal which is a clear insult dehumanizing her as a human being. It would also then imply she was uneducated as much of the poor who live in cities. Then as a recurring insult in the novel he once again says her life is meaningless with the next quote found in page 37. Then the final quote I found even though this novel is limitless with insults at Macabea was the one where Rodrigo compares Macabea to something once again not human. He even calls her life boring, and dull with it. Altogether all of these quotes/insults Rodrigo uses however give insight into actual human nature that humans often put others down especially the poor to try and believe how they believe they are living a meaningful life. However the reasons for all of this are all so vague, so personally I believe Lispector who is existentialist writes these parts down to ultimately show how people who put others down in this way are only doing it so that they may find meaning in this meaningless world.
ReplyDeleteIn various interactions between the characters in the experimental novel "The Hour of The Star" Clarice Lispector uses biblical references in regular dialogue in excess to show that the human hope for a higher power is innate and is often the cause for action or inaction. In the conversation between Olímpico and Macabéa that begins on page 46 and runs through 55 demonstrates this overuse of biblical references. For example Olímpico says things like "Damn your aunt!", "Thanks be to god,...", and "God Almighty". These are totally normal things to use in conversation, however if one uses them in just about every other sentence it can get a little bit repetitive - and that is the point that Lispector is trying to make. Her using these types of phrases so often shows that she thinks that people are just too dependent on a higher power and need to perhaps accept the possibility of one not existing. You see, in the bible all of the "characters" have a pretty well defined purpose and that most if not all interactions are able to teach the reader a message. In the bible everything has a meaning, however in "Hour of the Star" and in life Lispector is trying to show that not everything has a purpose or matters at all. For example, Rodrigo says "just how tough he was, he bit right into the devil's fruit." (65). In Rodrigo comparing this situation to something from the bible (specifically the Garden of Eden and the devil's fruit being the forbidden fruit) he is implying that this situation and the people in it have purpose- which Lispector wants to show don't. Lispector's use of biblical references and comparisons is an attempt to show that the human hope for a higher power is ironic.
ReplyDeleteIn the “Hour of the Star”, it is not Macabea who is the anti-hero, but Rodrigo. Rodrigo continually expresses his thoughts as being contradictory. This can be seen when Lispector writes, “I do not intend to write anything complicated” (13). Rodrigo’s writing style shows how strong his internal conflict is within his psychological world. The way in which the novel is written is quite complicated, and the audience is never really sure of the author’s meaning. As Rodrigo introduces broad, confusing, and unanswerable topics into the book, there is a greater confusion within the reader. His stream of thought in the beginning is frequently interrupted by the idea that he is not writing anything complicated. Rodrigo insists that he shall try to write a story which is a form of true simplicity. Another aspect of the novel which portrays Rodrigo’s internal conflict can be found with his feelings toward Macabéa. Rodrigo says, “As the author, I alone love her” (27). His feelings about Macabéa are contradicted to his disgust for her throughout the novel. Lispector ensures that Rodrigo’s motivation for writing about Macabéa is unknown, and stems from a deep unconscious source of his being. Rodrigo writes, “ I am forced to seek a truth that transcends me” (20). This truth is that of which Macabéa’s life story holds. He never seems to mention anything more than the “truth” which is ambiguous. Initially, Rodrigo says that he must write this story and that it is his duty. However, I find it interesting that he later writes, “I accept no responsibility for what I am writing” (72). Even Rodrigo’ s deep unconscious nature is plagued by contradiction!
ReplyDeleteIn “Hour of the Star,” it is Rodrigo that is the anti-hero that lends to the idea that the book is an “Experimental Novel.” An anti-hero is a protagonist who isn’t likeable in the traditional sense for whatever reason. Rodrigo fits this role perfectly. Firstly, Rodrigo constantly places himself above Macabea and some other characters, not letting the reader forget that they are poor and insignificant compared to him. The constant reminders that the narrator is arrogant does not lend itself well to a positive outlook on him. Contrasting the reminders of Rodrigo’s arrogance are his tangents for when he doesn’t have the will to continue, but does so anyway, “I have to write about this northeastern girl or I’ll choke” (Lispector 8). It sounds desperate, like Rodrigo’s life depends on this expulsion of thoughts and events to manifest onto paper. Along with that, the very fact that Rodrigo inserts himself into the story so often, when he goes off on his tangents, is an example of the Experimental Novel. Hour of the Star is written in the style of a stream of consciousness, which means that the narrator seems to write with whatever pops into their head. This is exactly what Rodrigo does. His tangents are his inner thoughts about the work he is writing and the story he is making up; how it kills him, makes him feel closer to humanity, and ever farther from it. Another key aspect of the novel that makes it experimental is the numerous titles and the illusions to them. One of these titles is, “The Right to Scream” and it is referenced almost immediately, on the fourth page of the book. The alternate titles allude to themes and motifs of the story.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many factors that qualify The Hour of the Star as most definitely an experimental novel. It was so revolutionary at not only its time, but also its place (Brazil), as it included so many innovative literary elements of modern mind boggling thoughts. A common theme among experimental novels are anti-heroes and in here, despite the novel supposedly revolving around Macabea, it appears that Rodrigo is actually truly the anti-hero of the book. To the audience Rodrigo is initially seen as a very negative cold character who also comes off as very unlikeable. His rude explanation of Macabea and his brutal honesty, is portrayed within every comment he makes about her. In this quote Rodrigo says,"It's true that I have no pity for my main character, the northeastern girl: it's a story I want to be cold. But I have the right to be sadly cold, and you do not," (page 5), and clearly his displeasing attitude is portrayed. Furthermore he treats the life of Macabea as if it is something he has divine superiority over as he explains it with little sensitivity. However, despite his lack of sensitivity the novel implies he can connect to Macabea in way where he dislikes the structure of society in the way that it creates poverty. Rodrigo states, "...the record that is about to begin is written under the sponsorship of the most popular soft drink in the world even though it does not earn me anything; a soft drink that is distributed throughout the world" (23). Through this quote it can be interpreted that consumerism has a dangerous nature that saps the meaning of life, as even Rodrigo himself must advertise the soft drink while attempting to display his true purpose of what he wants to explain. Although Rodrigo is not the only who suffers from this internal conflict of the realization of the beauty of obliviousness, he is just the only one who notices it as he like all antiheroes is nothing but an ordinary person. Rodrigo even states multiple times that he is nothing but ordinary, especially in this quote here "Let no one be mistaken. I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort" (11). On top of everything else Rodrigo questions even more about Macabea when he asks himself, "Why struggle? I ask myself: will she one day experience love and its farewell? Will she one day experience love and its deceptions?..." (40). He keeps going on and on about questioning how obliviousness of a matrix kind of happiness causes her to try so much as if she is living the life in her poor kind of state. He thinks she is the one struggling to try and achieve a fake happiness, but truly it is the ordinary Rodrigo who cannot come to terms with his thoughts in deciding on which perspective he should look at life with.
ReplyDeleteI highly consider "Hour of the Star " by Clarice Lispector to be an experimental novel and there is a bountiful collection of evidence to support this viewpoint. Firstly, a trait that is characteristic of most experimental novels is the fact that the story is told by a narrator in a non-linear fashion; by this I mean that Lispector tells the story in a way that puts the events in an order that they did not occur in. As Rodrigo puts it "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. This indicates that while the story is trying to be told in a normal and chronological manner, some traces of non-linear storytelling can be still found. Secondly, Lispector writes in a very hypothetical type of way, meaning that she proposes many possibilities for what may actually be true, and never is absolute on anything; for example "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 happen before they actually happen? If before the pre-prehistory there already existed apocalyptic monsters? "(11) While this quote can have some very different connotations, it has a lot of 'if's implying that perhaps there is no absolute truth and what has or is happening in the novel and in life in general is left up to personal interpretation. Also, in many instances Rodrigo breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience as seen in the previous two sections, but also towards the end of the novel: "I accept no responsibility for what I am writing."(72). Rodrigo partakes in many reader-narrator observations, for example: "Now I awaken to find that I miss Macabea. Let's take up the threads again."(70). Here, he is narrating the shift from his personal life to write about what is happening with Macabea. I'm not sure how much I like this style of writing, I suppose that I would have to read more experimental novels to find out, but it certainly is much different from most traditional forms of literature.
ReplyDeleteObviously, due to the introductory presentation on the subject, The Hour of the Star is classified as an experimental novel. The definition of experimental novel encompasses many different attributes of literature, and The Hour of the Star possesses many of these qualities. First and foremost, the presence of Rodrigo S.M. as an unreliable narrator characterizes The Hour of the Star as an experimental novel. Throughout the book, especially in his introduction, Rodrigo contradicts his thoughts and opinions. For example, the narrator states, “...this story will consist of words that from phrases from which there emanates a secret meaning that exceeds both words and phrases” (14), then goes on to say, “I swear that this book is composed without words: like a mute paragraph” (17). These quotes show just how quickly Rodrigo changes his mind about things as he’s writing, not bothering to cross check what he’s previously written in order to stay true to his words. This simple example is just a glimpse of more serious contradictions throughout the novel, especially in terms of his opinions regarding Macabéa. These contradictions also add to the stream of consciousness aspect of experimental novel, as it seems he is writing before thinking about what he’s writing. Aside from this example, stream of consciousness characteristics can also be seen in the quote, “Just as I am writing at the same time as I am being read” (12). This exemplifies stream of consciousness because Rodrigo explicitly states that he is putting on the page whatever he happens to be thinking up, without any preconception or planning. This notion becomes more obvious a little later when he says, “As it happens, I have no idea how this story will end” (16). Another aspect of the experimental novel that is present in The Hour of the Star is the lack of traditional structure. A typical novel usually consists of some sort of chapter separation, a semi-distinct beginning, middle, and end, as well as a climax thrown in there somewhere. The Hour of the Star is considered experimental because it lacks all of these things. It seems as though it is all one long sentence, one long thought. Macabéa’s death could be considered the climax, but that’d be quite a stretch considering the insignificance of it, having the equivalent impact on the reader that all the rest of the book has. Aside from the absence of typical novel parts, Lispector’s structure, or lack-thereof, of the dialogue present in the novel. The first dialogue is present on page 43, where Olímpico and Macabéa meet for the first time. Here, a simple hyphen is used to separate each line of dialogue, without quotation marks. Later, the dialogue on page 48 is separated by “He” and “She” accompanied by a hyphen. This untraditional way of presenting dialogue can be considered experimental because it defies the “rules”, not specifying who is talking, which allows the reader to do a little bit of thinking in order to understand who is talking. Lispector’s list of titles prior to the first page of the novel is another experimental quality of the book. A subtitle is the closest thing that most other novels come to what she has done here. Although her final decision was “The Hour of the Star”, she chose to leave each of the alternate titles remaining because deserves to be there as they each pertain to a different part of the novel, once again allowing the reader to decide which suits their interpretation of the novel best.
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