Passage four introduces the purpose of the narrator. Unlike conventional stories, the narrator does not have a vital role in the actual plot line. He is there to express ideas and tell his view of Macabéa’s life. At the beginning of this passage, he seems to be mocking the conventional method of embellishing a story and giving is a happy ending. He mentions his wide range of vocabulary to use to tell Macabéa’s story, yet he has no intention of using them and embellishing her story. This passage characterizes him as slightly pretentious because of the way he speaks of Macabéa. He appears to be a wealthy, well educated, intelligent man, whereas Macabéa is poor and ignorant. When he says, “for were I to touch the girl’s bread, that bread would turn to gold - and the girl (she is nineteen years old) the girl would be unable to bite into it, and consequently die of hunger” it shows that he believes he is better than her (Lispector 15). It also portrays that he is incapable of making Macabéa appear to be “gold” or have worth. He continues to describe Macabéa, frequently using negative diction to voice his opinion of her. He uses words and phrases like “unremarkable” to show that her life is ordinary (15). Earlier in the passage, and throughout the novella he portrays the idea that words are actions. Macabéa only exists in his words. He feels it is his duty to write about the terrible live led by people like Macabéa. She represents and give a face to people in her situation. The narrator portrays that Macabéa and people like her exist, even if they go unacknowledged. The passage concludes with him asking “am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person” which shows his struggle with identity (15). He questions if it is human nature to think and act the way he does, thus defining him as a person, or if this style of thinking is unique to him, which would define him as a monster.
Passage six introduces the narrator’s struggles with how to write about Macabea’s story. He also begins to explore the ideas of reality, eternity, and existentialism. Rodrigo S.M. begins this section by describing how he was very happy before Macabea became part of his life, he explains that, “things were somehow so good that they were in danger of becoming very bad because what is fully mature is very close to rotting” (Lispector 17). In this quote, Rodrigo comes across as very arrogant because he is blaming Macabea for ruining his happiness. He then tells the reader that he wants to explain Macabea’s story because he wants to go beyond his capability as a writer. The narrator says that “this happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands by reality” (Lispector 17). The motif of reality goes along with the ideas of existentialism, which states that every human being is an individual. This pertains to the quote because Rodrigo S.M. is saying that each person inhabits a different reality, which basically means that everyone is alone. This existential idea relates to Macabea because she is very different from the narrator, Gloria, and Olimpico, in that she is very poor and rejected by society. Rodrigo S.M. also acknowledges what kind of writer he wants to become, he says, “I tend to write with bold, severe strokes like a painter...how I should love to hear the pealing of bells in order to work up some enthusiasm as I decipher reality: to see angels flutter like transparent wasps around my fevered head, this head that longs to be ultimately transformed into an object-thing, because so much more simple” (Lispector 17). In this quote, Rodrigo introduces the motif of simplicity. He starts by describing his complex thoughts/feelings and eventually ends the quote with a very simple sentence, “because so much more simple”, which doesn’t sound professional. In this quote, the narrator uses the image of angels fluttering around his head. Angels are seen as a way to connect information from heaven and earth or from higher realms to lower ones, as well as aid with divine awareness. By using this symbol Rodrigo hopes that he will be able to become a more simple writer. At the end of the passage Rodrigo compares himself to Macabea, saying that “we live exclusively in the present because forever and eternally it is the day of today, and the day of tomorrow will be a today. Eternity is the state of things at this very moment” (Lispector 18). His idea of eternity seems to be the only thing that he has in common with Macabea.
The eighth passage introduces the personality of the narrator. For example, it says, “In order to speak about the girl I mustn't shave for days. I must acquire dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep: dozing from sheer exhaustion like a manual labourer. Also wearing threadbare clothes. I am doing all this to put myself on the same footing as the girl from the Northeast” (Lispector 19). This quote shows how Lispector doesn’t feel an author can write a book without feeling what the character is. Feeling that the book will not be realistic if she isn't writing from experience even though the book isn’t an autobiography or based off of her life. It can be seen that she doesn’t think something cannot be written about unless you are in that position, this can be seen when she says, “The word must resemble the word. To attain the word is my first duty to myself. The word must not be adorned and become aesthetically worthless;” (Lispector 20). She believes that you cannot just resemble the anything, you must actually feel it. You can't assume the way something is, you have to know how it really is. She also voices her upon on the subjects of if life is pointless. She thinks this way of thinking isn't correct and this can be seen when she says, “ I want to accept my freedom without reaching the conclusion like so many others: that existence is only for fools and lunatics: for it would seem that to exist is illogical” (Lispector 20). She doesn’t belive that this way of thinking is true. She believes that everyone has a place and a meaning and that you don’t know very much about other people unless you have experienced what they have. It shows the dedication she has to the book, character, readers, and overall herself to try and transform into the character she tells a story about.
In the first few pages of The Hour of the Star, Clarice Lispector creates a contradicting narrator. Throughout the first few paragraphs, the narrator repeatedly contradicts himself. Lispector writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). Soon after, she writes, “I do not know why, but I do know that the universe never began” (11). First Rodrigo S.M. states that the universe began with a yes, and next he says the universe never began. This does not seem to fit together at all. Another example of his contradicting diction is when Lispector writes, “I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort” (11). Again this seems a bit contradicting, as well as ironic. Achieving simplicity should not require enormous effort, or else it would not be simple. The narrator continues to contradict himself when he writes, “The more genuine part of my life is unrecognizable, extremely intimate, and impossible to define” (12). Being genuine tends to mean straight forward. “Unrecognizable” and “impossible to define” are not words you would use to describe genuinity. These words actually mean quite the opposite, showing how the narrator is just contradicting his words time after time. The constant contradicting diction from the narrator is a characteristic of experimental literature. Contradicting diction, especially by a narrator, is huge in experimental literature because the basis of this literature type is confusion, and when the narrator contradicts himself, things get confusing. I think Lispector’s purpose for these first few pages was to establish her experimental writing style. She repeatedly used experimental techniques in such a small section in order to emphasize the use of it.
2. 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 begins the novel by by explaining the meaning behind the word yes. He also uses the past tense throughout the introduction. This could be because he is implying that everything has already happened and introduce the idea that this novel will transcend the typical limits of time. He does this to show the importance of Macabéa’s story. He also discusses how there is a prehistory to everything. “But before prehistory there was the prehistory of prehistory and there was the never and there was the yes” he takes the complex idea of past, present, and future history and sifts it down to a simple yes (Lispector 11). This shows that he values simplicity, which makes Macabéa important to him because of she has a very simplistic life. He finds great meaning in simplicity. This shows why he is intrigued with Macabéa’s life because he can find great meaning in it. He values simplicity and attempts to convey the importance of simplicity to the readers.
3. Was Macabéa happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
Many who read “The Hour of the Star” would argue that she cannot possibly be happy in her situation and we cannot help feeling sorry for her. However, we must consider her situation from her point of view. Macabéa’s life is only told through Rodrigo and makes her life appear as though it could not possibly get any worse than it already is. She appears to be content with her life because she is innocent and does not know her actual circumstance. Rodrigo describes Macabéa as ugly, unwanted, and invisible, but this might not be the case. Her aunt taught made her learn how to type. This gives Macabéa a skill that can be used so she does not have to become a prostitute like others to make ends meet. She can work and make honest money. Macabéa appears to be self-content, which goes against the social grain. Many people find flaws in their lives or in themselves that prevents them from being truly happy. Macabéa is innocent. She does not see any flaw in herself. Considering her from her perspective will show that she is happy. We cannot and are not meant to pity her or feel sorry for her because that means there is something wrong with her life. To us her life seems miserable, but to her it is a good life because it is the only life she has known. We cannot say there is anything wrong with her life and we cannot pity her or feel sorry for her because she is happy with the way she is living and with herself.
14. How are philosophical thoughts reflected in Rodrigo’s narration?
Rodrigo is portrayed as intelligent, yet he attempts to be impartial and cold. His narration is meant to be philosophical because his thoughts are profound to emphasize Macabéa’s plainness. Throughout the narration Rodrigo reflects on life and human nature. The story of Macabéa is meant to be philosophical and symbolize that even though she is not a real person, there are people out there in her situation. Macabéa and Rodrigo are vastly different characters. Rodrigo also sounds as if he is judging her and judging himself because he is judging her. This is because he considers the philosophical “am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person” (Lispector 15). His thoughts are intended to reflect different philosophical views and questions because he finds meaning in the simplicity of life. He wants to portray the significance of simplicity through Macabéa, which is why he is intrigued by it. He wants the readers to understand the importance of simplicity, which is why he includes and finds philosophy in Macabéa's life and her story.
3. It’s fairly certain that Macabea was happy although her life was miserable, according to Rodrigo it was because she believed she should be happy, and so she was, and she did not know that to be in a position such as hers, in such poverty with nearly nothing to her name, that all of society would expect her to be unhappy, and thus because she does not know that she should be unhappy, she is not unhappy. The question of whether the reader is meant to feel pity is uncertain – Rodrigo, although he claims that to be completely cold and impartial in telling his story, fails to do so and sometimes talks about her with something approaching affection, and certainly pity for her miserable situation. Since she is depicted as being happy even in the face of poverty, it is hard to say that the author is trying to evoke pity, as Macabea seems to have transcended earthly unhappiness and any effect of misfortune. And here is her grace – that she needs no pity, especially not from a writer who only caught a glimpse of her face once. 4. It seemed less like love and more like just admiration – as Macabea didn’t know much better, and as Olimpico was good at posturing he easily impressed Macabea. Just the fact that he saw her as something – as she thinks the first time they met – and seemed to be a powerful and knowledgeable person, like someone who would gain a significant position later in life, she looked up to him. 11. Rodrigo paints himself as merely the narrator of the story – his purpose here was to write down Macabea’s story, or else he would explode or something. Macabea is his protagonist, and her story becomes his alone – he depicts her life in bold strokes and in no particular chronological order – and though she is in a position for which some would pity her, her contentedness with life despite everything, her innocence, her untimely death, make her a sort of heroine in the way that she existed as she did.
1. What was Lispector’s purpose in writing this book? What is the theme? I think Lispector’s purpose in writing this book was to explore the ideas of existentialism, and create questions about our existence. The entire introduction questions our existence. Lispector writes, “I do know the universe never began” (11). Which implies that nothing exists. This is a quote that has to be thought about very hard to even understand just a little. Existentialism is the major theme in this story. Lispector writes, “But the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me. This happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands by reality” (17). Here Lispector continues questioning existence by asking what reality really is. This raises more question about what is and isn’t real, and how do we know? This adds to the theme of existentialism that is present throughout the book.
10. What is the point of Rodrigo’s introduction? I think Rodrigo’s main purpose of his introduction was to introduce the existentialistic qualities of this book, as well as reveal the experimental characteristics of the book. The biggest thing I noticed in the introduction was the constant contradicting diction. Like I mentioned in my blog post, I kept finding examples where the narrator contradicts himself. He writes, “The more genuine part of my life is unrecognizable, extremely intimate, and impossible to define” (12). This contradicting diction is a huge part of experimental literature. I think that Rodrigo purposely contradicts himself over and over again to establish these characteristics. I also think Rodrigo’s purpose was to get the reader thinking. He starts the book out with a lot about beginnings. He writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). This is hard to wrap your head around. It makes the reader really think about what is meant. It also goes along with the existentialism throughout the book. He questions our existence and more. Lots of questioning is found in this introduction. I think Rodrigo’s main purpose for the introduction was the establish the themes and characteristics of the rest of the story.
16. What role does gender play in the story? Why is the narrator male? Is there cultural and/or thematic significance for the gender roles? In The Hour of the Star there are very visible gender roles through the book. It can be seen from the start that men are superior to women in the book. During the introduction Rodrigo says, “Another writer, of course, but it would have to be a man for a woman would weep her heart out” (14). Rodrigo says that a woman is incapable of telling Macabea’s story, for she is too sensitive. This is a great way to show the tough and strong stereotype of men. When researching Rio De Janeiro earlier in this unit, I noticed the gender inequality there. Men were very superior during the 1970’s in Rio de Janeiro (not that they still aren’t here, but they were more so back then). I think this inequality can also be seen though the narrator feeling so in control over Macabea. He is telling the story, and has total control. He also talks about Macabea in a crude and awful way. The narrator almost seems so distant and disconnected from the character from the way he speaks of her, but also so close. Lispector also writes, “A woman’s destiny is to be a woman” (84). This adds on to the inferiority of women during this time period. It also really reminds me of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, because there is a quote that says something about how men were raised to be men and women to be mothers. This really emphasizes how little women were back then.
7. What does Macabea’s death represent? Rodrigo described Macabea’s dramatic death in seven pages. He described how she felt “drained of all emotions as she looked at the stones around the sewer...today, she thought, today is the dawn of my existence: I am reborn” (Lispector 80). Rodrigo writes about this extraordinary revelation yet he abruptly ends this scene with him changing his focus to lighting a cigarette. This sudden change shows that Macabea’s death is very common because people die everyday. At the end of the book Rodrigo experiences his own realization about death, he says, “dear, God, only now am I remembering that people die. Does that include me?” (Lispector 86). He is at awe of this fact because no one lives as though they will die at any moment. Rodrigo characterized death as “my favorite character in this story” (Lispector 83) because death is the ultimate encounter with oneself. Rodrigo writes that, “Macabea became air” (Lispector 85). This quote could be showing how Macabea’s life has so little value that it is easily carried away. However, air can also symbolize beginnings and life, which supports Rodrigo's opinion that after death, one’s life truly begins. This is also supported by the fact that after Macabea got hit by the Mercedes and about to die she muttered, “as for the future” (Lispector 84).
9. What is the significance of the reference to Julius Caesar? The phrase, “Et tu, Brute?”, was claimed to be the last words of Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Brutus at the moment of his assassination. These famous words are used to signify the utmost unexpected betrayal by a person or friend and can be interpreted as a curse or threat. Shakespeare’s play about Julius Caesar was where this phrase was first introduced, however, he is known for massaging historical record in order to add more drama. This ties into the book because Rodrigo, similarly to Shakespeare, puts words in Macabea’s story to add a more intelligent/enlightening affect. After writing this sentence, Rodrigo says, “this was the way I had hoped to announce that Macabea was dead” (Lispector 84), by using this dramatic phrase, he was able to create the “grand finale” that he wanted. This quote by Julius Caesar, also represents Macabea very well because she was betrayed by her society. Macabea was a poor outcast that no one bothered to be kind to, including our narrator. As she laid in the road dying, “people appeared from nowhere in the culdesac and gathered round Macabea. They just stood there doing nothing just as people had always done nothing to help her” (Lispector 81).
11. Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabea? “The Hour of the Star” is characterized as an existential novel. One characteristic of this type of work is that they do not have a protagonist, rather these characters are depicted as evil. In this novel, Rodrigo is trying to write about poverty and is using Macabea as an example for how society treats people like her. Rodrigo is society, which means that he is the “evil” character. He writes,”there are thousands of girls like this girl from the Northeast to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro...they aren’t even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence” (Lispector 14). Macabea represents this population of poor women struggling to survive. Rodrigo’s tone in this quote, sounds rude and bitter, however, he is trying to capture the feeling of the upper class in Brazil. Later in the novel, the narrator asks, “Why should I write about a young girl whose poverty is so evident? Perhaps because within her there is a seclusion. Also because in her poverty of body and soul one touches sanctity and I long to feel the breath of life hereafter” (Lispector 39). This quote represents the views of the upper class in which the only reason they need the poor around is so that they can exploit them for their own gains, much like Rodrigo feels that maybe Macabea’s poor life is the way for him to obtain this same sanctity.
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 about the world beginning in the start of the book to express the idea that things happen for a reason and nothing more than that. By saying, “Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born” (Lispector 11). Lispector is saying that the molecules don’t have a motive or certain desire, they just came together because that was suppose to happen. What is meant to happen will happen. There is no answer as to why it happened, it just did. This relates to how Macabea thinks/ answers her own questions, “Perhaps she thought about this futile question so that no one could ever accuse her one day of never being asked. Not knowing who to turn to, she appeared to have answered her own question: it is so because it is so” (Lispector 26). Macabea seems like a young curious girl but she never asks anyone any questions. She doesn’t ask questions because she feels as if the answer will be no or just explained as it is. It just happened, there is no reason as to why. This is the same as the beginning of the novel, there is no reason as to why the molecules had said yes to one another, they just did. This can bee seen again when Macabea is denied her favorite dessert, guava preserve with cheese the only passion she had in her life as a punishment by her aunt when Rodrigo says, “The girl didn't dare ask why she was always being punished. One doesn’t have to know everything and not knowing became an important factor in her life (Lispector 28). Macabea has no desire in knowing anything because she already knows the answer. She also believes that even if she doesn’t need to know the answer, she doesn’t necessarily need to know. Everything happens for as reason, so what is the point of knowing?
I feel like Macabea may have been unhappy but never addressed her problem. She seemed to just go along with whatever life had thrown at her without asking any questions because she thought everything happened for a reason and didn’t have any depth besides to it. I think she may have been unhappy but just thought she was unhappy for a reason, so just didn’t question it. This can be seen when Rodrigo says, “She was as light-headed as an idiot, only she was no idiot. She wasn’t even aware that she was unhappy” (Lispector 25). This says that she may not have even known what happiness was, but even if she had, I don’t think she would have questioned as to why she wasn’t. She may have also known that she was unhappy but didn’t know what to do about or what to do differently. Macabea hadn't known herself very well, “She had no idea how to cope with life and she was only vaguely aware of her own inner emptiness” (Lispector 24). She wasn’t a very confident girl and went along with the way that people had treated her. Her aunt had punished her for no reason and she hadn’t questioned the reason as to why she did. Her boss was rude to her and, “The girl felt she ought to to say something to show respect for this boss with whom she was secretly infatuated” (Lispector 24). Macabea wanted to say something to her boss about that way that he was treating her, but she hadn’t the courage to say anything to him due to a secret crush she had on him. She also hadn’t had the courage because that just wasn't her. She was the type of girl who couldn’t even look at her own body in the mirror due to embarrassment.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico? Macabea tends to like characters who have more power over her or have a title that she likes. This can be seen when Rodrigo says, “The girl felt she ought to to say something to show respect for this boss with whom she was secretly infatuated” (Lispector 24). Even though Senhor Raimundo Silveira was rude to Mccabe's he hadn't spoken up for herself. This could be due to the lack of respect that she had for herself or the feelings that she had for him. She felt it best to be quiet however. Macabea never wanted to know why the things were the way they were. She never asked questions or asked why things happened the way that they did. This changed when she met Olimpico, “Macabea found Olimpico very knowledge about things. He told her things had never heard of before”(Lispector 52). Someone had finally taken the time to tell Macabea about different things. He answered questions that she had without her having to ask them and seem dumb. He introduced her to new ideas as well and new ways of thinking and she actually liked to have that knowledge. Olimpico brought out a new world for her.
What is the significance of the beginning, where Rodrigo talks about the beginning of the world? How does this relate to the rest of the story? At the beginning, Rodrigo discusses the creation of the world where, "one molecule said yes to another molecule" (11). He states a molecule as the beginning of time and earth because it is invisible, its structure is not tangible and one cannot know where each molecule is, but everyone knows that they do exist. In this novel, many of the characters have problems that are not always shown on the outside. When Macabea is having a conversation with Gloria, she asks, “-What do you mean? Eh? Are you in pain -I’m in pain all the time -Where? -Inside. I can’t explain it” (62). This passage show how Macaubas problems are not only on the outside, as Rodrigo points out, but also internal. At the beginning, everything is based on not tangible things, so is there with life.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico? I believed that she loved him only because he was a man that had finally noticed her. Even though he was an abusive boyfriend, she did not seem sad or overjoyed when he left for Gloria, it was simply fact and a way of life. Also, when they met the first time, he made her feel like she had never before, that someone actually noticed her. Once he ‘gave’ everything to him, it was as if she could never give that up.
What does Maccabees death represent? How does this it with the rest of the book?
I think it represents that death is the only way to escape the pain of this earth. When Rodrigo comments, “She is finally free of herself and me” (85). She represents everything wrong with the world and everything that one doesn't want to become, failure. When she dies, she does not ‘achieve’ self-fulfillment for Rodrigo, this shows that her only purpose is to make himself look better. IN the overall plot, it shows how one's pain and being lower class boosts up others and they become or appear to become something better than they were.
My passage is passage 4. Woohoo! As we discussed in our small group this passage is mostly characterisation of both Macabea and Rodrigo. Rodrigo first starts out by using metaphors to show how he will use words to dumb down the novel to get on Macabéa’s level of understanding. He does this to prove that he is above her and prop himself up in the process. He uses another metaphor of that if he would touch a piece of bread, “that bread would turn to gold,” saying that she would be unable to eat it or understand it (15). WHen he later talks about the girl, he uses negative diction and depicts her in a very low light. This starts the novel on a low note, leading into the ridicule of this book. WHat really stuck out to me was the last line: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person? (15). This sentence demonstrates Rodrigo's thoughts on the matter. He steps back and realizes that ridicule is human nature, but he asks if he has become a monster in doing this directly to her. Is what he writing about trying to just unveil his own thoughts, or are these thoughts normal to process through writing? Throughout this novel, Rodrigo is trying to figure out all that is wrong with the world by embodying this into the girl.
In the “Hour of the Star”, Rodrigo makes many references to the bible. One reference is found when Rodrigo refers to Macabea’s roommates as the four Marias (Lispector ), whose names are: Maria de Penha, Maria Aparecida, Maria Jose, and plain Maria. The plain Maria can be seen as unimportant because Rodrigo did not mention her last name. In the bible there is Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, a very devoted follower of Jesus, and Mary of Clopas, mother of James and Joseph. According to the Bible, these Marys always walked with Jesus and were present at his Crucifixion. Maria de Penha represents Maria of Clopas (“de” in portuguese translates to “of”), Maria Jose is the Virgin Mary because “Jose” in portuguese is “Jesus” and Mary gave birth to Jesus, and Maria Aparecida is Mary Magdalene. The Marias represent Macabea’s followers because much like Jesus Christ, Macabea can be seen as spiritually content. Rodrigo stated that, “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 shows that Macabea may not be rich but she is wealthy in terms of inner life and grace. In some ways Macabea is much like God. Another biblical reference comes on page 37, when Macabea is listening to Radio Clock, she hears the message: “repent in Christ and He will give you great joy”. This verse is similar to that of Luke 15:7, which says, “I tell you that in the same there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninetynine righteous persons who do not need to repent”. When someone repents, you are confessing your sins, Macabea did not know what she was repenting for but because it supposedly will give her joy, she does it anyways, which shows how naive she is. Towards the end of the novel, Rodrigo writes “Macabea, Hail Mary, full of grace, serene land of promise, land of forgiveness, the time must come, ora pro nobis” (Lispector 82). The prayer, “Hail Mary”, is said to ask for help from Mary. Rodrigo uses this quote to describe Macabea as if he is asking her for help. The line “Hail Mary”, is God greeting her through one of his angels, while “full of grace”, refers to the way Mary rejoices in God. This describes Macabea because she believes that there is a God and recites the Hail Mary and Are Father frequently. The land of promise and forgiveness is not a part of the prayer, however, people use this prayer to ask for forgiveness and in turn, Mary “promises” to help her followers. This relates to Rodrigo because he wishes to possess the same sanctity as Macabea (Lispector 39) and by comparing her to Mary, it’s like he is asking her to help him. Another allusion to the bible is when Rodrigo writes, “I want to be both pig and hen” (Lispector 70). In the bible, John tells the story of “The Little Red Hen”, who lives with a pig, duck, and a cat. 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. This is seen as a sin and thus, Rodrigo can not be spiritually enlightened. The last reference to the bible 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 Carlota 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.
In the novel, “The Hour of Star”, Clarice uses several biblical references throughout the novel. When talking about this young girl, one of the roommates (Plain Maria), Rodrigo tells how she was very impressionable and would do anything others said. She was so impressionable that he aunt tol dher that eggs are bad for her liver and when she ate the eggs, she felt her liver hurt. This girl believed in those who existed and those who didn’t but she always struggled with reality. It can be seen that Rodrigo doesn’t believe in a god when he says, “But she didn’t know how to embellish reality. For her, reality meant nothing to her. Nor to me, dear God” (Lispector 33). Rodrigo is saying that God means as much to him as reality means to this girl, which isn’t at all. On the next page, he also goes on to talk about, “She prayed but without God. She did not know Him, therefore he did not exist” (Lispector 34). However, on the last page, Rodrigo had talked about how Maria believed in everything non- existent and existent but struggled with reality. It contradicts what he just said unless he was getting at the fact that God is a reality because she fails to see him and she struggles with reality. Rodrigo says things that suggest he doesn’t believe in God, to the idea that God is a reality, a concept people struggle with, now on to the idea that, “Later I shall probably return to the unnamed sensations, perhaps even the sensations of God Himself” (Lispector 47). Rodrigo is constantly contradicting himself of several ideas throughout the book and God is one of them. I think the reason he makes so many references of God is to do two things; Poke fun at what he doesn’t understand about God, and well as trying to figure out his faith. I think some of the references he makes to God is just to make fun of the way people idealize him. God is a man that no one has ever met, nor seen, but people give so much faith into him. I think that Rodrigo is trying to connect with the idea that everyone else has connected to but contradicting everything he says just to get all ideas and possibilities out.
Within the first couple chapters of this novel, the reader could see that Rodrigo had a very insulting view of Macabea. At the beginning of the book, Rodrigo writes, “there are thousands of girls like this girl from the Northeast 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 are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence” (Lispector 14). Even though, Rodrigo sounds insulting, he actually makes a very valid point about the fact that there are many Macabea’s in Brazil and yet no one cares enough to help them. This quote seems to set up how Rodrigo is going to inform the reader about the lower class’s treatment. Later on the same page, he writes, “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.It strikes me that I don’t need her either” (Lispector 14). Rodrigo, being from a higher class, shows the reader that Macabea is unwanted because she is poor. He also describes her as being a “harmless virgin”, which means that he sees her as a naive and inexperienced child, who cannot fend for themselves. This also dehumanizes Macabea because Rodrigo implies that women are only good for their bodies and without them, a woman is nothing. A couple pages later, Rodrigo insults Macabea by saying that, “like some vagrant bitch she was guided entirely by her own remote control” (Lispector 18). The word “vagrant” refers to someone without a home or work who wanders from place to place. In this quote, Rodrigo uses a very negative tone but at the same time he seems to be jealous of Macabea. Since Rodrigo is from a higher class, he must act in a dignified manner in order to keep up a good image, meanwhile those of a lower class are already seen negatively, so they have no one to impress. Another moment when Rodrigo insults Macabea is after Olimpico left her, he writes, “besides, what else could she do? She was a lost cause. And even sadness was the privilege of the rich, of those who could afford it, of those who had nothing better to do. Sadness was a luxury” (Lispector 61). Rodrigo is telling the reader that Macabea has no choice but to carry on without Olimpico because she literally cannot afford to take time off work and sulk in her sadness, whereas the rich are able to stay home and mend their broken heart. Rodrigo also uses Gloria’s character as a FOIL to dehumanize Macabea. Gloria was the “embodiment of vigorous existence” (Lispector 61), whereas Macabea is meager, fragile, and deprived. Macabea accepts life as it happens to her, while Gloria is able to makes things happen. Gloria is very conscious of her image, meanwhile Macabea never thinks about herself. By using these two contrasting characters, Rodrigo is showing the differences between being poor/rich. Lastly, Rodrigo uses Olimpico as another example of how the lower class treats their own “kind”. Olimpico works a metal worker, making him the same social status as Macabea, however, he tries very hard to separate himself from that status. He has “saved week after week to earn enough money to have a...false tooth in glittering gold”, this gives him a higher standing in society (Lispector 45). Olimpico also insults Macabea many times throughout their relationship. He insults her singing, describing it as “a deaf-mute trying to sing” and comparing it to a “broken reed” (Lispector 51). By using Olimpico’s character, Rodrigo shows how lower class citizens are ashamed by their status that they change their personality and insult their kind in order to disassociate themselves from their class.
1. "details that laboriously stem from me only to return to me; the craft of carpentry" (14).
A carpenter is a person who makes or repairs a wooden structure. Man was cast out of God’s presence because of Adam and Eve’s transgressions. In the bible, Jesus Christ is the carpenter sent to the world to preach, testify, and ultimately atone for the sins of all mankind. The role of a carpenter is a symbol for the role of Christ. He came to give life a purpose. Similarly, Rodrigo says this story is his carpentry. By writing Macabéa’s story, he is giving her and her life a purpose.
2. "Who was she asking? God? She didn't think about God, God didn't think about her” (18).
Rodrigo emphasizes Macabéa’s simplicity and unimportance in the world. God is loving, give his attention to all, and helps all, yet he does none of this for Macabéa. Rodrigo tells of how she is invisible to the world and to God which stresses the lack of hope of her situation. She also lacks an important role in the world around her. She is stuck in her situation because she is not worth anyone’s attention.
3. "Most of the time she had without realizing it the void that fills the souls of saints. Was she a saint? So it seems” (29).
A saint is someone regarded as holy and virtuous, typically after death. Saints are important in Christianity and Catholicism. By comparing Macabéa to and labeling her a saint, Lispector is showing that saints can come from any situation. Macabéa’s sainthood is a result of her situation. This is because she suffers through her situation with innocence and (supposed) happiness.
4."As I said before, she had no guardian angel" (62).
Guardian angels are known to be protective figures that help watch over mankind. Stating that Macabéa does not have a guardian angel further isolates her. Earlier Lispector states that even God does not pay attention to Macabéa. Macabéa’s life is lonely. Her lack of importance is shown when Lispector says that even guardian angels and God does not watch over her. Macabéa does not seem to care that she has nobody, which can be seen as strength. However, it seems to be more ignorance because of how she is characterized.
5. "The brothel used to smell like the inside of a church. And people were decent and very devout" (74).
Madame Carlota describes her brothel as smelling like a church, which is contradictory and ironic. This is because a church is thought of as safe, holy, and pure. She makes her brothel seem like a safe, holy, and pure by comparing it to the smell of a church when the business conducted there is the opposite. She is attempting to glorify her work and show that she is important and good. This is done to maintain her social status. Macabéa does not care about her social status. This makes her appear even more simple. Throughout the novel Rodrigo places a certain importance on simplicity. By continuously characterizing Macabéa as simple, she is given a certain importance and relevance to the reader.
Okay well apparently my blog post has too many characters in it for me to post it so I'm going to post it in two parts.
Part 1 In The Hour of the Star, Lispector repeatedly alludes to The Bible.
1. “Don’t be frightened, my pet. Anyone at my side is also at the side of Jesus” (Lispector 72). This quote shows the protection and safety Jesus brings with him. Jesus is seen as a universal holy figure in Christianity, and offers safety to his followers. It is common for people who follow Jesus to feel safe in his presence, and look to him for guidance and protection. In this situation, Madame Carlota is reassuring Macabea that she is completely safe by telling her Jesus is looking out for her. I think this fits the novel as a whole because shortly after Macabea leaves, she is hit and killed by a car. In this case, Jesus did not offer his protection, which I find a little ironic considering Madame Carlota just told Macabea she was safe. 2. “Madame Carlota pointed at the coloured print on the wall which represented the Sacred Heart of Jesus in red and gold” (Lispector 72). This quote is just after the previously mentioned allusion, but seems to have a little bit of a different meaning. The devotion of the sacred heart is a special way of devoting oneself to Jesus in the Catholic religion. This devotion is when one lives their life completely for Jesus, and accepts his love. Shortly after this quote, Madame Carlota describes how Jesus helped her throughout her life, and she is mad for him. I think this painting shows how she has this devotion of the sacred heart. In terms of Macabea, I think this may be a hint that she has not devoted herself enough to Jesus in order to get the help she needs. Though she prays often, she is still poor and suffering. I think Macabea needs this complete devotion in order to reach Jesus’ guidance.
Part 2 3. “Should God descend on earth one day there would be a great silence” (Lispector 85). It is believed in Christianity that one day God will return to Earth. This day is called “The Rapture.” I think Rodrigo states there will be a great silence upon God’s return because it seems as though no one can acknowledge the greatness in every human being. Before his statement about the rapture, Rodrigo says, “The greatness of every human being. Silence” (Lispector 85). I think the repetition of silence emphasizes that these two these will go unnoticed. This goes along with how no one saw the good in Macabea, not even Rodrigo. All he did was talk down on Macabea, and never once saw something good in her. I think he was trying to say how the greatness of every human being goes unnoticed, just like God’s descent to Earth will go unnoticed due to the unability for humans to acknowledge each other's greatness. 4. “God is the world. The truth is always some inner power without explanation” (Lispector 12). This quote is at the very beginning of this book, when Rodrigo is introducing his existentialist qualities. I think this quote means that God is everything. God is the world, he is everything, he controls everything, and everything revolves around him. As a human, the world is everything we have and know. If God is the world, he becomes everything. When Rodrigo says the truth comes from an inner power, I think he is referring to God as that unexplainable power. This reminds me of the ideas of fate and destiny. God is in control of our lives, and because of this, we have our own fate and destiny. This relates to Macabea because no matter what she does, she is poor and struggling. 5. “Meantime, I want to walk naked or in rags; I want to experience at least once the insipid flavor of the Host. To eat communion bread will be to taste the world’s indifference, and to immerse myself in nothingness.” (19) This quote is an allusion to the Christian practice of communion. During communion people eat a cracker, or piece of bread, and drink wine in order to honor Jesus Christ. This symbolizes Christ’s body and blood. It is a way to celebrate Jesus and honor everything he has done for us. When Rodrigo talks about the world’s indifference, and his nothingness, it shows that communion means nothing to him, nor does it mean much to anyone else. He says the bread will taste of indifference, which I think means he has no intentions of honoring Jesus, because he means nothing to him. He also says he will eat the communion bread to immerse himself in nothingness, which again means he does not care for the true intentions of communion. I think this goes along with Rodrigo’s constant contradictions because at one point he seems to follow Jesus, and honor him, and then he contradicts this completely.
In The Hour of the Star, Lispector uses many biblical references to depict how Rodrigo is thinking and the beliefs of the characters. At the beginning of the novel, Rodrigo is explaining how the world came to be and states that, “God is the world. The truth is always some inner power without explanation” (12). By this we get the impression that Rodrigo believes there to be a cosmic power that created the earth and that nothing so complex could have happened just by chance, that it had a purpose. Also, by saying God is the world, it shows that there is nowhere or no thought that could have existed without some power greater than ourselves. However, a few passages later Rodrigo seems to be directly contrasting his earlier opinion by saying that he too is, “a man of hosannas,” which references the triumphal entry of Christ when everyone was singing praises to him (19). This is essentially Him saying that he is on the same level as Christ and that he would then possess the powers of creation just like Christ. He is using a biblical reference to put himself to a level of an almost holy writer and untouchable by anyone. Later in the passage he states that he, “want[s] to walk naked or in rags” (19). This shows either that he is in morning according to biblical norms or could be mocking Adam and Eve in the garden. The first would be a self mourning for all of the troubles in writing his book, as well as having to live through the experiences of Macabea. This shows that he is very committed to this novel and will even cause himself discomfort to discover what he wants. However, this could also be due to the fact that he was referencing Adam while he was in the garden. This shows him in a perfect state with no sin or condemnation. Rodrigo is trying also to take the blame off of himself for exposing all of the evil in the world by simply denying he had anything to do with it. Macabea also questions the reality of God and how he relates to herself. She is seen to have, “-questioning eyes. Whom was she questioning? God? She did not think about God, nor did God think about her” (26). Rodrigo through this is also dehumanizing her, saying that God doesn’t think about her. Also, this gives us more insight on Macabea and how she believes that there is no God and that her life is in the end meaningless. This is shown in the rest of the novel and through many other existentialist novels. The last biblical reference I’ll analyze is towards the end when Rodrigo is finishing his novel and seeing how attached he has become to Macabea. He writes that, “sin tempts me, forbidden pleasures lure me” (70). He then goes on to sexually talk about Macabea and this leads the reader to assume that through his discovery, he has found what he thinks to be an uncontrollable desire for something he once thought to be detestable. Also, the forbidden pleasures may also relate back to the seven deadly sins and their consequences. All of these references bring us readers closer to what Rodrigo thinks of life and decisions and how what is wrong with the world responds to that.
Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabéa to emphasize the importance of one’s social class. It emphasizes this because Macabéa is portrayed as lowly and almost invisible to the world around her. The fortune teller, Madame Carlota, says “Listen, pet” (Lispector 77). Here pet is obviously referring to Macabéa, which degrades her value by making her appear as one of Madame Carlota’s animals. Rodrigo has a tendency to be very cold to Macabéa. When he describes her, he often uses negative diction and a slightly condescending tone. He says, “Yes, I adore Macabéa, my darling Maca. I adore her ugliness and her total anonymity for she belongs to no one. I adore her for her weak lungs and her under-nourished body," (68). At first, it appears that he may actually be complimenting her until he begins to speak about why he adores her. Naturally, humans are attracted to beauty. Rodrigo is going against this by saying he adores all the faults and undesirable things about Macabéa. In a way, this statement appears cruel because he confronts the reader with Macabéa’s faults and though he has accepted them and seems to feel no pity for her, the readers have difficulty accepting her this way without pity. Again, Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabéa when he says “For now Macabéa was nothing but a vague feeling on the dirty cobble stones"(74). He continuously degrades her value by comparing her to inhuman things with little value. Vague feelings are the indistinct nature of characters as feelings. He diminishes her personal worth here by basically saying that she is an indistinct nature or feeling that is on the cobble stones. He also shows that other characters in the novel are just as cruel to her throughout her life because nobody takes notice of her dire situation. “Some people appeared from nowhere in the cul-de-sac and gathered round Macabéa. They just stood there doing nothing just as people had always done nothing to help her” they see that she is badly injured and may not survive if immediate help is not offered, yet nobody calls the police or helps her in any way (81). In a way, this could be how Rodrigo would react to the situation if he had actually been there when it happened. It, again, emphasizes how unimportant Macabéa is to the world and life. Hardly anybody in the novel willingly gives her attention. Even after some time Rodrigo wishes to stop giving her his attention. This is when he says, “I'm going to do everything I can to keep her from dying. But what an urge to put her to sleep and go off to bed myself" (71). This statement conveys that she is not worth anyone’s attention, especially since the narrator of the story is even losing interest in her. It is almost as if telling the readers not to waste time thinking of Macabéa, that once she is gone, life will go on as normal for everyone because her life did not leave any impact on even a single person. This is shown when Rodrigo ends the novel with, "Don't forget in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries. Yes” (86). Rodrigo has seemingly forgotten about the terrible life and death of Macabéa and its meaning even though he discussing the deeper meaning of it only a few lines earlier. Rodrigo constantly dehumanizes Macabéa to emphasize her lack of importance and the social classes of that time.
In The Hour of the Star, Clarice Lispector repeatedly dehumanizes Macabea’s character through Rodrigo’s telling of her story. First Rodrigo says, “The girl didn’t know that she existed, just as a dog doesn’t know that it’s a dog,”(27). This is a way Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabea because he compares her to a dog. He states that Macabea is dumb and oblivious. Again comparing her to a dog, “It’s as good as saying that a healthy dog is worth more” (Lispector 35). Rodrigo finds Macabea completely and utterly useless and worthless. He compares her to a dog, saying she is worth less than a dog. This is clearly dehumanizing, because he sees her value less than a non human animal. Rodrigo again, “Macabea was undeniably a primitive creature” (46). The use of the word “creature” humanizes Macabea once again. She is no longer a human, or person, but now a creature. The word creature has an ill and dark feeling linked with it, and is definitely not a positive way to describe someone. Lispector writes, “Macabea had ovaries as shrivelled as overcooked mushrooms” (58). This statement by Rodrigo emphasizes his excessive dehumanization of Macabea. Comparing a woman’s ovaries to something shrivelled is an awful comparison. This can be seen as humanizing also because it infers that she won’t be having children, or men won’t want to have children with her. I think this is dehumanizing because Rodrigo seems to almost be taking this privilege away from Macabea by saying her ovaries are like overcooked mushrooms. Rodrigo continues, “How could there be so much sensuality in a body as withered as hers” (60). Rodrigo thinks Macabea has a withered body, and has no right to be sensual. He thinks that since she looks the way she does, she should not have so much sensuality. This is dehumanizing because he thinks she is so worthless she cannot feel pleasure. Lastly Lispector writes, “She was a lost cause. And even sadness was the privilege of the rich” (61). This is another dehumanizing moment because the narrator says Macabea is a lost cause. This means she is worthless, and without purpose. He also says sadness was a privilege for the rich, which is another way to look down on poor Macabea, whose happiness must be because she cannot afford to be rich.
In the novel, “The Hour of the Star”, Lispector (Rodrigo), is constantly saying demeaning things about Macabea or another character in the story is. This can be seen when Olimpico is talking to Macabea and says, “This won't sink in, but I’m going to tell you something. A chap can still get a woman on the cheap. You’ve only cost me a coffee so far. That’s your lot. I won’t be wasting any more money buying you things. Is that clear?” (Lispector 55). Olimpico tells her that men can still get girls for cheap, not having to spend a lot of money on a girl to keep her. He tells Macabea that he has already bought her a coffee and she likes him, so there is nothing further that he will buy for her. He feels as if he has already won her and he doesn't’ have to try and well and thinking that she doesn’t deserve to have money spent on her. Rodrigo then later insults her later on when he is for sure with Gloria by saying, “-Macabea, you’re like a hair in one’s soup. It’s enough to make anyone lose their appetite”(Lispector 60). Olimpico tells her that she is enough to make anyone sick which also implies that she wasn’t enough to make him happy, and that is the reason that he is moving on. It can also be seen that Rodrigo doesn’t think highly of her either, “In the meantime, his affair with Macabea waned into a lukewarm routine” (Lispector 59). Rodrigo says that Olimpico no longer has any interest in Macabea, he is just going through the motions. He keeps her around until he knows that Gloria will for sure be his, so Macabea is just his backup. By saying that the routine is lukewarm suggest that Macabea really in truly means nothing to Olimpico. It can also be seen that Rodrigo doesn’t care about Macabea when he ends the story with, “Don’t forget in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries” (Lispector 86). By saying this, it shows that Rodrigo doesn’t care about Macabea. By telling people not to forget that is is strawberry season shows that he is telling people not to forget about the strawberries because they are more important than Macabea’s life. Earlier in the book, Rodrigo expresses how when talking about Olimpico and Macabea, “He had more strength than Macabea, whose guardian angel deserted her” (Lispector 47). By saying this, he is saying that everyone has abandoned Macabea because there is no hope for her. That even her guardian angel has left because she didn’t have any purpose. Lastly, Rodrigo completely diminishes any thread of dignity Macabea may have had, “The girl didn’t know that she existed, just as a dog doesn’t know it's a dog” (Lispector 27). This quote shows that Macabea doesn't have any intelligence whatsoever. He compares her to a dog and says that she doesn’t know that she even exists because no one ackonawldeges her. Macabea is worthless.
Macebéa is very objectified by Rodrigo throughout the novel. It is as though he has created her to embody all that is wrong with the world. Lispector portrays him as an author, simply writing a novel to find what life is and how he can better understand it. In the last half of the novel, Rodrigo knows her more, so he is able to better portray her as meaningless and as if she should not exist. He does this by dehumanizing her and putting himself above the situation. He mocks her after she has gone to the doctors saying, “I adore her ugliness and her total anonymity for she belongs to no one...for her weak lungs” (68). He depicts her as weak and really dumbs her down making her seem as though she does not fit in with the world. Also, when he says she belongs to no one, he is essentially saying she is useless. Her only need is herself and that is all that matters in her life because the rest is pointless. Also, Rodrigo seems to read into the thoughts of Macebéa, writing about what she was thinking of. When Carlota mentions, “How awful,” her life must be, Macebéa responds in an unusual way. When she heard this she, “turned pale,” for, “it had never occurred to her that her life was so awful” (75). Rodrigo add this thought to show how naive she was and how she really couldn’t see past herself to the fact that she was unequipped for this world and that she would never fit into their ways of life. Rodrigo also deteriorates her by making unnecessary comments on the appearance of her body, he says how she should, “stuff some cotton-wool into [her] bra to give the impression that [she’s] got some shape” (77). Although this is Carlota who is supposedly speaking, we can see how both her for saying it, and Rodrigo for either hearing it or making it up, how he degrades her. Also a term he uses to name her is “my pet,” (77) showing how he does not see her as a human but simply someone who he can move around such as a pawn. As well as pet, he calls her, “a creature,” who is meagre and simply a, “dismantled wax dummy” (80). This is some serious objectivity, depicting her as now something lifeless and useless. A dummy can be used as a sort of rough draft, so by calling her this he is saying she can be messed up and no one will care in the least. As well as this, it is dismantled, so it really is no longer of any use. When Macebéa is killed, Rigo says that, “some people appeared from nowhere,” and, “just stood there doing nothing just as people had always done nothing to help her” (81). That is actually really depressing, kinda like the Genovisi thing where people didn’t want to get involved with something they saw as messy or displeasing. This ultimately objectifies her because she is now dead and only something for uncaring people to look at. This last statement of Rodrigo’s show her ultimate death and that people who once were not caring now care for something even a little. Demonstrating through this that death is more worth caring about than a meaningless life.
The Hour of the Star is characterized to be written as an experimental novel. The reader can see these experimental ideology through the thirteen titles at the very beginning of the novel. Similarly to the plot of the story, which offers many question with no answers, Lispector refuses to settle on one title. Each of these titles represent a message that Rodrigo/Lispector want the reader to know. For example, “The Right to Protest”, which includes Clarice’s signature at the bottom. The fact that her signature is at the bottom shows that this is something that the author wanted to say from her own perspective. She writes, “for one has the right to shout. So, I am shouting” (Lispector 13-14). Lispector may be trying to speak for all the Macabea’s of Rio and this is her call to protest. It could also be her way of shining a light on the poor, so that society will see them and pay attention. This is an example of an experimental novel because Lispector, the author, is subtly writing in her own opinions and by having thirteen different titles she is being a non-traditional writer. Another characteristic of an experimental novel is that often times authors will play with the syntax and punctuation in very innovative ways. Rodrigo writes, “Macabea ask for pardon? One must always ask. Why? Reply: it is so because it is so. Was it always so? It will always be so. And if it were not so? But I am saying that it is so. Very well.” (Lispector 82). This use of syntax is different from the rest of the book because when the main characters of Rodrigo’s story speak to each other, he uses a “-”, whereas in this quote he writes a conversation all in one paragraph. Rodrigo may use this to show that he is having a conversation with Macabea and because he is not a character in his own story he is trying to use a different format. Also the fact that an experimental novel has an “anti-hero” is also present in The Hour of the Star. In this novel Rodrigo, can be seen as the protagonist because he is attempting to write a story about the way poverty is seen by society. In order to do to make his point, Rodrigo must come across as very harsh, he writes that, “nobody desires her (Macabea)” (Lispector 14) and that she has clung to his skin like a “vicious glue or contaminating mud” (Lispector 21). Rodrigo uses this negative tone because he represents the upper class’s views of the poor and he can not help himself from being rude to Macabea. Lastly, another characteristic of an existential novel is that authors may choose to leave large white spaces between paragraphs in an attempt to be more creative. An example of this is seen on pages 84 and 85. The short paragraph at the bottom of page 84, is very dark and heavy. It talks about death and being betrayed and how “the Prince of Darkness has triumphed”, while the paragraph on page 85 is very light in that it talks about God and compares Macabea to air. This stylistic choice may have been a way to contradict the various perspectives of death that Rodrigo or Clarice may have.
1. “The person I’m going to talk about is so dumb that she sometimes smiles at other people on the street. Nobody smiles back at her because they do not even look at her” (7).
This quote supports the idea that “The Hour of the Star” is an experimental novel. Macabéa is portrayed as a very pitiful, below average character, yet is the center of the novel. It does not necessarily make her unlikeable, which is one aspect of an experimental novel. It also portrays that she is unaware of her class and place in society. She is plain and goes unseen by society, yet she acts as if she has not idea of her exclusion.
2. “First of all, I must make it clear that this girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly” (15).
Again, Rodrigo is addressing the social classes of that time period and location. Macabéa differs from the average main character of a novel. This is because the typical protagonist has a challenge to overcome or a purpose, but Macabéa’s purpose in the novel is not clear until the further analysis is done. Also, she does not amount to much in the novel. In fact, if anything her situation is worsened throughout the novel. There is no happy ending as expected. Macabéa is a character that easily enters and exits the story even though she is the protagonist. Her aimlessness is slightly unrelatable because majority of the human population has even a small idea of who they are and what their situation is.
3. "instead of lipstick it looked like thick blood had spurted from her lips from a tooth-breaking flesh-busting sock in the mouth (small explosion)" (53).
Lispector intentionally emphasizes Macabéa’s flaws to make her appear more realistic. The typical novel protagonist has flaws, but they are glossed over and when these flaws are emphasized the plot line addresses these flaws and fine tunes them. In this quote Lispector uses violent diction to emphasize these flaws. She does not attempt to hide them from the reader. This description of Macabéa also elicits pity because it almost seems as if she can do nothing right in Lispector’s eyes. She even messes up on something as simple as putting on lipstick.
4. "Let no one be mistaken. I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort" (11).
Rodrigo constantly stresses how ordinary and simple he and the novel are. An experimental novel emphasizes the “ordinariness or less than ordinariness” of a character. He poses many philosophical questions that cause the reader to contemplate them, ultimately finding complex answers and meanings to them. He manages to find simple answers and explanations to his own questions, which can confuse the readers. This aspect of not dwelling on deep, philosophical questions and deep, philosophical answers is contrary to typical contemporary writers, which is what makes this novel experimental and the characters ordinary. Macabéa also has the tendency to answer questions asked to and about her with simplicity and ignorance.
An experimental novel is one that is not average. It is different from all the other books you have probably read. One thing that makes experimental novels so unique is the extreme confusion. Usually there are lots of contradictions in the book, and unanswered questions. Experimental novels also are written in a stream of conscious style. Instead of the story being the main focus, the process of writing the story becomes more important. Along with this, experimental novels tend to not start at the beginning. They aren’t normally set up like a typical novel in terms of organization. The Hour of the Star possess many qualities of an experimental novel. First, the narrator repeatedly contradicts himself, which is a trait of experimental literature. Lispector writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). Next she writes, “I do not know why, but I do know that the universe never began” (11). First Rodrigo thinks yes started the universe, shortly after he says there never was a start. This is completely contradicting. These contradictions start the book off with a huge amount of confusion, common in experimental literature. Another example of The Hour of the Star being an experimental novel is Rodrigo’s stream of conscious. Almost his entire narration seems to be a stream of conscious. Lispector writes, “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?” (11). The very beginning of this novel Rodrigo talks like this a lot. He jumps from idea to idea without a clear transition. It’s like he is just writing everything that comes to mind. This is another characteristic of an experimental novel. Similarly, The Hour of the Star can be seen as an experimental novel because the narrator is so involved in the book. He doesn’t just tell the story, but he acts as if he’s a main character of the story. Lispector writes, Olimpico concerned himself with important things but Macabea only noticed unimportant things such as herself” (51). Here Rodrigo is getting involved with Macabea’s story by dehumanizing her. He repeatedly adds his opinion, even when it isn’t relevant. In most novels, the narrator just tells the story and isn’t really a main character. This novel is completely different in the way that Rodrigo’s entire stream of conscious makes up the book, and he acts like a main character. It feels like this novel is really about Rodrigo telling it versus Macabea. Lastly, The Hour of the Star can be seen as an experimental novel because there is no obvious theme or meaning to the book. This book is extremely difficult to understand, and to most seems to have no meaning. I do not have a quote to support this, but the entire novel as a whole can. There is no obvious theme or meaning to this book because we aren’t really sure what the main story line is. Is it Macabea’s story? Or could it be Rodrigo telling the story? You could argue both sides of this, which can make this book experimental. There are several symbols in this book, stars, darkness, fruit, etc., but no clear theme. Most books have a theme you can figure out pretty easily, but this is not the case.
The Hour of the Star is characterized as an experimental novel in many ways. ONe of these characteristics is that the narrator is not very trustworthy. He often contradicts himself in his work and show an event in different lights. When Rigo is talking about how one should perceive life, he depicts a situation, ‘that [he] just struggle like someone drowning, even if [he] should perish in the end” (81). This shows how even if life is not going the way you planned, you should put every effort into something that you are passionate about. Also that one is going to drown and he knows that about life, but one has to make the conscious choice to keep living this life. Directly contrasting this on just the next page, Rigo shows Macabéa is asking for her life and meaning in that and how he responds to this opposed to the previous page. He says that, “it will always be so. And if it were not so? But I am saying that it is so. Very well” (82). Not only does Rigo say that it is just a fact of life that one will die, but that he simply dismisses anything that remotely contradicts this. By adding ‘very well’ it shows the fact that one can just give up on life and that that is the course and there is no use trying to do anything about it. By using contradiction, there is an amount of trust that is lost in the reader about Rodrigo. The reader can never truly be sure if what he is saying is true and if that is what he believes. An experimental novel also has different ways of portraying talking. Sometimes Lispector uses ‘he’ or ‘she’ while other times she uses a dash to symbolize that people are talking. I think that no quotations are used to symbolize that the conversations are approximately what happend, but may not be the exact words used. Also, when they use the ‘he’ or ‘she’ (48) Lispector adds this to show contrast between Macabéa and Olimpico. When he states, “You’re a dead loss” and she accepts this, it show the dominance of a male figure in her life (48). This is used in an experimental novel to also must contrast with other styles which just label the people with their names. With this labeling, there are gender roles being looked at and how they individually relate to each other as male and female persons. Another example of the experimental novel is the narrator interjecting into the novel that he is writing, he does this very often and almost gives his commentary along with it. Some Of the time it is useful but in other situations it feels like the information is irrelevant to the actual plot of the story. However, there really is no plot to an experimental novel, it is simply about the exploration of something and writing it how one wants and not caring about what the limits of writing should entail. When Rodrigo interjects that, “(It’s as good as saying that a healthy dog is worth more),” he is not only adding this in for comparison, but also to degrade Macabéa(35). This statement could have easily been left out because for the last paragraph he has been talking about how she does not fit in, but the audacity of Rodrigo is clearly portrayed in this, showing how he will go beyond just degrading to a point of calling her worse than a dog.
The Hour of the Star is an experimental novel due to the fact that it is not a traditional novel. Author’s usually write books to attract the attention of the reader by writing things they would like, Lispector doesn’t do this, “ I want my story to be cold and impartial. Unlike the reader, I reserve the right to be devastatingly cold, for this is not simply a narrative, but above all primary life that breathes, breathes, breathes” (Lispector 15). Lispector writes the story with a narrator named Rodrigo. Rodrigo wants to tell the story the way it happened regardless fi there is a happy ending or not and regardless of whether he offends the reader. He wants to voice his story for himself rather than the reader and this is different from how other authors would write a novel. Unlike other novels, the narrator is a character in the story rather than just telling it. He announces everything that he has done to prepare to tell this story, “ I should also mention that I read nothing these days for fear that I might adulterate the simplicity of my language with useless refinements” (Lispector 22). Most narrators do not include in the writing how they began to write the story or how they prepared for it. They also do not include their own life experiences, as well as be a character in the story. Lispector also doesn’t use traditional punctuation marks. On, (Lispector 43). There is a conversation there is a conversation between Macabea and Olimpico. Rather than using quotation marks, Lispector uses dashes to symbolize the change in who is speaking. Lastly, Lispector ends the novel without addressing the ending, “Don’t forget in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries” (Lispector 86). In the end of the novel, she has Mayabeque getting hit by a yellow Mercedes and slowly dying. She says that people surrendered her and gave her the existence that she never had while she was alive and made her feel like a person. That when she was laying on the ground dying, she actually felt like a person with a future. However, Lispector never addresses the death, she goes on to change the subject to something that has no relevance to the novel, completely taking away from the ending. What makes it an experimental novel is the fact that is doesn’t follow traditional rules.
In my passage, the narrator provides exposition that characterizes him greatly. He reveals that, before Macabea came into his life, he was “contented” with his profession despite not having significant success. He goes on to display a spark of ambition, stating that “the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me”. This shows that he is not truly completely satisfied with the state he was in prior to Macabea. An explanation for this dissatisfaction could be that the stagnation he was experiencing blinded him from aspiring to transcend. Another notable device used by Lispector was simile. Simile can be an extremely powerful tool of writing, as it allows for the author to connect and compare two ideas together while, at the same time, providing visuals for readers. The passage holds a total of seven different similes, each holding a meaning that causes the text to be deeper and more potent. To me, the simile with the most value was the one where the narrator compares the memory of sex to be “like a tattoo”. This simile also assists in characterizing the author as it shows that he has an aspect to him that is sentimental in a sense. It seems as though he fights the sentiment he possesses, however, as he is worried that it will influence his text and cause it to sound “mushy”.
3. Was Macabéa happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
Contented =/= happy. I believe that Macabea was satisfied with life, but not necessarily happy. Macabea was merely making the best out of the cards she was dealt. She doesn’t pity herself because she had never experienced or longed for the finer things in life that others might seek. Rather than pursuing these, she makes due with what she has and lives her life. I feel like it’s somewhat ironic that the only people that feel bad for her are those on the outside looking in on her life, rather than her herself, who is the one living the life.
11. Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabéa?
I don’t believe there is a true protagonist to the story. This trait could be one of the many different aspects that make this story experimental. The reason I think that there is no one main character to this story is because Macabea and Rodrigo give each other purpose. Without Rodrigo, no one would be there to tell Macabea’s story. On the other hand, without Macabea, Rodrigo would not have anything to write about/narrate. Neither character fully steps into the spotlight in the story, but both are discussed extremely heavily. Their relationship is almost harmonious and is a good depiction of balance.
1. What was Lispector’s purpose for writing the novel? What is the theme?
Lispector’s reasoning for creating the Hour of the Star was likely because she wanted to elaborate her perspective on life and ideals while she was dying. There are subtle hints throughout the book that imply that Lispector may have known she was dying, but never directly lead to it. The book is written in a “stream of consciousness” format, allowing readers to clearly see the thoughts of the author in many different sections. It could also be possible that Lispector was using Rodrigo as a vessel for her thoughts and wrote the character with her own set of opinions in mind. The theme of the story, in my eyes, was that people tend to want too much, yet feel too little. This theme correlates with the behavior of Rodrigo, as he tends to over-complicate things, even when trying to achieve simplicity.
The Hour of the Star possesses many traits that categorize it as an experimental novel. Firstly, the “author” (aka the narrator) tends to flip-flop on his own words. One moment Rodrigo is saying he wants to make the story unbiased and simplistic, the next he’s overcomplicating things. The concept of reading a book that is, at the same time being written by someone is quite ambitious as well, in the sense that it is not a normal way to tell a story. Because Lispector is somewhat reflected in the character of Rodrigo, this indecisive mentality is seen in other areas of the story, such as the title. There is a number of alternate titles for the story, though the designated one is on the cover. These alternative options sum up the jumbled nature of Lispector and provide another reason for why the story falls outside of the lines of a traditional novel. The overall structure of the story has a feeling of hecticness to it as well, correlating once again with the recurring disarray of the story and differing from the norms of writing. Another trait of experimental novels is the presence of an anti hero. Although I can not see a clear-cut anti hero in the story, Rodrigo’s blunt writing style and sometimes inhuman way of speaking may cause readers to consider him as an anti hero. Though he does have some anti hero traits, I don’t feel as though Rodrigo can be defined as a complete anti hero, making the presence of an anti hero in HOTS uncertain.
Passage four introduces the purpose of the narrator. Unlike conventional stories, the narrator does not have a vital role in the actual plot line. He is there to express ideas and tell his view of Macabéa’s life. At the beginning of this passage, he seems to be mocking the conventional method of embellishing a story and giving is a happy ending. He mentions his wide range of vocabulary to use to tell Macabéa’s story, yet he has no intention of using them and embellishing her story. This passage characterizes him as slightly pretentious because of the way he speaks of Macabéa. He appears to be a wealthy, well educated, intelligent man, whereas Macabéa is poor and ignorant. When he says, “for were I to touch the girl’s bread, that bread would turn to gold - and the girl (she is nineteen years old) the girl would be unable to bite into it, and consequently die of hunger” it shows that he believes he is better than her (Lispector 15). It also portrays that he is incapable of making Macabéa appear to be “gold” or have worth. He continues to describe Macabéa, frequently using negative diction to voice his opinion of her. He uses words and phrases like “unremarkable” to show that her life is ordinary (15). Earlier in the passage, and throughout the novella he portrays the idea that words are actions. Macabéa only exists in his words. He feels it is his duty to write about the terrible live led by people like Macabéa. She represents and give a face to people in her situation. The narrator portrays that Macabéa and people like her exist, even if they go unacknowledged. The passage concludes with him asking “am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person” which shows his struggle with identity (15). He questions if it is human nature to think and act the way he does, thus defining him as a person, or if this style of thinking is unique to him, which would define him as a monster.
ReplyDeletePassage six introduces the narrator’s struggles with how to write about Macabea’s story. He also begins to explore the ideas of reality, eternity, and existentialism. Rodrigo S.M. begins this section by describing how he was very happy before Macabea became part of his life, he explains that, “things were somehow so good that they were in danger of becoming very bad because what is fully mature is very close to rotting” (Lispector 17). In this quote, Rodrigo comes across as very arrogant because he is blaming Macabea for ruining his happiness. He then tells the reader that he wants to explain Macabea’s story because he wants to go beyond his capability as a writer. The narrator says that “this happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands by reality” (Lispector 17). The motif of reality goes along with the ideas of existentialism, which states that every human being is an individual. This pertains to the quote because Rodrigo S.M. is saying that each person inhabits a different reality, which basically means that everyone is alone. This existential idea relates to Macabea because she is very different from the narrator, Gloria, and Olimpico, in that she is very poor and rejected by society. Rodrigo S.M. also acknowledges what kind of writer he wants to become, he says, “I tend to write with bold, severe strokes like a painter...how I should love to hear the pealing of bells in order to work up some enthusiasm as I decipher reality: to see angels flutter like transparent wasps around my fevered head, this head that longs to be ultimately transformed into an object-thing, because so much more simple” (Lispector 17). In this quote, Rodrigo introduces the motif of simplicity. He starts by describing his complex thoughts/feelings and eventually ends the quote with a very simple sentence, “because so much more simple”, which doesn’t sound professional. In this quote, the narrator uses the image of angels fluttering around his head. Angels are seen as a way to connect information from heaven and earth or from higher realms to lower ones, as well as aid with divine awareness. By using this symbol Rodrigo hopes that he will be able to become a more simple writer. At the end of the passage Rodrigo compares himself to Macabea, saying that “we live exclusively in the present because forever and eternally it is the day of today, and the day of tomorrow will be a today. Eternity is the state of things at this very moment” (Lispector 18). His idea of eternity seems to be the only thing that he has in common with Macabea.
ReplyDeleteThe eighth passage introduces the personality of the narrator. For example, it says, “In order to speak about the girl I mustn't shave for days. I must acquire dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep: dozing from sheer exhaustion like a manual labourer. Also wearing threadbare clothes. I am doing all this to put myself on the same footing as the girl from the Northeast” (Lispector 19). This quote shows how Lispector doesn’t feel an author can write a book without feeling what the character is. Feeling that the book will not be realistic if she isn't writing from experience even though the book isn’t an autobiography or based off of her life. It can be seen that she doesn’t think something cannot be written about unless you are in that position, this can be seen when she says, “The word must resemble the word. To attain the word is my first duty to myself. The word must not be adorned and become aesthetically worthless;” (Lispector 20). She believes that you cannot just resemble the anything, you must actually feel it. You can't assume the way something is, you have to know how it really is. She also voices her upon on the subjects of if life is pointless. She thinks this way of thinking isn't correct and this can be seen when she says, “ I want to accept my freedom without reaching the conclusion like so many others: that existence is only for fools and lunatics: for it would seem that to exist is illogical” (Lispector 20). She doesn’t belive that this way of thinking is true. She believes that everyone has a place and a meaning and that you don’t know very much about other people unless you have experienced what they have. It shows the dedication she has to the book, character, readers, and overall herself to try and transform into the character she tells a story about.
ReplyDeleteIn the first few pages of The Hour of the Star, Clarice Lispector creates a contradicting narrator. Throughout the first few paragraphs, the narrator repeatedly contradicts himself. Lispector writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). Soon after, she writes, “I do not know why, but I do know that the universe never began” (11). First Rodrigo S.M. states that the universe began with a yes, and next he says the universe never began. This does not seem to fit together at all. Another example of his contradicting diction is when Lispector writes, “I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort” (11). Again this seems a bit contradicting, as well as ironic. Achieving simplicity should not require enormous effort, or else it would not be simple. The narrator continues to contradict himself when he writes, “The more genuine part of my life is unrecognizable, extremely intimate, and impossible to define” (12). Being genuine tends to mean straight forward. “Unrecognizable” and “impossible to define” are not words you would use to describe genuinity. These words actually mean quite the opposite, showing how the narrator is just contradicting his words time after time. The constant contradicting diction from the narrator is a characteristic of experimental literature. Contradicting diction, especially by a narrator, is huge in experimental literature because the basis of this literature type is confusion, and when the narrator contradicts himself, things get confusing. I think Lispector’s purpose for these first few pages was to establish her experimental writing style. She repeatedly used experimental techniques in such a small section in order to emphasize the use of it.
ReplyDelete2. 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?
ReplyDeleteRodrigo begins the novel by by explaining the meaning behind the word yes. He also uses the past tense throughout the introduction. This could be because he is implying that everything has already happened and introduce the idea that this novel will transcend the typical limits of time. He does this to show the importance of Macabéa’s story. He also discusses how there is a prehistory to everything. “But before prehistory there was the prehistory of prehistory and there was the never and there was the yes” he takes the complex idea of past, present, and future history and sifts it down to a simple yes (Lispector 11). This shows that he values simplicity, which makes Macabéa important to him because of she has a very simplistic life. He finds great meaning in simplicity. This shows why he is intrigued with Macabéa’s life because he can find great meaning in it. He values simplicity and attempts to convey the importance of simplicity to the readers.
3. Was Macabéa happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
Many who read “The Hour of the Star” would argue that she cannot possibly be happy in her situation and we cannot help feeling sorry for her. However, we must consider her situation from her point of view. Macabéa’s life is only told through Rodrigo and makes her life appear as though it could not possibly get any worse than it already is. She appears to be content with her life because she is innocent and does not know her actual circumstance. Rodrigo describes Macabéa as ugly, unwanted, and invisible, but this might not be the case. Her aunt taught made her learn how to type. This gives Macabéa a skill that can be used so she does not have to become a prostitute like others to make ends meet. She can work and make honest money. Macabéa appears to be self-content, which goes against the social grain. Many people find flaws in their lives or in themselves that prevents them from being truly happy. Macabéa is innocent. She does not see any flaw in herself. Considering her from her perspective will show that she is happy. We cannot and are not meant to pity her or feel sorry for her because that means there is something wrong with her life. To us her life seems miserable, but to her it is a good life because it is the only life she has known. We cannot say there is anything wrong with her life and we cannot pity her or feel sorry for her because she is happy with the way she is living and with herself.
14. How are philosophical thoughts reflected in Rodrigo’s narration?
Rodrigo is portrayed as intelligent, yet he attempts to be impartial and cold. His narration is meant to be philosophical because his thoughts are profound to emphasize Macabéa’s plainness. Throughout the narration Rodrigo reflects on life and human nature. The story of Macabéa is meant to be philosophical and symbolize that even though she is not a real person, there are people out there in her situation. Macabéa and Rodrigo are vastly different characters.
Rodrigo also sounds as if he is judging her and judging himself because he is judging her. This is because he considers the philosophical “am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person” (Lispector 15). His thoughts are intended to reflect different philosophical views and questions because he finds meaning in the simplicity of life. He wants to portray the significance of simplicity through Macabéa, which is why he is intrigued by it. He wants the readers to understand the importance of simplicity, which is why he includes and finds philosophy in Macabéa's life and her story.
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ReplyDeleteamber mao, aka "The Comment Has Been Deleted"
ReplyDelete3. It’s fairly certain that Macabea was happy although her life was miserable, according to Rodrigo it was because she believed she should be happy, and so she was, and she did not know that to be in a position such as hers, in such poverty with nearly nothing to her name, that all of society would expect her to be unhappy, and thus because she does not know that she should be unhappy, she is not unhappy. The question of whether the reader is meant to feel pity is uncertain – Rodrigo, although he claims that to be completely cold and impartial in telling his story, fails to do so and sometimes talks about her with something approaching affection, and certainly pity for her miserable situation. Since she is depicted as being happy even in the face of poverty, it is hard to say that the author is trying to evoke pity, as Macabea seems to have transcended earthly unhappiness and any effect of misfortune. And here is her grace – that she needs no pity, especially not from a writer who only caught a glimpse of her face once.
4. It seemed less like love and more like just admiration – as Macabea didn’t know much better, and as Olimpico was good at posturing he easily impressed Macabea. Just the fact that he saw her as something – as she thinks the first time they met – and seemed to be a powerful and knowledgeable person, like someone who would gain a significant position later in life, she looked up to him.
11. Rodrigo paints himself as merely the narrator of the story – his purpose here was to write down Macabea’s story, or else he would explode or something. Macabea is his protagonist, and her story becomes his alone – he depicts her life in bold strokes and in no particular chronological order – and though she is in a position for which some would pity her, her contentedness with life despite everything, her innocence, her untimely death, make her a sort of heroine in the way that she existed as she did.
1. What was Lispector’s purpose in writing this book? What is the theme?
ReplyDeleteI think Lispector’s purpose in writing this book was to explore the ideas of existentialism, and create questions about our existence. The entire introduction questions our existence. Lispector writes, “I do know the universe never began” (11). Which implies that nothing exists. This is a quote that has to be thought about very hard to even understand just a little. Existentialism is the major theme in this story. Lispector writes, “But the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me. This happened when I decided to write about reality, since reality exceeds me. Whatever one understands by reality” (17). Here Lispector continues questioning existence by asking what reality really is. This raises more question about what is and isn’t real, and how do we know? This adds to the theme of existentialism that is present throughout the book.
10. What is the point of Rodrigo’s introduction?
I think Rodrigo’s main purpose of his introduction was to introduce the existentialistic qualities of this book, as well as reveal the experimental characteristics of the book. The biggest thing I noticed in the introduction was the constant contradicting diction. Like I mentioned in my blog post, I kept finding examples where the narrator contradicts himself. He writes, “The more genuine part of my life is unrecognizable, extremely intimate, and impossible to define” (12). This contradicting diction is a huge part of experimental literature. I think that Rodrigo purposely contradicts himself over and over again to establish these characteristics. I also think Rodrigo’s purpose was to get the reader thinking. He starts the book out with a lot about beginnings. He writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). This is hard to wrap your head around. It makes the reader really think about what is meant. It also goes along with the existentialism throughout the book. He questions our existence and more. Lots of questioning is found in this introduction. I think Rodrigo’s main purpose for the introduction was the establish the themes and characteristics of the rest of the story.
16. What role does gender play in the story? Why is the narrator male? Is there cultural and/or thematic significance for the gender roles?
In The Hour of the Star there are very visible gender roles through the book. It can be seen from the start that men are superior to women in the book. During the introduction Rodrigo says, “Another writer, of course, but it would have to be a man for a woman would weep her heart out” (14). Rodrigo says that a woman is incapable of telling Macabea’s story, for she is too sensitive. This is a great way to show the tough and strong stereotype of men. When researching Rio De Janeiro earlier in this unit, I noticed the gender inequality there. Men were very superior during the 1970’s in Rio de Janeiro (not that they still aren’t here, but they were more so back then). I think this inequality can also be seen though the narrator feeling so in control over Macabea. He is telling the story, and has total control. He also talks about Macabea in a crude and awful way. The narrator almost seems so distant and disconnected from the character from the way he speaks of her, but also so close. Lispector also writes, “A woman’s destiny is to be a woman” (84). This adds on to the inferiority of women during this time period. It also really reminds me of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, because there is a quote that says something about how men were raised to be men and women to be mothers. This really emphasizes how little women were back then.
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ReplyDelete7. What does Macabea’s death represent?
ReplyDeleteRodrigo described Macabea’s dramatic death in seven pages. He described how she felt “drained of all emotions as she looked at the stones around the sewer...today, she thought, today is the dawn of my existence: I am reborn” (Lispector 80). Rodrigo writes about this extraordinary revelation yet he abruptly ends this scene with him changing his focus to lighting a cigarette. This sudden change shows that Macabea’s death is very common because people die everyday. At the end of the book Rodrigo experiences his own realization about death, he says, “dear, God, only now am I remembering that people die. Does that include me?” (Lispector 86). He is at awe of this fact because no one lives as though they will die at any moment. Rodrigo characterized death as “my favorite character in this story” (Lispector 83) because death is the ultimate encounter with oneself. Rodrigo writes that, “Macabea became air” (Lispector 85). This quote could be showing how Macabea’s life has so little value that it is easily carried away. However, air can also symbolize beginnings and life, which supports Rodrigo's opinion that after death, one’s life truly begins. This is also supported by the fact that after Macabea got hit by the Mercedes and about to die she muttered, “as for the future” (Lispector 84).
9. What is the significance of the reference to Julius Caesar?
The phrase, “Et tu, Brute?”, was claimed to be the last words of Julius Caesar to his friend Marcus Brutus at the moment of his assassination. These famous words are used to signify the utmost unexpected betrayal by a person or friend and can be interpreted as a curse or threat. Shakespeare’s play about Julius Caesar was where this phrase was first introduced, however, he is known for massaging historical record in order to add more drama. This ties into the book because Rodrigo, similarly to Shakespeare, puts words in Macabea’s story to add a more intelligent/enlightening affect. After writing this sentence, Rodrigo says, “this was the way I had hoped to announce that Macabea was dead” (Lispector 84), by using this dramatic phrase, he was able to create the “grand finale” that he wanted. This quote by Julius Caesar, also represents Macabea very well because she was betrayed by her society. Macabea was a poor outcast that no one bothered to be kind to, including our narrator. As she laid in the road dying, “people appeared from nowhere in the culdesac and gathered round Macabea. They just stood there doing nothing just as people had always done nothing to help her” (Lispector 81).
11. Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabea?
“The Hour of the Star” is characterized as an existential novel. One characteristic of this type of work is that they do not have a protagonist, rather these characters are depicted as evil. In this novel, Rodrigo is trying to write about poverty and is using Macabea as an example for how society treats people like her. Rodrigo is society, which means that he is the “evil” character. He writes,”there are thousands of girls like this girl from the Northeast to be found in the slums of Rio de Janeiro...they aren’t even aware of the fact that they are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence” (Lispector 14). Macabea represents this population of poor women struggling to survive. Rodrigo’s tone in this quote, sounds rude and bitter, however, he is trying to capture the feeling of the upper class in Brazil. Later in the novel, the narrator asks, “Why should I write about a young girl whose poverty is so evident? Perhaps because within her there is a seclusion. Also because in her poverty of body and soul one touches sanctity and I long to feel the breath of life hereafter” (Lispector 39). This quote represents the views of the upper class in which the only reason they need the poor around is so that they can exploit them for their own gains, much like Rodrigo feels that maybe Macabea’s poor life is the way for him to obtain this same sanctity.
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?
ReplyDeleteRodrigo talks about the world beginning in the start of the book to express the idea that things happen for a reason and nothing more than that. By saying, “Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another molecule and life was born” (Lispector 11). Lispector is saying that the molecules don’t have a motive or certain desire, they just came together because that was suppose to happen. What is meant to happen will happen. There is no answer as to why it happened, it just did. This relates to how Macabea thinks/ answers her own questions, “Perhaps she thought about this futile question so that no one could ever accuse her one day of never being asked. Not knowing who to turn to, she appeared to have answered her own question: it is so because it is so” (Lispector 26). Macabea seems like a young curious girl but she never asks anyone any questions. She doesn’t ask questions because she feels as if the answer will be no or just explained as it is. It just happened, there is no reason as to why. This is the same as the beginning of the novel, there is no reason as to why the molecules had said yes to one another, they just did. This can bee seen again when Macabea is denied her favorite dessert, guava preserve with cheese the only passion she had in her life as a punishment by her aunt when Rodrigo says, “The girl didn't dare ask why she was always being punished. One doesn’t have to know everything and not knowing became an important factor in her life (Lispector 28). Macabea has no desire in knowing anything because she already knows the answer. She also believes that even if she doesn’t need to know the answer, she doesn’t necessarily need to know. Everything happens for as reason, so what is the point of knowing?
I feel like Macabea may have been unhappy but never addressed her problem. She seemed to just go along with whatever life had thrown at her without asking any questions because she thought everything happened for a reason and didn’t have any depth besides to it. I think she may have been unhappy but just thought she was unhappy for a reason, so just didn’t question it. This can be seen when Rodrigo says, “She was as light-headed as an idiot, only she was no idiot. She wasn’t even aware that she was unhappy” (Lispector 25). This says that she may not have even known what happiness was, but even if she had, I don’t think she would have questioned as to why she wasn’t. She may have also known that she was unhappy but didn’t know what to do about or what to do differently. Macabea hadn't known herself very well, “She had no idea how to cope with life and she was only vaguely aware of her own inner emptiness” (Lispector 24). She wasn’t a very confident girl and went along with the way that people had treated her. Her aunt had punished her for no reason and she hadn’t questioned the reason as to why she did. Her boss was rude to her and, “The girl felt she ought to to say something to show respect for this boss with whom she was secretly infatuated” (Lispector 24). Macabea wanted to say something to her boss about that way that he was treating her, but she hadn’t the courage to say anything to him due to a secret crush she had on him. She also hadn’t had the courage because that just wasn't her. She was the type of girl who couldn’t even look at her own body in the mirror due to embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico?
ReplyDeleteMacabea tends to like characters who have more power over her or have a title that she likes. This can be seen when Rodrigo says, “The girl felt she ought to to say something to show respect for this boss with whom she was secretly infatuated” (Lispector 24). Even though Senhor Raimundo Silveira was rude to Mccabe's he hadn't spoken up for herself. This could be due to the lack of respect that she had for herself or the feelings that she had for him. She felt it best to be quiet however. Macabea never wanted to know why the things were the way they were. She never asked questions or asked why things happened the way that they did. This changed when she met Olimpico, “Macabea found Olimpico very knowledge about things. He told her things had never heard of before”(Lispector 52). Someone had finally taken the time to tell Macabea about different things. He answered questions that she had without her having to ask them and seem dumb. He introduced her to new ideas as well and new ways of thinking and she actually liked to have that knowledge. Olimpico brought out a new world for her.
What is the significance of the beginning, where Rodrigo talks about the beginning of the world? How does this relate to the rest of the story?
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning, Rodrigo discusses the creation of the world where, "one molecule said yes to another molecule" (11). He states a molecule as the beginning of time and earth because it is invisible, its structure is not tangible and one cannot know where each molecule is, but everyone knows that they do exist. In this novel, many of the characters have problems that are not always shown on the outside. When Macabea is having a conversation with Gloria, she asks,
“-What do you mean? Eh? Are you in pain
-I’m in pain all the time
-Where?
-Inside. I can’t explain it” (62).
This passage show how Macaubas problems are not only on the outside, as Rodrigo points out, but also internal. At the beginning, everything is based on not tangible things, so is there with life.
Why do you think Macabea “loved” Olimpico?
I believed that she loved him only because he was a man that had finally noticed her. Even though he was an abusive boyfriend, she did not seem sad or overjoyed when he left for Gloria, it was simply fact and a way of life. Also, when they met the first time, he made her feel like she had never before, that someone actually noticed her. Once he ‘gave’ everything to him, it was as if she could never give that up.
What does Maccabees death represent? How does this it with the rest of the book?
I think it represents that death is the only way to escape the pain of this earth. When Rodrigo comments, “She is finally free of herself and me” (85). She represents everything wrong with the world and everything that one doesn't want to become, failure. When she dies, she does not ‘achieve’ self-fulfillment for Rodrigo, this shows that her only purpose is to make himself look better. IN the overall plot, it shows how one's pain and being lower class boosts up others and they become or appear to become something better than they were.
My passage is passage 4. Woohoo! As we discussed in our small group this passage is mostly characterisation of both Macabea and Rodrigo. Rodrigo first starts out by using metaphors to show how he will use words to dumb down the novel to get on Macabéa’s level of understanding. He does this to prove that he is above her and prop himself up in the process. He uses another metaphor of that if he would touch a piece of bread, “that bread would turn to gold,” saying that she would be unable to eat it or understand it (15). WHen he later talks about the girl, he uses negative diction and depicts her in a very low light. This starts the novel on a low note, leading into the ridicule of this book. WHat really stuck out to me was the last line: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person? (15). This sentence demonstrates Rodrigo's thoughts on the matter. He steps back and realizes that ridicule is human nature, but he asks if he has become a monster in doing this directly to her. Is what he writing about trying to just unveil his own thoughts, or are these thoughts normal to process through writing? Throughout this novel, Rodrigo is trying to figure out all that is wrong with the world by embodying this into the girl.
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ReplyDeleteIn the “Hour of the Star”, Rodrigo makes many references to the bible. One reference is found when Rodrigo refers to Macabea’s roommates as the four Marias (Lispector ), whose names are: Maria de Penha, Maria Aparecida, Maria Jose, and plain Maria. The plain Maria can be seen as unimportant because Rodrigo did not mention her last name. In the bible there is Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, a very devoted follower of Jesus, and Mary of Clopas, mother of James and Joseph. According to the Bible, these Marys always walked with Jesus and were present at his Crucifixion. Maria de Penha represents Maria of Clopas (“de” in portuguese translates to “of”), Maria Jose is the Virgin Mary because “Jose” in portuguese is “Jesus” and Mary gave birth to Jesus, and Maria Aparecida is Mary Magdalene. The Marias represent Macabea’s followers because much like Jesus Christ, Macabea can be seen as spiritually content. Rodrigo stated that, “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 shows that Macabea may not be rich but she is wealthy in terms of inner life and grace. In some ways Macabea is much like God. Another biblical reference comes on page 37, when Macabea is listening to Radio Clock, she hears the message: “repent in Christ and He will give you great joy”. This verse is similar to that of Luke 15:7, which says, “I tell you that in the same there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninetynine righteous persons who do not need to repent”. When someone repents, you are confessing your sins, Macabea did not know what she was repenting for but because it supposedly will give her joy, she does it anyways, which shows how naive she is. Towards the end of the novel, Rodrigo writes “Macabea, Hail Mary, full of grace, serene land of promise, land of forgiveness, the time must come, ora pro nobis” (Lispector 82). The prayer, “Hail Mary”, is said to ask for help from Mary. Rodrigo uses this quote to describe Macabea as if he is asking her for help. The line “Hail Mary”, is God greeting her through one of his angels, while “full of grace”, refers to the way Mary rejoices in God. This describes Macabea because she believes that there is a God and recites the Hail Mary and Are Father frequently. The land of promise and forgiveness is not a part of the prayer, however, people use this prayer to ask for forgiveness and in turn, Mary “promises” to help her followers. This relates to Rodrigo because he wishes to possess the same sanctity as Macabea (Lispector 39) and by comparing her to Mary, it’s like he is asking her to help him. Another allusion to the bible is when Rodrigo writes, “I want to be both pig and hen” (Lispector 70). In the bible, John tells the story of “The Little Red Hen”, who lives with a pig, duck, and a cat. 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. This is seen as a sin and thus, Rodrigo can not be spiritually enlightened. The last reference to the bible 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 Carlota 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.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, “The Hour of Star”, Clarice uses several biblical references throughout the novel. When talking about this young girl, one of the roommates (Plain Maria), Rodrigo tells how she was very impressionable and would do anything others said. She was so impressionable that he aunt tol dher that eggs are bad for her liver and when she ate the eggs, she felt her liver hurt. This girl believed in those who existed and those who didn’t but she always struggled with reality. It can be seen that Rodrigo doesn’t believe in a god when he says, “But she didn’t know how to embellish reality. For her, reality meant nothing to her. Nor to me, dear God” (Lispector 33). Rodrigo is saying that God means as much to him as reality means to this girl, which isn’t at all. On the next page, he also goes on to talk about, “She prayed but without God. She did not know Him, therefore he did not exist” (Lispector 34). However, on the last page, Rodrigo had talked about how Maria believed in everything non- existent and existent but struggled with reality. It contradicts what he just said unless he was getting at the fact that God is a reality because she fails to see him and she struggles with reality. Rodrigo says things that suggest he doesn’t believe in God, to the idea that God is a reality, a concept people struggle with, now on to the idea that, “Later I shall probably return to the unnamed sensations, perhaps even the sensations of God Himself” (Lispector 47). Rodrigo is constantly contradicting himself of several ideas throughout the book and God is one of them. I think the reason he makes so many references of God is to do two things; Poke fun at what he doesn’t understand about God, and well as trying to figure out his faith. I think some of the references he makes to God is just to make fun of the way people idealize him. God is a man that no one has ever met, nor seen, but people give so much faith into him. I think that Rodrigo is trying to connect with the idea that everyone else has connected to but contradicting everything he says just to get all ideas and possibilities out.
Within the first couple chapters of this novel, the reader could see that Rodrigo had a very insulting view of Macabea. At the beginning of the book, Rodrigo writes, “there are thousands of girls like this girl from the Northeast 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 are superfluous and that nobody cares a damn about their existence” (Lispector 14). Even though, Rodrigo sounds insulting, he actually makes a very valid point about the fact that there are many Macabea’s in Brazil and yet no one cares enough to help them. This quote seems to set up how Rodrigo is going to inform the reader about the lower class’s treatment. Later on the same page, he writes, “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.It strikes me that I don’t need her either” (Lispector 14). Rodrigo, being from a higher class, shows the reader that Macabea is unwanted because she is poor. He also describes her as being a “harmless virgin”, which means that he sees her as a naive and inexperienced child, who cannot fend for themselves. This also dehumanizes Macabea because Rodrigo implies that women are only good for their bodies and without them, a woman is nothing. A couple pages later, Rodrigo insults Macabea by saying that, “like some vagrant bitch she was guided entirely by her own remote control” (Lispector 18). The word “vagrant” refers to someone without a home or work who wanders from place to place. In this quote, Rodrigo uses a very negative tone but at the same time he seems to be jealous of Macabea. Since Rodrigo is from a higher class, he must act in a dignified manner in order to keep up a good image, meanwhile those of a lower class are already seen negatively, so they have no one to impress. Another moment when Rodrigo insults Macabea is after Olimpico left her, he writes, “besides, what else could she do? She was a lost cause. And even sadness was the privilege of the rich, of those who could afford it, of those who had nothing better to do. Sadness was a luxury” (Lispector 61). Rodrigo is telling the reader that Macabea has no choice but to carry on without Olimpico because she literally cannot afford to take time off work and sulk in her sadness, whereas the rich are able to stay home and mend their broken heart. Rodrigo also uses Gloria’s character as a FOIL to dehumanize Macabea. Gloria was the “embodiment of vigorous existence” (Lispector 61), whereas Macabea is meager, fragile, and deprived. Macabea accepts life as it happens to her, while Gloria is able to makes things happen. Gloria is very conscious of her image, meanwhile Macabea never thinks about herself. By using these two contrasting characters, Rodrigo is showing the differences between being poor/rich. Lastly, Rodrigo uses Olimpico as another example of how the lower class treats their own “kind”. Olimpico works a metal worker, making him the same social status as Macabea, however, he tries very hard to separate himself from that status. He has “saved week after week to earn enough money to have a...false tooth in glittering gold”, this gives him a higher standing in society (Lispector 45). Olimpico also insults Macabea many times throughout their relationship. He insults her singing, describing it as “a deaf-mute trying to sing” and comparing it to a “broken reed” (Lispector 51). By using Olimpico’s character, Rodrigo shows how lower class citizens are ashamed by their status that they change their personality and insult their kind in order to disassociate themselves from their class.
ReplyDelete1. "details that laboriously stem from me only to return to me; the craft of carpentry" (14).
ReplyDeleteA carpenter is a person who makes or repairs a wooden structure. Man was cast out of God’s presence because of Adam and Eve’s transgressions. In the bible, Jesus Christ is the carpenter sent to the world to preach, testify, and ultimately atone for the sins of all mankind. The role of a carpenter is a symbol for the role of Christ. He came to give life a purpose. Similarly, Rodrigo says this story is his carpentry. By writing Macabéa’s story, he is giving her and her life a purpose.
2. "Who was she asking? God? She didn't think about God, God didn't think about her” (18).
Rodrigo emphasizes Macabéa’s simplicity and unimportance in the world. God is loving, give his attention to all, and helps all, yet he does none of this for Macabéa. Rodrigo tells of how she is invisible to the world and to God which stresses the lack of hope of her situation. She also lacks an important role in the world around her. She is stuck in her situation because she is not worth anyone’s attention.
3. "Most of the time she had without realizing it the void that fills the souls of saints. Was she a saint? So it seems” (29).
A saint is someone regarded as holy and virtuous, typically after death. Saints are important in Christianity and Catholicism. By comparing Macabéa to and labeling her a saint, Lispector is showing that saints can come from any situation. Macabéa’s sainthood is a result of her situation. This is because she suffers through her situation with innocence and (supposed) happiness.
4."As I said before, she had no guardian angel" (62).
Guardian angels are known to be protective figures that help watch over mankind. Stating that Macabéa does not have a guardian angel further isolates her. Earlier Lispector states that even God does not pay attention to Macabéa. Macabéa’s life is lonely. Her lack of importance is shown when Lispector says that even guardian angels and God does not watch over her. Macabéa does not seem to care that she has nobody, which can be seen as strength. However, it seems to be more ignorance because of how she is characterized.
5. "The brothel used to smell like the inside of a church. And people were decent and very devout" (74).
Madame Carlota describes her brothel as smelling like a church, which is contradictory and ironic. This is because a church is thought of as safe, holy, and pure. She makes her brothel seem like a safe, holy, and pure by comparing it to the smell of a church when the business conducted there is the opposite. She is attempting to glorify her work and show that she is important and good. This is done to maintain her social status. Macabéa does not care about her social status. This makes her appear even more simple. Throughout the novel Rodrigo places a certain importance on simplicity. By continuously characterizing Macabéa as simple, she is given a certain importance and relevance to the reader.
Okay well apparently my blog post has too many characters in it for me to post it so I'm going to post it in two parts.
ReplyDeletePart 1
In The Hour of the Star, Lispector repeatedly alludes to The Bible.
1. “Don’t be frightened, my pet. Anyone at my side is also at the side of Jesus” (Lispector 72).
This quote shows the protection and safety Jesus brings with him. Jesus is seen as a universal holy figure in Christianity, and offers safety to his followers. It is common for people who follow Jesus to feel safe in his presence, and look to him for guidance and protection. In this situation, Madame Carlota is reassuring Macabea that she is completely safe by telling her Jesus is looking out for her. I think this fits the novel as a whole because shortly after Macabea leaves, she is hit and killed by a car. In this case, Jesus did not offer his protection, which I find a little ironic considering Madame Carlota just told Macabea she was safe.
2. “Madame Carlota pointed at the coloured print on the wall which represented the Sacred Heart of Jesus in red and gold” (Lispector 72).
This quote is just after the previously mentioned allusion, but seems to have a little bit of a different meaning. The devotion of the sacred heart is a special way of devoting oneself to Jesus in the Catholic religion. This devotion is when one lives their life completely for Jesus, and accepts his love. Shortly after this quote, Madame Carlota describes how Jesus helped her throughout her life, and she is mad for him. I think this painting shows how she has this devotion of the sacred heart. In terms of Macabea, I think this may be a hint that she has not devoted herself enough to Jesus in order to get the help she needs. Though she prays often, she is still poor and suffering. I think Macabea needs this complete devotion in order to reach Jesus’ guidance.
Part 2
ReplyDelete3. “Should God descend on earth one day there would be a great silence” (Lispector 85).
It is believed in Christianity that one day God will return to Earth. This day is called “The Rapture.” I think Rodrigo states there will be a great silence upon God’s return because it seems as though no one can acknowledge the greatness in every human being. Before his statement about the rapture, Rodrigo says, “The greatness of every human being. Silence” (Lispector 85). I think the repetition of silence emphasizes that these two these will go unnoticed. This goes along with how no one saw the good in Macabea, not even Rodrigo. All he did was talk down on Macabea, and never once saw something good in her. I think he was trying to say how the greatness of every human being goes unnoticed, just like God’s descent to Earth will go unnoticed due to the unability for humans to acknowledge each other's greatness.
4. “God is the world. The truth is always some inner power without explanation” (Lispector 12).
This quote is at the very beginning of this book, when Rodrigo is introducing his existentialist qualities. I think this quote means that God is everything. God is the world, he is everything, he controls everything, and everything revolves around him. As a human, the world is everything we have and know. If God is the world, he becomes everything. When Rodrigo says the truth comes from an inner power, I think he is referring to God as that unexplainable power. This reminds me of the ideas of fate and destiny. God is in control of our lives, and because of this, we have our own fate and destiny. This relates to Macabea because no matter what she does, she is poor and struggling.
5. “Meantime, I want to walk naked or in rags; I want to experience at least once the insipid flavor of the Host. To eat communion bread will be to taste the world’s indifference, and to immerse myself in nothingness.” (19)
This quote is an allusion to the Christian practice of communion. During communion people eat a cracker, or piece of bread, and drink wine in order to honor Jesus Christ. This symbolizes Christ’s body and blood. It is a way to celebrate Jesus and honor everything he has done for us. When Rodrigo talks about the world’s indifference, and his nothingness, it shows that communion means nothing to him, nor does it mean much to anyone else. He says the bread will taste of indifference, which I think means he has no intentions of honoring Jesus, because he means nothing to him. He also says he will eat the communion bread to immerse himself in nothingness, which again means he does not care for the true intentions of communion. I think this goes along with Rodrigo’s constant contradictions because at one point he seems to follow Jesus, and honor him, and then he contradicts this completely.
In The Hour of the Star, Lispector uses many biblical references to depict how Rodrigo is thinking and the beliefs of the characters. At the beginning of the novel, Rodrigo is explaining how the world came to be and states that, “God is the world. The truth is always some inner power without explanation” (12). By this we get the impression that Rodrigo believes there to be a cosmic power that created the earth and that nothing so complex could have happened just by chance, that it had a purpose. Also, by saying God is the world, it shows that there is nowhere or no thought that could have existed without some power greater than ourselves.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a few passages later Rodrigo seems to be directly contrasting his earlier opinion by saying that he too is, “a man of hosannas,” which references the triumphal entry of Christ when everyone was singing praises to him (19). This is essentially Him saying that he is on the same level as Christ and that he would then possess the powers of creation just like Christ. He is using a biblical reference to put himself to a level of an almost holy writer and untouchable by anyone.
Later in the passage he states that he, “want[s] to walk naked or in rags” (19). This shows either that he is in morning according to biblical norms or could be mocking Adam and Eve in the garden. The first would be a self mourning for all of the troubles in writing his book, as well as having to live through the experiences of Macabea. This shows that he is very committed to this novel and will even cause himself discomfort to discover what he wants. However, this could also be due to the fact that he was referencing Adam while he was in the garden. This shows him in a perfect state with no sin or condemnation. Rodrigo is trying also to take the blame off of himself for exposing all of the evil in the world by simply denying he had anything to do with it.
Macabea also questions the reality of God and how he relates to herself. She is seen to have, “-questioning eyes. Whom was she questioning? God? She did not think about God, nor did God think about her” (26). Rodrigo through this is also dehumanizing her, saying that God doesn’t think about her. Also, this gives us more insight on Macabea and how she believes that there is no God and that her life is in the end meaningless. This is shown in the rest of the novel and through many other existentialist novels.
The last biblical reference I’ll analyze is towards the end when Rodrigo is finishing his novel and seeing how attached he has become to Macabea. He writes that, “sin tempts me, forbidden pleasures lure me” (70). He then goes on to sexually talk about Macabea and this leads the reader to assume that through his discovery, he has found what he thinks to be an uncontrollable desire for something he once thought to be detestable. Also, the forbidden pleasures may also relate back to the seven deadly sins and their consequences. All of these references bring us readers closer to what Rodrigo thinks of life and decisions and how what is wrong with the world responds to that.
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ReplyDeleteRodrigo dehumanizes Macabéa to emphasize the importance of one’s social class. It emphasizes this because Macabéa is portrayed as lowly and almost invisible to the world around her. The fortune teller, Madame Carlota, says “Listen, pet” (Lispector 77). Here pet is obviously referring to Macabéa, which degrades her value by making her appear as one of Madame Carlota’s animals. Rodrigo has a tendency to be very cold to Macabéa. When he describes her, he often uses negative diction and a slightly condescending tone. He says, “Yes, I adore Macabéa, my darling Maca. I adore her ugliness and her total anonymity for she belongs to no one. I adore her for her weak lungs and her under-nourished body," (68). At first, it appears that he may actually be complimenting her until he begins to speak about why he adores her. Naturally, humans are attracted to beauty. Rodrigo is going against this by saying he adores all the faults and undesirable things about Macabéa. In a way, this statement appears cruel because he confronts the reader with Macabéa’s faults and though he has accepted them and seems to feel no pity for her, the readers have difficulty accepting her this way without pity. Again, Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabéa when he says “For now Macabéa was nothing but a vague feeling on the dirty cobble stones"(74). He continuously degrades her value by comparing her to inhuman things with little value. Vague feelings are the indistinct nature of characters as feelings. He diminishes her personal worth here by basically saying that she is an indistinct nature or feeling that is on the cobble stones. He also shows that other characters in the novel are just as cruel to her throughout her life because nobody takes notice of her dire situation. “Some people appeared from nowhere in the cul-de-sac and gathered round Macabéa. They just stood there doing nothing just as people had always done nothing to help her” they see that she is badly injured and may not survive if immediate help is not offered, yet nobody calls the police or helps her in any way (81). In a way, this could be how Rodrigo would react to the situation if he had actually been there when it happened. It, again, emphasizes how unimportant Macabéa is to the world and life. Hardly anybody in the novel willingly gives her attention. Even after some time Rodrigo wishes to stop giving her his attention. This is when he says, “I'm going to do everything I can to keep her from dying. But what an urge to put her to sleep and go off to bed myself" (71). This statement conveys that she is not worth anyone’s attention, especially since the narrator of the story is even losing interest in her. It is almost as if telling the readers not to waste time thinking of Macabéa, that once she is gone, life will go on as normal for everyone because her life did not leave any impact on even a single person. This is shown when Rodrigo ends the novel with, "Don't forget in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries. Yes” (86). Rodrigo has seemingly forgotten about the terrible life and death of Macabéa and its meaning even though he discussing the deeper meaning of it only a few lines earlier. Rodrigo constantly dehumanizes Macabéa to emphasize her lack of importance and the social classes of that time.
ReplyDeleteIn The Hour of the Star, Clarice Lispector repeatedly dehumanizes Macabea’s character through Rodrigo’s telling of her story. First Rodrigo says, “The girl didn’t know that she existed, just as a dog doesn’t know that it’s a dog,”(27). This is a way Rodrigo dehumanizes Macabea because he compares her to a dog. He states that Macabea is dumb and oblivious. Again comparing her to a dog, “It’s as good as saying that a healthy dog is worth more” (Lispector 35). Rodrigo finds Macabea completely and utterly useless and worthless. He compares her to a dog, saying she is worth less than a dog. This is clearly dehumanizing, because he sees her value less than a non human animal. Rodrigo again, “Macabea was undeniably a primitive creature” (46). The use of the word “creature” humanizes Macabea once again. She is no longer a human, or person, but now a creature. The word creature has an ill and dark feeling linked with it, and is definitely not a positive way to describe someone. Lispector writes, “Macabea had ovaries as shrivelled as overcooked mushrooms” (58). This statement by Rodrigo emphasizes his excessive dehumanization of Macabea. Comparing a woman’s ovaries to something shrivelled is an awful comparison. This can be seen as humanizing also because it infers that she won’t be having children, or men won’t want to have children with her. I think this is dehumanizing because Rodrigo seems to almost be taking this privilege away from Macabea by saying her ovaries are like overcooked mushrooms. Rodrigo continues, “How could there be so much sensuality in a body as withered as hers” (60). Rodrigo thinks Macabea has a withered body, and has no right to be sensual. He thinks that since she looks the way she does, she should not have so much sensuality. This is dehumanizing because he thinks she is so worthless she cannot feel pleasure. Lastly Lispector writes, “She was a lost cause. And even sadness was the privilege of the rich” (61). This is another dehumanizing moment because the narrator says Macabea is a lost cause. This means she is worthless, and without purpose. He also says sadness was a privilege for the rich, which is another way to look down on poor Macabea, whose happiness must be because she cannot afford to be rich.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, “The Hour of the Star”, Lispector (Rodrigo), is constantly saying demeaning things about Macabea or another character in the story is. This can be seen when Olimpico is talking to Macabea and says, “This won't sink in, but I’m going to tell you something. A chap can still get a woman on the cheap. You’ve only cost me a coffee so far. That’s your lot. I won’t be wasting any more money buying you things. Is that clear?” (Lispector 55). Olimpico tells her that men can still get girls for cheap, not having to spend a lot of money on a girl to keep her. He tells Macabea that he has already bought her a coffee and she likes him, so there is nothing further that he will buy for her. He feels as if he has already won her and he doesn't’ have to try and well and thinking that she doesn’t deserve to have money spent on her. Rodrigo then later insults her later on when he is for sure with Gloria by saying, “-Macabea, you’re like a hair in one’s soup. It’s enough to make anyone lose their appetite”(Lispector 60). Olimpico tells her that she is enough to make anyone sick which also implies that she wasn’t enough to make him happy, and that is the reason that he is moving on. It can also be seen that Rodrigo doesn’t think highly of her either, “In the meantime, his affair with Macabea waned into a lukewarm routine” (Lispector 59). Rodrigo says that Olimpico no longer has any interest in Macabea, he is just going through the motions. He keeps her around until he knows that Gloria will for sure be his, so Macabea is just his backup. By saying that the routine is lukewarm suggest that Macabea really in truly means nothing to Olimpico. It can also be seen that Rodrigo doesn’t care about Macabea when he ends the story with, “Don’t forget in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries” (Lispector 86). By saying this, it shows that Rodrigo doesn’t care about Macabea. By telling people not to forget that is is strawberry season shows that he is telling people not to forget about the strawberries because they are more important than Macabea’s life. Earlier in the book, Rodrigo expresses how when talking about Olimpico and Macabea, “He had more strength than Macabea, whose guardian angel deserted her” (Lispector 47). By saying this, he is saying that everyone has abandoned Macabea because there is no hope for her. That even her guardian angel has left because she didn’t have any purpose. Lastly, Rodrigo completely diminishes any thread of dignity Macabea may have had, “The girl didn’t know that she existed, just as a dog doesn’t know it's a dog” (Lispector 27). This quote shows that Macabea doesn't have any intelligence whatsoever. He compares her to a dog and says that she doesn’t know that she even exists because no one ackonawldeges her. Macabea is worthless.
ReplyDeleteMacebéa is very objectified by Rodrigo throughout the novel. It is as though he has created her to embody all that is wrong with the world. Lispector portrays him as an author, simply writing a novel to find what life is and how he can better understand it. In the last half of the novel, Rodrigo knows her more, so he is able to better portray her as meaningless and as if she should not exist. He does this by dehumanizing her and putting himself above the situation.
ReplyDeleteHe mocks her after she has gone to the doctors saying, “I adore her ugliness and her total anonymity for she belongs to no one...for her weak lungs” (68). He depicts her as weak and really dumbs her down making her seem as though she does not fit in with the world. Also, when he says she belongs to no one, he is essentially saying she is useless. Her only need is herself and that is all that matters in her life because the rest is pointless. Also, Rodrigo seems to read into the thoughts of Macebéa, writing about what she was thinking of. When Carlota mentions, “How awful,” her life must be, Macebéa responds in an unusual way. When she heard this she, “turned pale,” for, “it had never occurred to her that her life was so awful” (75). Rodrigo add this thought to show how naive she was and how she really couldn’t see past herself to the fact that she was unequipped for this world and that she would never fit into their ways of life.
Rodrigo also deteriorates her by making unnecessary comments on the appearance of her body, he says how she should, “stuff some cotton-wool into [her] bra to give the impression that [she’s] got some shape” (77). Although this is Carlota who is supposedly speaking, we can see how both her for saying it, and Rodrigo for either hearing it or making it up, how he degrades her. Also a term he uses to name her is “my pet,” (77) showing how he does not see her as a human but simply someone who he can move around such as a pawn. As well as pet, he calls her, “a creature,” who is meagre and simply a, “dismantled wax dummy” (80). This is some serious objectivity, depicting her as now something lifeless and useless. A dummy can be used as a sort of rough draft, so by calling her this he is saying she can be messed up and no one will care in the least. As well as this, it is dismantled, so it really is no longer of any use.
When Macebéa is killed, Rigo says that, “some people appeared from nowhere,” and, “just stood there doing nothing just as people had always done nothing to help her” (81). That is actually really depressing, kinda like the Genovisi thing where people didn’t want to get involved with something they saw as messy or displeasing. This ultimately objectifies her because she is now dead and only something for uncaring people to look at. This last statement of Rodrigo’s show her ultimate death and that people who once were not caring now care for something even a little. Demonstrating through this that death is more worth caring about than a meaningless life.
ReplyDeleteThe Hour of the Star is characterized to be written as an experimental novel. The reader can see these experimental ideology through the thirteen titles at the very beginning of the novel. Similarly to the plot of the story, which offers many question with no answers, Lispector refuses to settle on one title. Each of these titles represent a message that Rodrigo/Lispector want the reader to know. For example, “The Right to Protest”, which includes Clarice’s signature at the bottom. The fact that her signature is at the bottom shows that this is something that the author wanted to say from her own perspective. She writes, “for one has the right to shout. So, I am shouting” (Lispector 13-14). Lispector may be trying to speak for all the Macabea’s of Rio and this is her call to protest. It could also be her way of shining a light on the poor, so that society will see them and pay attention. This is an example of an experimental novel because Lispector, the author, is subtly writing in her own opinions and by having thirteen different titles she is being a non-traditional writer. Another characteristic of an experimental novel is that often times authors will play with the syntax and punctuation in very innovative ways. Rodrigo writes, “Macabea ask for pardon? One must always ask. Why? Reply: it is so because it is so. Was it always so? It will always be so. And if it were not so? But I am saying that it is so. Very well.” (Lispector 82). This use of syntax is different from the rest of the book because when the main characters of Rodrigo’s story speak to each other, he uses a “-”, whereas in this quote he writes a conversation all in one paragraph. Rodrigo may use this to show that he is having a conversation with Macabea and because he is not a character in his own story he is trying to use a different format. Also the fact that an experimental novel has an “anti-hero” is also present in The Hour of the Star. In this novel Rodrigo, can be seen as the protagonist because he is attempting to write a story about the way poverty is seen by society. In order to do to make his point, Rodrigo must come across as very harsh, he writes that, “nobody desires her (Macabea)” (Lispector 14) and that she has clung to his skin like a “vicious glue or contaminating mud” (Lispector 21). Rodrigo uses this negative tone because he represents the upper class’s views of the poor and he can not help himself from being rude to Macabea. Lastly, another characteristic of an existential novel is that authors may choose to leave large white spaces between paragraphs in an attempt to be more creative. An example of this is seen on pages 84 and 85. The short paragraph at the bottom of page 84, is very dark and heavy. It talks about death and being betrayed and how “the Prince of Darkness has triumphed”, while the paragraph on page 85 is very light in that it talks about God and compares Macabea to air. This stylistic choice may have been a way to contradict the various perspectives of death that Rodrigo or Clarice may have.
1. “The person I’m going to talk about is so dumb that she sometimes smiles at other people on the street. Nobody smiles back at her because they do not even look at her” (7).
ReplyDeleteThis quote supports the idea that “The Hour of the Star” is an experimental novel. Macabéa is portrayed as a very pitiful, below average character, yet is the center of the novel. It does not necessarily make her unlikeable, which is one aspect of an experimental novel. It also portrays that she is unaware of her class and place in society. She is plain and goes unseen by society, yet she acts as if she has not idea of her exclusion.
2. “First of all, I must make it clear that this girl does not know herself apart from the fact that she goes on living aimlessly” (15).
Again, Rodrigo is addressing the social classes of that time period and location. Macabéa differs from the average main character of a novel. This is because the typical protagonist has a challenge to overcome or a purpose, but Macabéa’s purpose in the novel is not clear until the further analysis is done. Also, she does not amount to much in the novel. In fact, if anything her situation is worsened throughout the novel. There is no happy ending as expected. Macabéa is a character that easily enters and exits the story even though she is the protagonist. Her aimlessness is slightly unrelatable because majority of the human population has even a small idea of who they are and what their situation is.
3. "instead of lipstick it looked like thick blood had spurted from her lips from a tooth-breaking flesh-busting sock in the mouth (small explosion)" (53).
Lispector intentionally emphasizes Macabéa’s flaws to make her appear more realistic. The typical novel protagonist has flaws, but they are glossed over and when these flaws are emphasized the plot line addresses these flaws and fine tunes them. In this quote Lispector uses violent diction to emphasize these flaws. She does not attempt to hide them from the reader. This description of Macabéa also elicits pity because it almost seems as if she can do nothing right in Lispector’s eyes. She even messes up on something as simple as putting on lipstick.
4. "Let no one be mistaken. I only achieve simplicity with enormous effort" (11).
Rodrigo constantly stresses how ordinary and simple he and the novel are. An experimental novel emphasizes the “ordinariness or less than ordinariness” of a character. He poses many philosophical questions that cause the reader to contemplate them, ultimately finding complex answers and meanings to them. He manages to find simple answers and explanations to his own questions, which can confuse the readers. This aspect of not dwelling on deep, philosophical questions and deep, philosophical answers is contrary to typical contemporary writers, which is what makes this novel experimental and the characters ordinary. Macabéa also has the tendency to answer questions asked to and about her with simplicity and ignorance.
An experimental novel is one that is not average. It is different from all the other books you have probably read. One thing that makes experimental novels so unique is the extreme confusion. Usually there are lots of contradictions in the book, and unanswered questions. Experimental novels also are written in a stream of conscious style. Instead of the story being the main focus, the process of writing the story becomes more important. Along with this, experimental novels tend to not start at the beginning. They aren’t normally set up like a typical novel in terms of organization. The Hour of the Star possess many qualities of an experimental novel. First, the narrator repeatedly contradicts himself, which is a trait of experimental literature. Lispector writes, “Everything in the world began with a yes” (11). Next she writes, “I do not know why, but I do know that the universe never began” (11). First Rodrigo thinks yes started the universe, shortly after he says there never was a start. This is completely contradicting. These contradictions start the book off with a huge amount of confusion, common in experimental literature. Another example of The Hour of the Star being an experimental novel is Rodrigo’s stream of conscious. Almost his entire narration seems to be a stream of conscious. Lispector writes, “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?” (11). The very beginning of this novel Rodrigo talks like this a lot. He jumps from idea to idea without a clear transition. It’s like he is just writing everything that comes to mind. This is another characteristic of an experimental novel. Similarly, The Hour of the Star can be seen as an experimental novel because the narrator is so involved in the book. He doesn’t just tell the story, but he acts as if he’s a main character of the story. Lispector writes, Olimpico concerned himself with important things but Macabea only noticed unimportant things such as herself” (51). Here Rodrigo is getting involved with Macabea’s story by dehumanizing her. He repeatedly adds his opinion, even when it isn’t relevant. In most novels, the narrator just tells the story and isn’t really a main character. This novel is completely different in the way that Rodrigo’s entire stream of conscious makes up the book, and he acts like a main character. It feels like this novel is really about Rodrigo telling it versus Macabea. Lastly, The Hour of the Star can be seen as an experimental novel because there is no obvious theme or meaning to the book. This book is extremely difficult to understand, and to most seems to have no meaning. I do not have a quote to support this, but the entire novel as a whole can. There is no obvious theme or meaning to this book because we aren’t really sure what the main story line is. Is it Macabea’s story? Or could it be Rodrigo telling the story? You could argue both sides of this, which can make this book experimental. There are several symbols in this book, stars, darkness, fruit, etc., but no clear theme. Most books have a theme you can figure out pretty easily, but this is not the case.
ReplyDeleteThe Hour of the Star is characterized as an experimental novel in many ways. ONe of these characteristics is that the narrator is not very trustworthy. He often contradicts himself in his work and show an event in different lights. When Rigo is talking about how one should perceive life, he depicts a situation, ‘that [he] just struggle like someone drowning, even if [he] should perish in the end” (81). This shows how even if life is not going the way you planned, you should put every effort into something that you are passionate about. Also that one is going to drown and he knows that about life, but one has to make the conscious choice to keep living this life. Directly contrasting this on just the next page, Rigo shows Macabéa is asking for her life and meaning in that and how he responds to this opposed to the previous page. He says that, “it will always be so. And if it were not so? But I am saying that it is so. Very well” (82). Not only does Rigo say that it is just a fact of life that one will die, but that he simply dismisses anything that remotely contradicts this. By adding ‘very well’ it shows the fact that one can just give up on life and that that is the course and there is no use trying to do anything about it. By using contradiction, there is an amount of trust that is lost in the reader about Rodrigo. The reader can never truly be sure if what he is saying is true and if that is what he believes.
ReplyDeleteAn experimental novel also has different ways of portraying talking. Sometimes Lispector uses ‘he’ or ‘she’ while other times she uses a dash to symbolize that people are talking. I think that no quotations are used to symbolize that the conversations are approximately what happend, but may not be the exact words used. Also, when they use the ‘he’ or ‘she’ (48) Lispector adds this to show contrast between Macabéa and Olimpico. When he states, “You’re a dead loss” and she accepts this, it show the dominance of a male figure in her life (48). This is used in an experimental novel to also must contrast with other styles which just label the people with their names. With this labeling, there are gender roles being looked at and how they individually relate to each other as male and female persons.
Another example of the experimental novel is the narrator interjecting into the novel that he is writing, he does this very often and almost gives his commentary along with it. Some Of the time it is useful but in other situations it feels like the information is irrelevant to the actual plot of the story. However, there really is no plot to an experimental novel, it is simply about the exploration of something and writing it how one wants and not caring about what the limits of writing should entail. When Rodrigo interjects that, “(It’s as good as saying that a healthy dog is worth more),” he is not only adding this in for comparison, but also to degrade Macabéa(35). This statement could have easily been left out because for the last paragraph he has been talking about how she does not fit in, but the audacity of Rodrigo is clearly portrayed in this, showing how he will go beyond just degrading to a point of calling her worse than a dog.
The Hour of the Star is an experimental novel due to the fact that it is not a traditional novel. Author’s usually write books to attract the attention of the reader by writing things they would like, Lispector doesn’t do this, “ I want my story to be cold and impartial. Unlike the reader, I reserve the right to be devastatingly cold, for this is not simply a narrative, but above all primary life that breathes, breathes, breathes” (Lispector 15). Lispector writes the story with a narrator named Rodrigo. Rodrigo wants to tell the story the way it happened regardless fi there is a happy ending or not and regardless of whether he offends the reader. He wants to voice his story for himself rather than the reader and this is different from how other authors would write a novel. Unlike other novels, the narrator is a character in the story rather than just telling it. He announces everything that he has done to prepare to tell this story, “ I should also mention that I read nothing these days for fear that I might adulterate the simplicity of my language with useless refinements” (Lispector 22). Most narrators do not include in the writing how they began to write the story or how they prepared for it. They also do not include their own life experiences, as well as be a character in the story. Lispector also doesn’t use traditional punctuation marks. On, (Lispector 43). There is a conversation there is a conversation between Macabea and Olimpico. Rather than using quotation marks, Lispector uses dashes to symbolize the change in who is speaking. Lastly, Lispector ends the novel without addressing the ending, “Don’t forget in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries” (Lispector 86). In the end of the novel, she has Mayabeque getting hit by a yellow Mercedes and slowly dying. She says that people surrendered her and gave her the existence that she never had while she was alive and made her feel like a person. That when she was laying on the ground dying, she actually felt like a person with a future. However, Lispector never addresses the death, she goes on to change the subject to something that has no relevance to the novel, completely taking away from the ending. What makes it an experimental novel is the fact that is doesn’t follow traditional rules.
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Nathan Maisonville
In my passage, the narrator provides exposition that characterizes him greatly. He reveals that, before Macabea came into his life, he was “contented” with his profession despite not having significant success. He goes on to display a spark of ambition, stating that “the idea of transcending my own limits suddenly appealed to me”. This shows that he is not truly completely satisfied with the state he was in prior to Macabea. An explanation for this dissatisfaction could be that the stagnation he was experiencing blinded him from aspiring to transcend. Another notable device used by Lispector was simile. Simile can be an extremely powerful tool of writing, as it allows for the author to connect and compare two ideas together while, at the same time, providing visuals for readers. The passage holds a total of seven different similes, each holding a meaning that causes the text to be deeper and more potent. To me, the simile with the most value was the one where the narrator compares the memory of sex to be “like a tattoo”. This simile also assists in characterizing the author as it shows that he has an aspect to him that is sentimental in a sense. It seems as though he fights the sentiment he possesses, however, as he is worried that it will influence his text and cause it to sound “mushy”.
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Nathan Maisonville
3. Was Macabéa happy? Are we meant to feel sorry for her? If she is self-content, is she so pitiful after all?
Contented =/= happy. I believe that Macabea was satisfied with life, but not necessarily happy. Macabea was merely making the best out of the cards she was dealt. She doesn’t pity herself because she had never experienced or longed for the finer things in life that others might seek. Rather than pursuing these, she makes due with what she has and lives her life. I feel like it’s somewhat ironic that the only people that feel bad for her are those on the outside looking in on her life, rather than her herself, who is the one living the life.
11. Is Rodrigo the protagonist of this novel? Or is it Macabéa?
I don’t believe there is a true protagonist to the story. This trait could be one of the many different aspects that make this story experimental. The reason I think that there is no one main character to this story is because Macabea and Rodrigo give each other purpose. Without Rodrigo, no one would be there to tell Macabea’s story. On the other hand, without Macabea, Rodrigo would not have anything to write about/narrate. Neither character fully steps into the spotlight in the story, but both are discussed extremely heavily. Their relationship is almost harmonious and is a good depiction of balance.
1. What was Lispector’s purpose for writing the novel? What is the theme?
Lispector’s reasoning for creating the Hour of the Star was likely because she wanted to elaborate her perspective on life and ideals while she was dying. There are subtle hints throughout the book that imply that Lispector may have known she was dying, but never directly lead to it. The book is written in a “stream of consciousness” format, allowing readers to clearly see the thoughts of the author in many different sections. It could also be possible that Lispector was using Rodrigo as a vessel for her thoughts and wrote the character with her own set of opinions in mind. The theme of the story, in my eyes, was that people tend to want too much, yet feel too little. This theme correlates with the behavior of Rodrigo, as he tends to over-complicate things, even when trying to achieve simplicity.
Had to copy and paste these from my docs, sorry for putting it off until the last minute. :/
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Nathan Maisonville
The Hour of the Star possesses many traits that categorize it as an experimental novel. Firstly, the “author” (aka the narrator) tends to flip-flop on his own words. One moment Rodrigo is saying he wants to make the story unbiased and simplistic, the next he’s overcomplicating things. The concept of reading a book that is, at the same time being written by someone is quite ambitious as well, in the sense that it is not a normal way to tell a story. Because Lispector is somewhat reflected in the character of Rodrigo, this indecisive mentality is seen in other areas of the story, such as the title. There is a number of alternate titles for the story, though the designated one is on the cover. These alternative options sum up the jumbled nature of Lispector and provide another reason for why the story falls outside of the lines of a traditional novel. The overall structure of the story has a feeling of hecticness to it as well, correlating once again with the recurring disarray of the story and differing from the norms of writing. Another trait of experimental novels is the presence of an anti hero. Although I can not see a clear-cut anti hero in the story, Rodrigo’s blunt writing style and sometimes inhuman way of speaking may cause readers to consider him as an anti hero. Though he does have some anti hero traits, I don’t feel as though Rodrigo can be defined as a complete anti hero, making the presence of an anti hero in HOTS uncertain.