Wednesday, May 25, 2011
2: The Tres Marias
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26 comments:
This chapter I thought was very informative on who Esteban Trueba was and what his family was like. The scene of him buying his Viennese coffee was funny to me just to imagine a young child look so tantalizingly at a dessert just to have the glass crack and all the contents spill onto him. The sister was right when she said, "That's what you get for spending Mama's medicine money on your private little whims. God punished you" (43). He should have put either all of the money towards his mother's care or at least most of it. I now understand why he wants to stay away from his home because of this chapter. I also liked that he helped the little village of Tres Marias become a better place than it was. I wonder when he had those nightmares was his subconscious trying to tell him to go and find someone else to replace Rosa? Because after he defiled the young women he seemed to become calm, happy, and his mind was eased for a time. Maybe that is the reason why he said, "That night I thought I had lost my ability to fall in love forever, that I would never laugh again or pursue an illusion. But never is a long time. I've learned that much in my long life" in chapter one when he was in Rosa's tomb (36). I predicted that Pancha Garcia would get pregnant just from the line that stated, "Pancha Garcia's breats swelled and her hips filled out" (58). I just had a feeling that was going to happen.
It intrigues me that Esteban's relationship with Pancha allows him to feel closer to the rest of the inhabitants of Tres Marias. After Pancha begins to stay with Esteban and work for him, Esteban decides that it will be his job to help civilize all the people who are still living in Tres Marias. The actions that he took to help better the place "shook Tres Marias from its stupor" (59). He builds new buildings and restores older ones and puts Tres Marias back on its feet. He helped the town most by giving everyone capable a job, "Anxious to rescue in the course of a few months what had lain in ruins for years, that patron hired every man, women, old person, and child who could stand on his own two feet" (59).
"His most salient trait was his moodiness and an tendency to grow violent and lost his head, a characteristic he had had since childhood, when he used to throw himself on the floor foaming at the mouth, so furious he could scarcely breathe, and kicking like one possessed by the devil. He had to be plunged into freezing water to regain control" (41). Hmm, so Esteban has a temper problem..okay, that's one think. But Allende goes further, comparing him to a dog or some other animal who has been infected with rabies, in addition to the devil. Interesting character to center a novel around, right?
Ummm, let me just say that the description of the del Valle apartment and its inhabitants is disturbing. First, Ferula - "She tool pleasure in humiliation and in menial tasks, and since she believed she would get to heaven by suffering terrible injustice, she was content to clean her mother's ulcerated legs, washing her and sinking deeply into her stench and wretchedness, even peering into the bedpan" (42). So clearly Ferula has a martyr complex , although it seems she's missed the whole point of being a "martyr." What strikes me most is the sense of waste here. Ferula is a beautiful young woman who has given her life over to her mother, and as a result, has given her life up. She has always been the one to take care of Esteban and her mother, and really, they don't seem to truly appreciate her sacrifice. She's miserable herself. And it must be hard to see her brother, who clearly cannot stand her, their mother, or their home, leave to start a new life. Resentful? Jealous? Unfair? Just plain creepy?
What motivates Esteban to vow: "I don't plan to be poor ever again" (46)?
Let me just say, Brenden and Elliott, you are being way too easy on Esteban. I hope that you are beginning to see the many facets of Esteban's person. Brenden, you used the word defile...but really, you need to be brutal... Esteban rapes...he violates...his takes advantage of their fear and his strength...he intimidates. Yes, he defiles, but he does so much more. And this is the man that reforms Tres Marias...out of its "stupor." And Elliott, I hope you were being slightly sardonic when you discuss Esteban's decision to civilize Tres Marias. I mean, who better to civilize the uncivilized than a bully, a rapist, a rabid dog, and a devil, right??
Ok, I must say that this chapter made me absolutely hate Esteban! At first he seemed like a decent man with a dream and a goal just like anyone else....but after reading the way he treated his tenants and especially the poor women I have lost all respect for him. He speaks of how dirty and ignorant the tenants are but he eventually becomes just like them. He acts on an animals instincts and cares only for himself. It's as if the tenants are just objects to satisfy his whemsical needs. He becomes a greedy, dispicable, low life man that I truly can not stand! It was a very long and descriptive chapter which also gave me insight to his family life and sadly he continued to carry on the Trueba legend of cruelty and bad tempers.
~Brittany Rowe
I like to give characters sometime to repent their crimes. I know in Inkheart one of the characters turned out in the beginning to be wicked and deceitful, but he soon had an epiphany and changed his ways. I don't think that Esteban had truly coped with the death of Rosa by this chapter. Its apparent when the narrator says, "For a second he was tempted to pile his two bags back on the cart and return whence he had come, but he rejected that plan in a flash and resolved that if there was anything that could alleviate the grief and rage of Rosa's loss it would be breaking his back working in this ruined land" (51). I think he was trying to fill that gap he was suddenly left with by her death. I'll admit that his methods of coping with his situation are on the extreme side of abusive and inhumane, but in that village where he is respected and feared by all the inhabitants there makes it hard for any of them to stand up to him. For example, "In the course of the next ten years, Esteban Trueba became the most respected patron in the region" and "Word of his cruelty spread throughout the region, provoking jealous admiration among the men of his class. The peasants hid their daughters and clenched their fists helplessly because they could not confront him" (62-63).
so he copes with the death of the women he thinks he love by raping and being infamously cruel...interesting.
And you like to give your characters time to repent...spoken like a true lover of literature...and of course, you have now introduced an important theme: repentance.
Brittany...
Esteban carried on the Trueba legend of cruely and bad tempers...so now make some predictions about how these fits as a major theme of the novel
Because of his cruelty he believes he earns respect, but in realtiy it is just fear that makes the tenants do as he wants and asks. Esteban inspires fear in almost everyone he comes into contact with in this novel, and this fear sets many important events into action. I believe fear is a theme of this book, it isn't just fear of that person, but it's a fear of failure, of loss. Even Esteban has this fear from the very beginning, in fact it even sparks the beginning of his cruelty and temper. It is a repeating factor throughout the story.
~Brittany Rowe
I have no respect for Esteban, he did not deserve Rosa. In the second chapter you quickly learn that the Trueba's household is much different then the del Valle family. The Trueba household seems to be more of a distant family. Ferula and Esteban are much different from each other, Ferula is a very nice and caring person who takes care of her mother and tries her best for the family. Esteban on the other hand wants what he wants, and seems to not care about his mother or Ferula. He has big dreams with a cocky attitude. One example is when he decided to "save fifty centabos...to have a cup of Viennese coffee" instead of saving the money for his mother's medicine (43). Ferula told him "God punished you" (43). I think that since he was so close to being rich with his fiance that Esteban did not want to go back to being poor, "I don't plan to be poor ever again!" (46). After Esteban returns to The Three Marias he developed a sexual desire, he rapes Pancha Garcia on a daily bases and soon Esteban becomes interested in having sex with the peasants. He gets a lot of them pregnant but does not claim the children. He plans to increase the life for all the peasants, but he has no desire to make them equal with him, such as education. Esteban is very controlling and I was displeased with Esteban in this chapter. He cares about no one except himself. I wonder if he was just an act with Rosa or if he really would of been a good man if Rosa did not die.?
-Janel
Brittany -- good points! There is a difference between fear and respect, and oddly, Esteban doesn't seem to understand that, right?
Janel -- good point about the fact that Allende allows readers to parallel two very different families with two very different background and socioeconomic statuses! Hmm, I think she did this in purpose, yes?
When I was reading this chapter, I didn't like Esteban much like everyone else. However, I can see why he did the things he did. Whenever he had a moment of solitude, his mind would drift back to Rosa... and that would torment him. So while he's rapes Pancha and eventually every female over the age of 14 in Tres Marias, while he bullies its inhabitants, while his rage becomes shorter and intolerable, Esteban did these things to run away from Rosa's death, and also of his mother and sister's haunting memories from childhood. Behind the wrath and lust was a weak, lonely man.
~Julianna Richey
I said it before and I will say it again, I really despise Esteban. After he no longer was "busy channeling water, diggin wells, removing stones, clearing pastures, and repairing the stables" (54), these things that kept him so busy the first few months, then he has to go terrorize the peasant girls. And to me this just showed how evil he really was.
Tania
Chapter two really showed another side of Esteban that i didn't like. In the first chapter the author has you thinking he is a good match for Rosa. But on chapter two his true colors show and we realize he was completely wrong for her. Esteban's one concern is money, "He decided that from that day on, no matter how tight the circumstances, he would always pay for the small comforts that made him feel rich."(46) That shows the character of Esteban and his hunger for money. Maybe what else attracted Esteban to Rosa was not only her beauty but her wealth? After Esteban relocated to Three Marias he started becoming very successful but he also disappointed me by becoming a pig and letting his hormones take over.
autumn schlarp
"He walked up to the house, gave a single forceful push, and went in. Each piece was exactly where it had stood before, except uglier, and more lugubrious and rickety then he remembered" (49-50). This was the description of the Tres Marias. I thought it was extraordinary how Esteban Trueba built up Tres Marias again. Even though it was hard, he kept on through each struggle, and i think that was about the only good thing about Esteban.
~SHELBY~
Julianna -- yes, we have to consider how Esteban has been affected by Rosa's death. Was he always a creature full of rage or is he a produce of his environment? Or a little of both??
Autumn...please read the postings of your fellow classmates. What leads you to think he's just concerned about money? "FROM THAT DAY ON" what led him to make this promise?
I definitely felt that Estaban was a sort of all right guy. However, after reading this chapter my opinion has changed. I understand that he had to be strict on the pesant people because he wanted to turn the Tres Marias into a better place for them, but raping all of the girls over the age of 14, not claiming the children that were his, and showing his true colors on how evil he really was, all came out in the acts of trying to make the Tres Marias better. I do agree with Autumn on him being money hungry. She also makes a good point about him possibly having a hidden agenda for marrying Rosa not only for her beauty but for her wealth too.
I don't believe Esteban is necessarily "money hungry". The novel states that he had " a childhood of privations, discomfort, harshness, interminable night-time rosaries,fear, and guilt"(46). This childhood has made him want to never live like that again so he works very hard to prevent that, but money is not his only concern. Esteban Trueba should be harshly criticized because of his volatile actions. He rapes,overreacts, and takes advantage of people as previously stated. He clearly is not a likable man, and because of this chapter I began to despise this man.
Taylor Quella
I believe that Rosa's death was the spark that ignited Esteban's outrageous actions in this chapter. I also agree with Taylor, he wasn't "money hungry," he was "power hungry." As he moves to Tres Marias to try to rebuild the town to its former glory, he starts off by informing whats left of the citizens of Tres Marias that he is "the patron here now. The party's over. We're going to work. Anyone who doesn't like the idea should clear out immediately"(51). After a while of maintaining the town he slowly became a barbarian and cared less and less about his appearance and focused more and more on his erotic needs.
^^ By Connor
I think that this Transito Soto character is going to play a major role in this novel down the road. I just have a hunch on this. After Esteban gives her the 50 pesos and is sad that he will never see her again, she comes back with this statement, "But we will see each other, patron. Life is long and full of unexpected turns"(69). This sentence just screams that they will see each other again and she will finally repay her dept. Another reason why I think she will find help him is the fact that the "will" is italicized. I don't think that Allende would just put an italicized "will" in there for no reason.
Your Welcome,
Travis
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Poop Group
In The Three Marias, Esteban Trueba was a cocky not a confident patron. I admit he did do good to bring The Three Marias out of ruins, but when he says “No one’s going to convince me that I wasn’t a good patron. Anyone who saw Tres Marias in decline and who could see it now, when it’s a model estate, would have to agree with me,” (51) it just ruins his appearance and makes me not relatable or respectable. Trueba doesn’t give credit where it is due to the peasants doing the hard labor too. I knew from here that he would be an arrogant person who was not likable, especially for the poor or for women.
In this chapter Esteban reminds me of one of my favorite characters in literature, Comedian from Alan Moore's "Watchmen". He mirrors him in his explosive anger, his arrogance, his depraved actions against young women, his conservative views, and the way in which he treats those he feels are under his station. These traits don't make me hate him, they make him more interesting to me and make me wonder how he is going to change in the future. If he were a simple character without any flaws or bad habits, he wouldn't have the depth that invites criticism and thought, which is needed of any good character. Though he is a hateful person, it is his hateful qualities that make him a great and rememberable character, and his going around "sowing the entire region with his bastard offspring, reaping hatred, and storing up sins," that makes me intrigued by him.
Josh
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