Wednesday, May 25, 2011
3: Clara the Clairvoyant
When you respond to this chapter, DO NOT simply repeat the thoughts of others. Add something new to a previous comment. Comment or critique on a previous posting. BUT YOUR ULTIMATE goal is to add something new to the discussion. Also...don't forget to use as many direct quotes as possible!!!!
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15 comments:
I find it a little strange that Dr. Cuevas didn't deduce that Clara was just keeping quiet because she wanted to stay quiet. It took Rostipov the magician to conclude "that hes case was not within his province to cure, since the child was silent because she did not feel like speaking, not because she was unable to" (73). I thought that the doctor would have at least had some idea that Clara was just remaining silent because she wanted to. The idea she had with writing on the slate to get across her point was very clever. In this chapter I like that it explained why Clara became know as clairvoyant. I know it stated a little bit about her before but this chapter in my opinion explained it in better detail. Now this has been a growing annoyance to me but who is narrating the story? It goes from third person to first person a good deal in this chapter for instance, "had wept with grief to see him leave for work so Early in the morning when he was still a boy, wept with joy when he returned at night, had wept, Mother, for me. Dona Ester reacher out her hand, but not in greeting;" (86). I thought it was odd that it did that.
Brenden your right about the story going back and forth between first and third person. When its in first person I believe that Esteban Trueba is the narrator but in third person I have no clue who is telling the story! I wanna say it switches on and off between chapters but i haven't quit figured it out. I'm interested in the death of Barrabas. Why had Clara never foreseen this happening in her life? Also I, like Nivea and Severo, "were locked in terrified embrace at the thought of such an evil omen", had thought that the death of Clara's best friend would kind of set the tone for her and Esteban's marriage (91). What could this mean for their relationships? A sign such as this could only foreshadows turmoil for the two newlyweds.
I was heart broken when Barrabas died in the third chapter. I was mad and confused, I believe this dog symbolizes something and I just can not figure it out. When Barrabas "staggered out blacker and larger than ever with a butcher's knife stuck in his back clear to the hilt bleeding to death like an ox, his log colt legs trembling, his muzzle dripping with thread of blood, his eyes clouded in agony" dies at Clara and Esteban's engagement party, the story leave us hanging and I just wanted to know WHY (91). Then when Esteban Trueba has Barabbas made into a rug in a failed attempt to please Clara, I was sickened! This also made me figure that chapter 3 was not the end of Barrabas's life. Since the dog was not buried, he will most likely continue to be brought up in the story. I looked up the Biblical figure of Barrabas and Jesus, for those of you who do not know Barrbas was a prisoner released instead of Jesus. The evangelists called him a robber, murderer, insurrectionist, and a notorious prisoner. Barabbas was imprisoned then released by Pontius Pilate. Why? Because Pontius Pilate gave the crowd a chose to watch the sinful Barrabas be crucified or Jesus the King of Jews. Barabbas was released when Pilate heard the crowd shouting "Away with this man and release to us Barabbas" (Luke 23:18). Barabbas represents fallen mankind and in many novels such as The House of the Spirits this name is used to represent an evil criminal. I am unaware of the dog being a evil criminal except for the fact the dog is scary and ugly. He may have actually been a freedom fighter because just like the Bibical figure the dog stayed around even though the people in charge of the house did not want the dog. But, because Clara liked the dog he remained in the household. Mark 15:7, states that Barabbas was in prison because he had taken part in a recent uprising, the dog could have been a rebel leader. If so, this would explain why the dog arrived in a cage. The name of the dog chosen represents chosing Evil over Good in Clara's mind. I think I'm getting somewhere now with understanding this dog. The next question is why would someone go out and kill a dog during a engagement party? Could it indicate perhaps a bad future for Esteban and Clara? or maybe someone knew Barabbas is more then just a dog? It's kind of hard to guess what the author meant by this...
-Janel
Wow Janel I thought that what you found out about perhaps the origin of the Barabbas character was very interesting. It's gotten me to thinking that really everything in this book plays with spiritualism. My question now is whether or not Allende was an athiest? Although it is obvious about the implications of spirits, but did she believe in them herself or just wished to toy with such matters? Although this is simply a fictious novel, I personally wonder about messing with things of this nature. But then this whole novel is based on an outline of magical realism. I believe that some further study on the author would help me answer these questions.
Mellisa Crisan
I just realized that i hadn't posted anything on the actual chapter and Clara herself.
Clara is truly an interesting charcter. Besides for Esteban as the main character, it seems that Clara really takes on the main role. Her life after pledging silence seemed fairly pleasant because she was mostly in her own world anyway. I did think it humorous the way Nana is described as trying to scare Clara into speaking by alternating, "her sinister attacks disguised as a ghost iwth the most tender of attentions"(78). It seemed that this attention only served as a preperation for her whole life. I also thought it interesting that when she first breaks her vow of silence to say she will be married, Esteban is again the cause of renewing her vow but only to him.
Mellisa Crisan
One thing that bugged me from this chapter was that Clara was alright with marrying Esteban because she foresaw it. She didn't resist, didn't complain, didn't do anything to voice her opinion about marrying this man. I know in the book it says "that she had already made up her mind to marry without love" (90). but was her decision influenced by the spirits, or by her own mind? Was it because she believed that what she saw was unchangeable? Or was she that detached from the world that it didn't matter who she married? Was it because she didn't want to repeat the fiasco with Uncle Marcos and his fortune telling business from Chapter 1? Maybe this is the hopeless romantic in me that prefers a little rebellion and disapproval. This is not the only time that she does this however, Clara fails to take action when she sees things in future. Sure, she'll warn people, but won't do anything more than that... Now that I think about it, this probably falls under the whole "can we change our own fate or is it pre-written?" debate. Sigh, this is the one thing that agitated me the most about Clara when I read the book.
~Julianna Richey
"Clara was ten years old when she decided that speaking was pointless and locked herself in silence" (73). I thought it was very interesting the different things that Nana had tried to get Clara to speak again. "Nana had the idea of a good fright might make the child speak" (74), as in wearing masks, and jumping out of corners to scare the child to death. I thought it was funny that she would get her ideas from horror magazines.
~SHELBY~
When Esteban's mother says "I want to know that i'll have grandchildren, someone to carry on our name, with our blood in his veins"(86) I instantly thought how could Esteban ever settle down and who would ever want to marry such a jerk. He decided to go back to The Del Valle family to request one of the girls hands in marriage. I thought the only reason he wanted to go back there was for the wealth of the family hence the fact he didn't have a preference in which daughter he received. I kind of wish that Clara would of had a vision of how much of a jerk Esteban was before giving him her hand in marriage.
AUTUMN SCHLARP........
Julianna..
I have to agree with you. Clara is not a favorite character of mine. He listlessness or complacency with much in the novel bothers me, but that's a personal preference for the kind of female characters I like to see. And whether she loved him or not, it was fated or not, if she could change it or not, I get the impression that Clara could care less. She just lived.
And, Autumn, I think Clara knew exactly the kind of man she was marrying.
From the very beginning I knew Clara would be one of the most dominant and interesting characters. From the "Clara was ten years old when she decided that speaking was pointless and locked herself in silence" (730, to "Dreams were not the only thing Clara read. She could also predict the future and recognize people's intentions, abilities that she maintained throughout her life and that increased with time" (76), it was very clear that Clara was different from most humans. Her sister Rosa was blessed with unique beauty, but Clara was blessed with something not noticeable to the eye. No one really understood Clara except Nana. I hated that the death of Rosa made Esteban Trueba "settle" for Clara to still be in with the del Valle family. I feel like Clara would have been able to go completely above and beyond the achievements she did while married to Esteban. Her ability to see tragedies and tell the personalities of others is so great, and Esteban didn't really appreciate the abilities she was blessed with. My heart went out to her, I knew she only married him because she believed that would be the best she could ever do.
I agree with Brendon on finding it a little strange that the doctor couldn't grasp the concept that maybe Clara stopped talking because she wanted to, not because she had something wrong with her. It kind of surprised me that when Clara did speak for the first time her family paid no attention to what she said. I get that she hasn't spoke in 10 years, but she announced that she was going to marry her dead sister's fiance. I know that'd get my attention.
I agree with you as well Julianna. Clara is never fully present, and simply complies with things because she has already seen it happen.I know I would not want to marry my dead sister's fiance.That is simply wrong! I find it strange that no other member of the Del Valle family also finds the marriage odd. It also irritates me that she doesn't even know how to care for herself or do any domesticated task. Her Nana or Ferula are always waiting on her day and night like she is a precious little baby. This intensive care is seen up until Ferula and Nana die around the time of the earthquake where Clara finally takes on some responsibility. This comment about Clara pertains to the whole novel and not just this chapter.Sorry about that!!
Taylor Quella
Is it just me or does Clara remind you of a character in the "Harry Potter" series. I think her name was Luna Lovegood. Luna and Clara share a lot of the same characteristics. Luna is often shunned for her oddball ways just as Clara was shunned because of her strange abilities and thoughts. Luna is considered a bit weird by her fellow students and is not like other kids at all just like Clara and her abilities that distinguish her from others. Luna also shared a relationship with a creature called the "Thestral," just as Clara and her relationship with Barrabas. I also think what Esteban did with Barrabas was a sick and morbid thing to do. As stated by Janel, Esteban skinned and made Barrabas into a rug of which caused Clara to faint from shock.
-Connor Carlson
Finally the book starts to get a little more interesting! And it is also clear to me that Clara would be the main character in this novel. At a young age she developed these powers, "Dreams were not the only thing that Clara read. She could also predict the future and recognize people's intenstions, abilities that she maintained throughout her life and that increased with time"(76). This was the real turning point for me where I became very interested. I also agree with Tori about how they reacted at first with Clara talking for the first time in 10 years. Severo just treated it like any coversation.
Your Welcome,
Travis
I also don't really understand why Ferula went back to "watch over" Esteban again after her mothers death. I think she should've just went and lived out the rest of her life with no regrets instead of clinging on to Esteban and Clara thus causing more problems later in the book and leading to her final demise.
-Connor Carlson
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