I'm intrigued by this opening. I love, love, love when novels begin with quotes by famous people...and I really like maps too!! So who is this Pablo Neruda guy? I know who he is, but do you? Where do these lines come from - a poem or an essay? Most importantly, why has Allende decided to begin her novel with these particular lines? What themes are evident? What contrasts?
When you respond to this posting, DO NOT simply repeat the thoughts of others. Add something new to a previous comment. Comment or critique on a previous posting. Your goal is to add something new to the discussion. And...don't forget that it's a good idea to return to this opening every once in a while as you read the novel. When does its significance start to make sense?
3 comments:
The quote is from a free verse poem called ''And How Long?'' by Pablo Neruda. He lived in the same time as the story and could perhaps be a base of The Poet from Clara's many friends. As well as having been a poet, he was also a politician from the Chilean Socialist Party. Strangely enough he had supported a socialist named Salvador Allende, who is a cousin to the author, Isabel Allende. The quote confused me at first, but after completing the book I thought it applicable to Estaban Trueba. Although he had become deeply depressed and troubled by the death of Rosa, it seemed that he started truly 'dying' after Clara had passed. His sister's curse had begun to work as he began to shrivel up just as his angered soul was, making him short, white-haired, and much more old-looking than he possibly would have been. The stresses of his life had caught up with him with a magnitude that would only attribute to multiple heart attacks later with certain triggers such as his son's naked protest in front of the Congress building. Only his granddaughter Alba would believe him about his height from looking at ancient photos from Esteban's youth. In the end, the final stage of Esteban's 'dying' had gone from his long sorrowed life, to peace and serenity by the return of his granddaughter Alba and the company of Clara's spirit. The knowledge of her safety and survival had probably been enough to bring him to enough tranquility to leave this world.
Aaron...thanks for looking up the information. A little background knowledge goes a long way, right? But why do you say strangely enough? Does it mean more that Allende had a "real" politician in her family?
To me it seemed that it did mean more than having a politician in the family, but also a very strong foundation to this story. Elements of the story can be seen with Pablo Neruda and Salvador Allende such as the Chilean Socialist Party and also being the first socialist president, making him much like The President, Jaime's close friend. Isabel Allende had more than a politician in the family, she had an undeniable source of inspiration from Salvador and possibly even more from Neruda.
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