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April
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ReplyDeleteJean de Satigny seemed extremely untrustworthy to me, both before and during this chapter. I was certain that he would be like Esteban Garcia and attempt to steal everything away from Esteban Trueba, but he didn't. I'm surprised that the more I've read throughout the book, Jean practically disappears off the planet of this story like he never happened. Nothing is heard of him later, except his dead body being found.
ReplyDeleteNot only was I slightly disappointed that Jean never came back into the story to wreak havoc after Blanca fled, but I was also extemely disappointed in Blanca for getting herself into such a situation. How could she marry Jean and care nothing for the feelings of Pedro Tercero? Once Blanca is free she won't even run off and marry Pedro Tercero in the chapters that follow because she doesnt want to loose her reputation in society! Its just very odd to me, she loves Pedro more than anything else and is only happy with him, but she keeps turning him away.
Also, how could Blanca not have known something was up on page 247 after this, "...Her husband had changed out of his wedding suit into black silk pajamas and a velvet Pompeian bathrobe. He had put a net over his impeccable waved hair and reeked of eau de cologne...Then, in his affected, r-less Spanish, he proceeded to explain that he had no particular inclination for married life...and therfore had no intention of disturbing her with the usual demands of a husband..." From then on I knew that Jean de Satigny was either gay or has some kind of weird hidden secret, especially because it is said that he polished his fingernails. The furniture, the way Jean dressed, the photos in the dark room, the servants actions, and not to mention the Indian servant in Louis XV heels were all very strange and unexpected events. I'm surprised Blanca stayed there as long as she did just for reputation, never questioning the way Jean acted. But at least, despite her obliviousness, it was a very interesting twist to the story.
Every time I read this I dislike the way Blanca regards Pedro. But are we thinking too romantically?
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought the Count de Satigny was alright. "Then in his affected, r-less Spanish, he proceeded to explain that he had no particular inclination for married life, being in love only with the arts, literature, and scientific curiosities, and therefore had no intention of disturbing her with the usual demands of a husband;" (p. 247). This right here made me like him, but everything after that pushed my opinion in the opposite direction. I kind of wonder, too, why he proposed, and proceded to win her over with all his charms, before when he first learned of Blanca's nightly escapades, if he had no particular inclination for married life. "...he spent his afternoons inhaling cocaine and smoking opium." (p. 251), he was making illegal transactions for profit (p.253&255), and he was gambling away their finances (p.252). All that along with the photographic plates she found in his darkroom, with the servants in various naked poses on them (p.260) really changed my mind about him. I now don't know what to make of him, but my thoughts aren't very good. Poor Blanca!
ReplyDeleteWow! Ummm... not going to say what ran through my mind when I found out about the pictures and the whole llama thing. On p.247 when Jean said "...in his affected, r-less Spanish, he proceeded to explain that he had no particular inclination for married life, being in love only with the arts, literature, and scientific curiosities, and therefore had no intention of disturbing her with the usual demands of a husband..." I was thinking 'wow, he's not so bad'. I really thought that when "Jean de Satigny helped her to the bathroom, supported her while she leaned over the toilet, led her back to bed, and put the flowers out in the hall." Wrong! I knew something was up when "He begged Blanca never to enter what he called his 'laboratory' without permission..." (p.250-251) Then I became greatly disturbed when I read on p.258 "She stopped in her tracks, her heart in her mouth, but a second moan pulle her to her senses, giving her the strnght to continue toward Jean de Satigny's laboratory door. - It was then that she clearly heard the moans, suffocated cries, and laughter, and no longer doubted that something was going on with the mummies." The guy is a huge pervert, and poor Blanca couldn't get away fast enough. Her respect for a friend was no reason for her to raise her child with the perv, so I say Hoorah and go Blanca! Run!
ReplyDeleteThe count is definitely a very messed up person and needs to get his head screwed on straight. My first thought on page 247 the count explained "he had no particular inclination for married life, being in love only with the arts, literature, and scientific curiosities, and therefore had no intention of distrubing her with the usual demands of a husband," was that he was being very good to her and letting her know that he didn't intend on acting like husband and wife. However his little locked "labratory" was very disturbing as well as his clan of Incas.
ReplyDeleteIt was wise for Blanca to go home especially if the baby is coming cause if I was a mother in her position I would want my child to come into this world in another place besides the creepy fetish joint of the world.
What most sticks out to me in this chapter is the Esteban's stupidity. I couldn't help but to laugh when I read the conversation between Blanca and Esteban on page 248.
ReplyDelete"...They'll thing you weren't a virgin!"
"But I wasn't, Papa."
How could Esteban get so worked up over this? It is stated in the chapter before, on page 212, that Blanca is so far pregnant that Jaime can tell by looking at her and she is no longer able to get an abortion. That means that she is at least five or six months pregnant. It's a little late for cover ups.
Esteban does not arrange the marriage until all of the above situations occur meaning that Blanca will undoubtly give birth just a few months after the "Holy" matrimony takes place. I think that out of the swollen belly, the "shotgun"-esque wedding, Blanca's lack of interest in the groom, and the looming due date, Blanca visiting her home during her honeymoon would probably not be the first thing to tip off the neighbors. ;-)
As much as I disliked Satigny, it amazes me that you hear no mention of what happens to him between Blanca's leaving and his death. It seemed like he played a major role in the story but then just dropped out of the story like a secondary character.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see that the Count does not force anything against Blanca and that they can live together without the discomfort. Pages 247-248, "Then, in his r-less spanish,....married to an intellectual." He acts as if her soon to be child is his and asks no questions, though he already knows the answers.
I kind of understand where Esteban is coming from when he talks about Blanca's virginity. This seems to be around the time when sex before marriage was shunned and not looked upon kindly. It would not look good on the Senator if his daughter had done this. At the same time I think he was only worried about himself and how people would look at him because of his daughter which seems to be a common move for him.
At first i thought that Jean was just out to get a portion of Esteban's money, but then i thought maybe he was truly interested in Blanca. After his forced marriage to Blanca i knew something was up. His remark about how he wont force anything on her and how he basically doesn't want to have sex with her just sounded kind of odd to me. Then the whole.....picure thing in his locked room just creeped me out. And, im really really glad that Blanca didn't just let Alba spend her whole life thinking that he was her father....that would have been bad.
ReplyDeleteI had a funny feeling about Jean de Satigny but I just didn't know what and thought that all the frivolous stuff was just a part of his personality. I felt a little sorry for Blanca being stuck all alone with no one to really talk to or relate. Then he strictly forbade Blanca to enter his laboratory. I started thinking I don't really want to know what is in there but I have to read this book so I read on and no surprise I found out this book got even worse than it already was.
ReplyDelete(p.260) She recognized the faces of the household servants. There was the entire Incan court, as naked as God had put them on this earth, or barely clad in theatrical costumes. She saw the fathomless abyss between the thighs of the cook, the stuffed llama riding atop the lame servant girl, and the silent servant who waited on her at table, naked as a newborn babe, hairless and short-legged, with his expressionless stone face and his disproportionate, erect penis.
HOW is this an appropriate book for required reading for school for minors? Is this advanced placement or advanced perversion?
This chapter kind of just comes out and hits you. As most of my classmates had suspected, there was something fishy about the Count, but who would have guessed something to this extent? From begging Blanca to never enter his so called "laboratory",(p.250-251) to discovering the exotic business that the Count had been hiding, (p.259-261) this chapter kept turning worse and worse. I do feel relieved that Blanca decides to leave, but this could have lead to more trouble.
ReplyDeleteJean de Satigny appeared as a freak from the very beginning. He just seemed really, really strange and creepy. Ever since he moved in the Trueba home he wanted to follow Blanca on her night sneak-outs. Weird. Then he wanted to marry her but "had inclination for married life". What?! Next I had to continue reading of his disturbing occupation. Now I don't like llamas anymore or Indians, kind of.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter really caught my attention. I thought it was intersting on page 247 when it reads " As soon as they were alone together, Jean shed his role as the eager suitor who had planted furtive kisses on her neck...." Blanca obviously wanted that to happen anyway but it was quit a surprise. I thought it was sad that when Blanca had hallucinations about the mummies that sometimes she would "close her bedroom door and put her head under the blankets, and there she would remain for hours at a time, trembling, praying, and calling her mother with the power of thought"(P.257)It was almost pathetic that she knew so little and yet it scared her so much! When Clara assured her that she had no reason to fear the dead, I was surprised that that is what finally made her spy on them. I really enjoyed this chapter!
ReplyDeleteTabitha - : )
ReplyDelete