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April
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- Esteban and Clara
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April
(23)
The meeting of Blanca and Pedro Tercero Garcia was definitely very unique. On page 104, "Blanca pulled off her clothes and ran out naked to play, they played among the furniture, exchanged kisses, chewed the same bread, ate the same snot, smeared themselves with the same filth until, wrapped in each other's arms, they finally fell asleep under the dining-room table." That was the weirdest first meeting I've ever read about but I guess kids will be kids.
ReplyDeleteThe foreshadowing on page 105 was great, "The little boy was on his back on the floor and Blanca was curled up with her head on the round belly of her new friend. Many years later they would be found in the same position, and a whole lifetime would not be long enough for their atonement."
I suppose I can understand the adult's point of view about Pedro Tercero. He is a quite peculiar little boy who was raised uncivilized but that doesn't mean he can't learn and make himself a gentleman.
Pedro Garcia leading away all the ants was humorous and astonishing. He rode a horse and lead the ants to the highway since they were not wanted in Tres Marias.
The death of Clara's parents was very sad especially in her mother's case. The poor thing decapitated by a piece of iron. Once Clara lead the driver of the car to the brush pile and retrieved her head all they did was put it in a hat box and put it in the basement! That is so gross!!
Esteban's and Ferula's fight after the death of Nana was very sad however if I was a guy and my sister was acting like a lesbian toward my wife, I would be furious too. I wouldn't kick her out thought, I would have talked with her and a priest and get things straightened out.
This chapter greatly amused me, although some parts were utterly disgusting. The discriptions of Nivea's head (p.123) and of the disease that swept across the country (p. 135) were a bit too discriptive for my taste, but the certainly got the point across. I do wonder why Clara seems to grow more absorbed in her spiritual studies and practices, and more indifferent to what is happening in her own world, apart from her concern for the poor and charity work (p.135). I think it's wonderful that she cares so much for the poor, but I can't help but feeling a bit aggravated at her for how little she seems to care for her own household, let alone her own family. One of my favorite parts is at the end where Allende talks of the love between Blanca and Pedro (p.138), and with the next chapter being called 'Lovers' I think that this love will grow drastically and turn into a more romantic love. I don't think that Esteban will be too pleased about it either. I am a little confused about why Ferula would go into Clara's bed when she was lonely (p. 132). I see how this would lead to her brother's reaction when he found her there, "... calling her everything from a dyke to a whore and accusing her of perverting his wife with her spinster caresses and driving her crazy, distracted, mute, and spiritualist with her arsenal of lesbian arts." (p.132) Ferula did love Clara more than was proper, and she was dead wrong for trying to interfere in their marriage. I think Esteban should have gotten rid of her before she went as far as she did.
ReplyDeleteFerula's attitude throught this chapter just bugged me. I didn't have a problem with her in the earlier chapters but once they reach Tres Marias she starts getting rather annoying and scrappyish. I will admit some incidents (p.l08) do justify this but all in all her attitude just gets tiring.
ReplyDeleteClara is a character who I actually enjoy. Mainly because at times she can have a 'Luna Lovegood vibe' and it's also due to the fact that she has to play double duty as a morality pet (For Ferula and for Esteban.)
I'm not sure how to view Clara as a mother. In the chapter before she seems to be attentive and loving when she gives birth to her daughter Blanca.
ReplyDelete"She took the child in her arms and would not let her go. She went everywhere with her little girl clutched to her breast..." pg. 101
However, this time around she seems completely over the idea of motherhood. After the boys are born, she hands them off without a thought.
"Clara recovered quickly from the double birth. She entrusted the care of the children to her sister-in-law and to Nana..." pg. 124
Why would a woman go from living a life revolving around her role as a mother to nonchalantly allocating the care of her children to others?
Ferula is portrayed as a very strict caretaker and dislikes that fact that Blanca is playing with people not of her class and getting dirty and not acting like what is expected of those of the high class. After portraying her as such it makes this scene very funny.
ReplyDelete(p.107) No one thought that anything could undermine her self-control, until one day she felt an itching on her back. It was such a strong itch that she could not refrain from discreetly scratching it, but nothing gave her any relief. Finally she went into the bathroom and took off her corset, which she always wore, even on the days when she had a lot of work. As she loosened the stays, a dazed mouse, which had spent the entire morning vainly trying to find a exit between the hard points of the corset and the oppressed flesh of its owner, fell to the floor. Ferula had the first attack of nerves in her life.
Poor mouse. This also brings a question what are the stays that she loosened, are those the strings or something to the corset?
The story of the hens and the fox on p.140-141 is my absolute favorite part of the entire book. No, I'm not one of those baby-eating socialists, communists, or radicals that Esteban Trueba so despises, but I do think that the world is unjust when the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.
ReplyDeleteThe old man Pedro Garcia's story is, at the time, a far-off fairytale. But in time, it becomes a perfect allegory for the collapse of Trueba's reign at Tres Marias. It predicts everything, from the tenants capture of Esteban to his escape with his tail between his legs.
Even more significant are the reactions from the young lovers Blanca and Pedro Tercero. To the affluent and worry-free Blanca, the story is far-fetched because "hens are born stupid and weak and foxes are born astute and strong." But to Pedro Tercero, the story has meaning, and it changes him from an ignorant boy to a man filled with revolutionary dreams.
I agree with Jenny about Ferula's behavior during this chapter. Yes, she has some terrible times that occur(p107-108) and she doesn't really have many people there for her, but despite her extreme loneliness, she must realize that Clara has more important things to tend to such as her children.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me most about this chapter is when Esteban kicks Ferula out. He was constantly jealous of her because of the love Clara had shared with her. Instead of using his eforts to do things to please his wife first he is too busy fighting over her with Ferula. He wonders why she doesn't completely love him when he showers her with gifts but acts like a cantankerous man, when telling her his true feelings would have been way more effective.
ReplyDelete