love – RMST 202 BLOGS

March 14, 2022March 14, 2022

The Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes

This week’s reading on Carlos Fuentes’ The Old Gringo wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be almost something similar to an autobiography like last week’s read of W, or Memory of Childhood. Although, I was much happier reading something that wasn’t an autobiography. I found this story really intriguing because of the love triangle. Although, I initially found it confusing at first to understand the type of relationships. After watching Professor Murray’s lecture, it made sense of bond between the old gringo and Harriet was pretty much parental as Harriet buried him like she would’ve for her father.
The lecture also highlighted some questions, “what is the effect of this repetition? Why this insistent return to the same phrase? Does it function in different ways at different times”? I found the effect of repetition of the statement “[n]ow she sits alone and remembers” to make it stand out to the readers the significance and that Harriet continues to review the past. I think she continues to reflect on this trauma because she is the only one of three that is still alive. I liked how Professor Murray stated, “repressed trauma returns to haunt the present”. I think that statement can connect to a lot of the previous books that we’ve already read. The first book I thought of was Laforet’s Nada as the main character reflects on her life even on her death bed. The repetition of the statement “[t]he old gringo came to Mexico to die”, addresses one of the questions Professor asked. The use of repetition of this statement made me reflect that maybe this was used to foreshadow events to come. Even though death kept being mentioned for the gringo’s future, I thought there was going to be a twist for the reader. Overall, I thought this statement for me helped me visualize the scene and the tense atmosphere between the old gringo and General Tomas Arroyo.
The lecture video also explained that the old gringo is actually based on someone, Ambrose Bierce. I was totally surprised to learn this since I initially thought this was going to be an autobiography but then it wasn’t and now, I learned it was based on an actual person. The video also elaborated on Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary. I thought the definition of love was something that really stood out to me. “Love- A temporary insanity curable by marriage”.

The question I pose to the class is, why do you think Fuentes was inspired by Ambrose Bierce?

February 13, 2022

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

After the class discussion on Thursday talking about the first page of Nada for most of the class I was curious to fully analyze the first page of Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan. I noticed how the main character, Cécile started off by “I have known boredom, regret, and occasionally remorse, but never sorrow” (Pg. 5). Looking back at that statement, I can recognize that the author may have been trying to foreshadow the events within the book.

The first introduction of Anne reminded me of the movie The Parent Trap. I think it’s due to the similarities that the mother was out of the picture and the dad’s latest girlfriend joined the trip away. Also noticed a similarity that both had schemes to get the couple the protagonist wanted together.

It was also clear how Anne saw herself as a mother figure for Cécile. An example that stood out was “[t]o look all decent you ought to put on six pounds. Your checks are hollow and every rib shows. Do go in and get yourself some bread and butter!” (pg. 22). She wasn’t the kindest mother figure but she made had her moments to ensure her dominance within the family’s dynamic.

I really enjoyed this book as the comparison between Anne and Elsa kept me engaged throughout the first part. I was hooked on the detail of appearances between these two as it captured what lured Cécile’s father closer to Anne. It was demonstrated through the impact of the sun on the two character’s skin. Elsa had a fair complexion with red hair and was covered in bright red sunburns. While Anne showed up with a flawless complexion and had an even tan. This kept me intrigued to continue reading even though I had a feeling once Anne came to the cabin of her intentions and once she said “Elsa Mackenbourg? He brought Elsa Mackenbourg here?” (pg. 15). I hope that Cécile’s father’s selfish traits were due to losing his wife as he continuously brings a new mistress home in front of his child. He was careless and oblivious with his actions towards others like abandoning Elsa and also to Cécile about marrying Anne. However, it made me realize a similarity between him and Cécile as Cécile manipulated her way to break apart her father and Anne without considering the consequences of her actions upon others either.

A question I pose to my classmates is, if you were to reread the beginning would there be any other clues now that you know the ending?

January 31, 2022

The Shrouded Woman by María Luisa Bombal

I really enjoyed this week’s novel of The Shrouded Woman. I was looking forward to this week’s novel since it is the first one with a female author and I was intrigued if there was a noticeable difference between the previous books. One thing I noticed was a difference through the characters as the women were portrayed as more than just an object for the male gaze and actually showcased female characters with personalities.

I was really intrigued with the choice of the narrator being dead. It reminded me of a diary as it was a reflection of Ana María’s life. It revealed moments in her life that were happy, lonely, and regretful through a detailed perspective of each relationship which made it easy to engage with. A quote that really stood out to me was, “must we die in order to know certain things”? (pg. 176). It made me wonder about deeper aspects of death. Especially as Ana María had her siblings, her father, her first love, her husband, and her children visit her as she is deceased. I couldn’t imagine the feeling if she wanted to say something to them. It made me curious about the afterlife and the possibilities of what we may think or reflect. It also made me realize how short our connections can be and how we may fail to notice until it’s too late.

I found it interesting how the author captured Ana María’s relationships, especially her first love Ricardo. This quote also stood out to me, “I never knew. I only know that period following your departure was the most disordered and tragic in my entire life. Oh, the torture of first love, of the first disillusion! When one struggles with the past instead of forgetting it”! (pg. 167). This showcases how this first relationship truly affected her from ever moving on to having a successful relationship. Ricardo left her because he chose to pursue his career but she offered to move with him to remain together. This left me wondering was it a one-sided love and she was blinded by love to recognize it.

This was the type of novel I was expecting for this course and it went beyond my expectations. I am looking forward to this week’s discussion after skimming and noticing most of my classmate’s enjoyment of this read too! The question I pose to my classmates is since this is the first female author we’ve read so far, did you notice any differences in comparison to our last reads? Or do you think there was a purpose to make the main character a female?