This was truly one of the best books not only that I’ve read during this course but just in general. “Amulet” by Robert Bolano is such a moving and inspiring yet painful and horrific story that deeply captivates the emotions of Auxilio Lacouture, a woman who is tragically stuck in a bathroom on the fourth floor of a building. She is stuck in that bathroom for thirteen days without food or proper resources. As she spends her time stuck in this bathroom, she reminisces and looks back on her life. As she is doing this her body is rapidly decaying and she is in a great deal of discomfort and hunger. Robert paints such vivid picture when he describes Auxilio’s current situation, it brings up many emotions because one could only imagine having to try and survive something as awful as this situation. This is taking place during the 1968 invasion of the National autonomous university of Mexico.
Auxilio told her life story with such a caring and unique manner. She made things sound very deep and meaningful and seemed to be able to relate and compare everything to each other. At a few times during the book Auxilio made the comparison of being stuck in the bathroom to what it is like giving birth. She made a few other connections surrounding her new life being stuck in the bathroom stall and the connection to what she thinks it would be like to give birth. I found this concept between the connection of her imagined experience with birth and the experience of being trapped in the washroom very intriguing however a bit confusing especially considering that she doesn’t actually have children of her own.
From my own interpretation I think that the reoccurring theme of Auxilio being reminded of the giving birth plays into the books interesting theme of womanhood or more what a unique experience Auxilio had growing up as a woman who doesn’t necessarily radiate with femininity. An interesting thing to note is that Auxilio was missing some teeth which definitely affected her self image. I think that her missing teeth played a greater role into how she viewed herself as a whole but also how she saw herself as a woman.
My question for the class: Dp you think that Auxilio’s missing teeth played a major part in her life’s journey and the way that things happened or do you think that her missing teeth were insignificant? I ask this because I think that her missing teeth really did start of her self image in a different light, maybe one that felt less feminine which at the time was an even more important aspect of society.
Hi Daelyn,
I loved your post!! I also reflected upon Auxilio’s missing teeth as a symbol in my post as I think they are an important indicator of the theme of womanhood in the novel. Auxilio often talks about her missing teeth and how she doesn’t really care about how that affects her image. She says “I didn’t care that I had lost the four most important teeth in a woman’s mouth” (32-33). I think this might be connected to the concepts of giving birth and motherhood in the novel. Despite her non-feminine characterization, the character describes herself as a mother figure. Her motherhood seems to go beyond femininity and giving birth and reaches a higher level of wisdom, responsibility, and role as the mother of poetry.
Hi!
I really liked your blog and the observations that you made. To answer your question, I believe that the missing teeth played a symbolic role in her life. They symbolized her struggle and the physical toll that it took on her. I believe that this played a bigger role in her life than any other societal expectation would ever have.