Tag Archives: poverty

Marguerite Duras, “The Lover”

Marguerite Duras’ novel, “The Lover,” is a unique literature that explores the themes of love, family, and colonialism. At first, I was confused about the story’s setting as there seemed to be a diverse array of ethnicities and there were some city names (such as Mekong, Cholon, and Saigon) that I had never heard of before. It turns out that this novel was based on the French colonial period in Vietnam in the 1930s, which piqued my interest. At the novel’s beginning, I thought that the protagonist’s family was well-off because her mother greatly valued education and wanted her daughter to specialize in mathematics. Later on, it was revealed that the protagonist’s family was poor. Still, they were White which heightened their socioeconomic status: “The head agrees because I’m white and the place needs a few whites among all the half-castes for the sake of its reputation (pg. 71).”

Throughout the story, the protagonist has to navigate through complex family dynamics and her sexual relationship with an older Chinese man who is very wealthy. The blatant racism and prejudice in some parts of the story were very discomforting as societal norms and racial prejudice made the relationship between them unsustainable. Everyone gossiped about their relationship when they found out which caused tension between the two so they never connected on a deep level despite their sexual desires. Even though the Chinese man was rich and treated her well, society and even her own family couldn’t look past his ethnicity and still considered the girl to be too good for him.

Furthermore, this is another novel from this course that plays with the fickle characteristic of memory. The storyline was fragmented, with her repeatedly retelling the death of her younger brother then jumping to the present where she had a husband and then back to her first lover. It made the plot a little more complex and engaging as it left the readers connecting the story and timeline on their own. Another interesting aspect of the narration is that the author switches from first person to third person throughout the story. At first, I thought it was to detach herself from unpleasant memories and interactions by narrating it as if it didn’t happen to her but to someone else instead. But I think it was more for the protagonist to reflect on her life in the past from the present from an external viewpoint because she can see and understand things more clearly now that she’s older and wiser.

Discussion Question:

It appears that the girl harboured a love/hate relationship with her family, especially her mother. How do you think the girl’s family influenced her life’s choices in relationships, education, and prospects? Do you think she would have continued the relationship with the Chinese man if her family wasn’t a factor in her life?

Clarice Lispector, “The Hour of the Star”

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Clarice Lispector’s novel, “The Hour of the Star,” tells the story of a poor and uneducated “northeastern girl” in a raw and haunting style of writing. In the beginning, I was quite confused about what the story was about as there wasn’t really a plotline, it was more just following the thoughts and emotions of the narrator as he told the story from his perspective. I was also confused about the narrator’s relationship to the protagonist, it seems like she’s just a figment of his imagination or a story that he conjured up himself, but he conveyed the literature in such detail. In addition, I thought it interesting how Lispector decided to write a story through the narration of a man telling a story of a young woman. Although I first found the writing to be intriguing because of the abstract descriptions and thought-provoking sentences, soon it grew tiresome and I found myself wishing for the narrator to be more simple and direct. However, the story picks back up with the introduction of Olimpico, a northeastern boy with a huge ego and superiority complex.

The protagonist’s, or “northeastern girl,” name wasn’t revealed until later in the book, which was interesting because the narrator said that he didn’t “even know the girl’s name (pg. 10)” when he was introducing the character. The girl’s name was Macabea, she was a young, impoverished, and very naive girl who lived in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. What perplexes me the most about this character is her oblivion to the misery of her situation and how she drifts around like a shell of a person because “she was used to forgetting about herself (pg. 41)”. Her ignorance and innocence are emphasized through several events and exchanges in the novel, like with Olimpico, the doctor, and the fortune teller. She was incapable of picking up the distaste and mistreatment Olimpico directed toward her, it was almost like she struggled to comprehend complex thoughts and emotions; “Thinking was so hard, she didn’t know know how you were supposed to think (pg. 45)”.

Macabea’s naivety was puzzling but also saddening. She was an orphan living in poverty which limited her access to education. I think that this significantly contributes to her present personality as she never had the chance to develop critical thinking skills or attain basic geographic, cultural, and social knowledge. Her story demonstrates how systemic poverty will continue to keep people economically disadvantaged and socially marginalized without the proper education and supporting environment.

Discussion Question:

How does Macabéa’s ignorance and innocence shape her identity throughout the novel? What do you think contributed to her naivety? Was it her upbringing, society, gender norms, or others? How do you think her personality isolated her from the world around her?

Roberto Arlt, “Mad Toy”

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Roberto Arlt’s novel, “Mad Toy,” was a refreshing coming-of-age novel that invited readers to follow the harrowing journey of a struggling youth named Silvio Astier. In the first chapter, “The Band of Thieves,” Silvio befriended Enrique Irzubeta and Lucio. Together, the three adolescents became members of the “Club of the Midnight Horsemen,” entangled in a life of petty crimes and thievery. The narrator used Enrique and Irzubeta interchangeably, which I found peculiar as he didn’t stay consistent with just a first or last name. Additionally, Silvio described his friendship with Enrique as “that of Orestes and Pylades (p. 26);” this interested me to search for the historical context behind the two characters to better understand the relationship dynamics between the two boys. From the beginning, this book was much more engaging for me in comparison to “Combray” by Proust. Although it was also told in the first-person, the narrator immersed the readers with descriptive dialogue and exciting action that conjured a sense of danger and thrill for readers. In chapter 2, “Work and Days,” Silvio leaves the days of thievery and mischief behind to find work, signalling the start of adulthood. Although the “Club of the Midnight Horsemen” disbanded, Silvio still looks for traces of his old friends during his time working at a run-down bookstore, he stated that Dona Maria’s smile “reminded me of Enrique Irzubeta’s smile when he was slipping through the fingers of the police (p. 76).” This reflects the universal experience of growing up and leaving childhood friendships behind, which most university students can resonate with as they face similar transitions into adulthood. The next chapter, “Mad Toy,” highlights Silvio’s intelligence. Despite the barriers of poverty, Silvio’s curiosity and self-education, from books and literature, emphasize his resilience and determination to pursue knowledge and advance his skillset in constructing gadgets and explosives. Overall, this reading successfully depicted the journey of a troubled youth navigating through the complexities and hardships of life. Silvio was constantly growing and adapting to the obstacles thrown his way as he discovered new aspects of himself in the quest for identity in this ever-changing world.

Questions:

In chapter three, Silvio was fired from his new position as an apprentice airplane mechanic, but what was the reason behind it? The school director stated, “We don’t need smart people here, just dumb brutes who can work (p. 99),” so was Silvio simply too smart to stay in the army? That doesn’t make sense to me as I thought that the Military School was looking for youth who wanted to study and had an interest in engineering to build engines and repair planes. Even Silvio was confused, “They threw me out of the army for no reason (p. 100).” Another question I have is whether Silvio’s previous life in crime influenced his decision to turn in Rengo to the police, what was the pivoting point when he made his decision? Why did he decide to turn Rengo in and was this another turning point in finding his identity and morals?