I really liked this weeks reading even though it was really scary. The introduction that explained that it would be a horror story set the tone. It was more of a modern horror story but that was a good beginning. I noticed that there was a lot of background information given about the main character. I think that the way in which she tells us lots about herself and her background helps establish a connection with the character. However, it was a little bit confusing to me because the story was jumping all over the place. I think that it was really sad that she had to hide in the bathroom in fear, but the way in which she reflects on her life is also kind of beautiful. This is because in this moment of fear, the reader may think about how precious, fragile, and special life really is. The protagonist reminded me a bit of the character in Memory of Childhood because of the way that she was trying to remember specific details of her life. I found that I was quite invested in her and what would become of her just because she would tell so much about her life. As others mentioned as well, the story was quite poetic in the way it was written. The narrator also calls herself “the mother of all poets” (pg.59). Memory is again, an important theme in the novel. The threat of danger brings out these memories for her. I think that she was really brave. It was interesting as well how she mentioned losing her teeth and her worry around her appearance. Here she is in a life or death situation and she still has this worry. It goes to show that the pressures of society to conform and fit in are very real and may follow us our whole lives. It shows that a lot of women have these worries on a daily basis and that they are very real and valid concerns. The story seems a bit similar as well to The Shrouded Woman because of the reflection back on life. For some reason it was even more sad to me that the character is not yet dead, and she forsees dying soon. I just think it would be terrible to know you’re going to die and be dreading it.
My question would be how do you think that the narrative style impacted the mood of the story? How did it make you feel and what are its benefits?
Devanshi Sanghavi
April 6, 2022 — 2:37 pm
Hi! I like the point that you regarding the narrative style of this book and how the varying events lead to an interesting, albeit confusing read at times. To answer your question, I found that the narrative style made the content of the book a little bit easier to digest because of how distracting it was. Hence, it helped lift the mood a little bit, but also jolted us when we realized that those stories were going through her mind while she hid out in the bathroom for almost a fortnight.
Anonymous
March 23, 2022 — 10:24 pm
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
To answer your question, I think the tone of writing was definitely different from what I expected after reading the first few lines, but it didn’t really take away from my experience. The way she spoke about her past seemed like she was going through some memories she became fond of, like she was reminiscing even though some of them may have seemed to be not the most pleasant memories. It made me feel a bit sad since it felt like Auxilio was looking back at her memories not knowing if she was going to make it out of that university bathroom alive.
Anonymous
March 23, 2022 — 10:24 pm
– Katrina Juliano
raymon saran
March 23, 2022 — 5:34 pm
I enjoyed your post. I especially liked your noting of how her explanation of a fearful and dangerous situation can provoke readers to think about how special life is. Your connection to society’s standards was also interesting. It didn’t seem like such an unimportant detail that she had lost her teeth, compared to the situation she was in, however she remained dwelling on how it would affect her appearance. Great insight!
michael liudeng
March 23, 2022 — 12:13 am
Hi Danielle! I really liked how you connected Auxilio’s narrative to Georges’s based on how they try to piece together fragments of their memories. I think that the narrative, told by a woman who only glimpses the violence going on throughout the university, is bound to not focus on just retelling those events and has the benefit of “zooming” into a single person’s experiences. Like you mentioned, her stories about history and about the people she encountered were incredible in their own way as she becomes a unique type of witness to that occupation and the “horrors” of history.