Impressions

This week’s choice of book, as you could probably tell by the title, The Hour of the Star. The beginning of the book felt like I was reading more so of a diary than a book because of the style it was written in. I would describe it as being similar to when you are overthinking and your traces of thoughts feel neverending or perhaps ignited by anxiety. In the middle parts of the book, it was less like a diary and more so a “readable” fiction. Towards the end, specifically after the interaction with Madame Carlota, I was a bit lost on what was happening.

My first impressions upon reading the first half of the book was that I was going to rip my hair off (not literally, just figuratively). Why do you ask? Probably because of another character I really hate again this week. I’m certain it’s no surprise that it is Olimpico, the egotistical and sexist man who dumps Macabea for Gloria, her co-worker that is described as being “ugly.” I also did not like Gloria very much as a character, but at the same time, I think it would have been better for Macabea to not be with Olimpico. Not only was he a douchebag, but Macabea is a complicated individual whose sense of understanding in the world differs greatly from other characters in this world, thus Olimpico would likely further take advantage of that.

Macabea as a character felt very depressing and sad, even when she presumably had the four roommates, she did not have people to turn to, even with Gloria. Her character felt like it was defined greatly by sadness and pain, but she does not see it until Madame Carlota gives her that realization. She also does not seem to have a conventional way of conceptualizing the world or her surroundings, which could be as a result of not having her parents and only her aunt, as well as living in poverty. For example, when the doctor told her she had pulmonary tuberculosis, she just politely thanked the doctor not knowing whether or not it was good or bad. The doctor was also neglective of her as a patient, but the narrator describes that this doctor was the one for the ‘poor’ and wanted to do “nothing,” thus likely explaining why he did not provide any treatment plans. This is just my two cents on Macabea as a character and how I interpret the book as being defined by sadness and pain such as the thoughts of death or reading the line where the narrator describes herself as being a suicide, but never having the thought of it (p. 50).

One word in particular that was brought to my attention in the book was, ‘(explosion).’ It seems to me that was significant, although I cannot pinpoint why this was used. Thus, my question to you all is:

What do you think the usage of (explosion) meant? Do you think it was an emotional expression or was it used to symbolize something I missed?