Tag Archives: week6

10/18/21

Applying the Law in “The Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime”

One of the most interesting take away I got from this story was the idea of social status and the Law and the way this is used to provide commentary on the realities people faced within this time period. Within the story we were provided a view of two distinct classes of people, first with Almada, a man who is possesses a significant de facto political power through what we can assume to be a result of his connections and or wealth status. Second with those who are of low socioeconomic status, first through the crazy woman on the street but further through the lives of Larry, a woman turning to sex work to provide for herself, or her partner Antunez.

Almada is used as a symbol representing the significant divide in wealth and privilege. Each interaction he has with the poor and socioeconomically disadvantaged, he presents a disgust or hatred for these people. I believe his gives us an important insight into the way these people were treated at large during this time period. Those who were thought of as in compliant with the state were expendable and violence was normalized. Further they were made out to be lesser, and clearly treated like lower class citizens.

We see this issue institutionalized through the lack of effort the police department put into this case. Despite a lack of evidence, Antunez was expendable and as such easily accused for the murder of his partner, Larry. Despite a strong case suggesting Almada was guilty the institutional power he held prevented the police from looking into him any further. This is where journalism or in the authors case, detective literature, is introduced as an important tool for providing a voice, or an alternative perspective in a highly restrictive state where traditional checks on power do not exist.

10/17/21

Cryptic Whistle-Blower

I found the cyclical nature of the way Piglia’s The Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime was told to be particularly interesting. It makes you question the intention of the narrative. Could Piglia be writing about his own experience? Or, is he simply trying to embody a fictional character, while provoking a sense of realism to the purpose of the narrative? The self-reference to the beginning line “fat, broad, melancholy, the nile green polyester suit floating on his body…” gave me chills when I first read it. It forces reflection on why. I think it draws more attention to the societal issue of censorship many Latin countries have dealt with throughout time. Out of fear for one’s personal security, they cannot overtly criticize the government or any governmental bodies. This theme seems so prevalent in Spanish fiction literature that it makes you wonder, how much of it is actually heavily based on reality? Why is freedom of the press something that is such a privilege in the modern world?

Another interesting thing about this text’s self-reference is in respect to how it reads. Most fiction is just told to you. It’s taken for granted that this character/narrator’s inner dialogue is just available to us to consume. Rarely do we question it, until we are given an example of a narrative with purpose. It cycles and makes you re-read it. When you re-read this story already knowing the ending, you can feel how the author may have written this out in a hurry. You can feel the sense of urgency and desperation in his attempt to unveil the truth.

10/16/21

Borges’ Rules and the Tale of the Crime

In “The Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime”, the combination of Piglia’s unconventional take on crime fiction alongside the implementation of Borges’ rules allows readers to better understand the influence that the totalitarian government had on the media in late ‘70s and early ‘80s Argentina. First, though he includes seven main characters as opposed to the recommended six, they each provide a clear contribution to the plot and are distinct enough to stand out from other characters (though I found myself confusing Rinaldi and Renzi at times!). As per rule B, Piglia establishes the circumstances of the crime before introducing our protagonist⁠, who then goes on to confront the state-imposed limits on the press at the time. There is no typical reveal in the conclusion, since the victim and the murderer are introduced even before we meet Renzi, who fills the role of the detective, and the focus of the story is not on apprehending the true murderer but rather on the percepticide Renzi experiences. In this way we can see Piglia following Borges’ rule C by having the police play the villain, which is much more thematically fitting. The subsequent two rules⁠—prioritizing plot advancement over character development and minimizing death⁠—are also applied. Because the focus is on the interaction between journalists and the state, who tries to suppress the truth when it isn’t in their favour; instead of being on the investigation of the murder itself, our attention is drawn towards the Argentine government censorship and repression. Though it doesn’t focus specifically on how the murder happened or the intentions behind it, the story is still very plot-driven, managing to lay out a complex plot in just five pages without relying too heavily on any sort of gore. Finally, the resolution is complex and unique while remaining consistent and plausible within the story. Altogether, the incorporation of Borges’ rules in this unorthodox story provides us with better insight into Argentine society in that era.

10/15/21

Audio Imagery: “Thursday’s Widows”

Amazingly, I found the movie to include not only just visual imagery but audio imagery as well; which is something I believe I have not yet experienced. There were three scenes in which seemed like certain sounds were pulled out intentionally above the others so the audience can place particular attention to them: (1) Fireworks, (2) the sound of tennis racking hitting the ball during in which reminded Carla of the assault, and (3) the sound of Gustavo hitting Carla when he felt vulnerable. 

The sounds all contained a similar repetitive and frequent harsh banging sound that could lead the audience (at least to me) to naturally develop an unpleasantness and unbearable sensation when hearing them. In addition, it is interesting to note that these sounds each involved one of these “trophies” that is intensely valued by high society (e.g., beautiful wife/girlfriend, luxury experiences, statuses). Furthermore, each of these scenes that contained the sound included an insinuation of damage/violence being inflicted onto a person. For example, in the scene involving the firework, the cinematography carefully framed the firework appearing to almost hit Tano. And in the tennis competition, the sound of the tennis ball hitting the racket reminded Carla of the assault. 

Thus, the connection between these scenes leads me to conclude that the way that the characters indulged in these ‘trophies’ is damaging to an individual. Depending on one’s worth and identity in these societal prized items would lead an individual to more harm. It was clever for the director to use the sensation of hearing in order to present this analysis to the audience.

 

10/14/21

Justification of Lack of Justice

At several points throughout “The Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime,” the concept of justice is viewed by the characters as discardable and/or unachievable. Some have the privilege of being above justice, such as Almada, who is “being protected by the higher-ups” (pg. 561). Others aren’t so lucky. Rinaldi is certain that Antúnez is the criminal; he claims that he “can smell a criminal from a hundred yards” and that “they all have the same look” (pg. 561). Labeled as a “gigolo,” Antúnez’s access to justice is denied based on his social status and his “look” as a criminal (pg. 560-561). Risking trouble with the police is, according to Luna, not worth it “to save a gigolo” (pg. 563). Even when faced with evidence of his innocence, his social status is used against him to justify allowing him to be “stuck in the can for the rest of his life” (pg. 563).

Antúnez is not alone in being denied justice based on his social status; the refusal to publish the identity of the real killer allows Larry’s death to remain unavenged. Furthermore, in reference to Larry, Luna claims that “in the long run those crazy women always end up like that” (pg. 563). This outcome is seen as common, and moreover, acceptable – it’s thought of as inevitable that this would happen to someone like Larry. This perceived inevitability, rather than being challenged, is used as justification for forgoing justice.

Justice is viewed by Luna as too great of a risk – it’s something that one might have to ruin their whole life to strive for (pg. 563). According to him, it’s something that should be shrugged off; he suggests that Renzi “take the day off” and “go to the movies” (pg. 563). Pursuing justice for the sake of those of low social status is considered unreasonable; the forgoing of justice is therefore seen as inevitable.

10/14/21

Tough Decisions lead to Empathy

Tano, Gustavo, and Martin commit suicide in order to give their families money in the beginnings of economic collapse. The Argentina implemented neoliberal economic policies in the late 1980s in order to bring itself out of a recession, yet these reforms led to its total collapse in 2001. Much like the men in the story, the state was doing what it thought it needed to do in order to survive, yet for both, this ended in disaster.

The men make decisions they think will help and protect their families. For example, Martin is scared to tell his wife that he lost his job and they could no longer afford their lavish lifestyle, so he avoids doing so, and she never finds out until his death. On the other hand, Tano steals money from terminally ill patients in order to get money for his family. He also suggests that they commit suicide and make it look like an accident in order for their families to get insurance money, which could help them make it through the impending economic collapse. Although these acts are not necessarily illegal, besides the insurance fraud, they are not ethically correct; yet, the men see no other way to support their families, and feel they must.

Similarly, Argentina is forced to implement neoliberal policies into their government in order to become economically stable. As these policies were implemented in the late 1980s, economists knew that they would not be sustainable and eventually lead to another recession. They were correct, and the stock market crashed in 2001. Argentina felt it needed to implement these reforms to pay back debts, stop hyperinflation, and get out of the recession. 

The decisions of the men and of Argentina led to demise, despite their intentions. I think Piñeiro uses this to comment on the decisions many Latin American countries are forced to make in order to save themselves economically. Through the use of the male characters, readers/viewers develop empathy towards the questionable decisions they make. By equating the men and the state, Piñerio transfers the empathy towards the state. Government officials knew that linking the Argentinian peso to the US dollar was a mistake, yet they did so anyway, because it is what they thought was a solution. Outsiders may criticize the decision, but, government officials did what they thought was best, much like the men of Thursday Night Widows.

10/14/21

In God we Tru$t

In Claudia Piñeiro’s Widows on Thursdays, the gated community of The Cascades have almost unanimously elevated money into the position of religion, and thus, they have constructed a new morality based on capital gain. Tano begins the movie preaching to the other husbands about the role of money as religion — in an incredibly ironic moment, he says that they must have faith in money. To some extent, everyone that lives in this gated community has subscribed to this religion because if they had not, they would not be here — clearly demonstrated by Ronnie and Mavi’s family departure at the end. Tano banks on the death of others to take their life insurance, and he is unabashed and even proud of this scheme. He explicitly expresses his belief that he cannot be doing the wrong thing because he is only doing what he has to do to achieve success. Morally, the religion of money does not subscribe to the good and bad of ethical norms, good and bad is in relation to earning and losing. In all fairness, Tano is not a hypocrite. While he banks on the death of others, he also understands the value of his own death. Him and the other husbands’ suicides demonstrates the extent of how much these people truly do believe in the religion of money. They genuinely believe morally that their death is for some greater good, that their death is spiritual as it relates to their religion. Money has truly become God, and they are willing to kill themselves in service of this god. 

The most bleak part of the movie is that Tano was right — his and his associates’ death do help propagate the lives of their wives. In a way, Tano’s death has illuminated the fact that Tano and Teresa are alike in ways — this is exactly what Tano would have wanted Teresa to do. In death, Tano and Teresa are truly partners in this crime.

10/14/21

What would happen if we lived underwater?

I would like to discuss the motif of water in “Thursday’s Widows.” As we discussed today, the opening scene is surprisingly relaxing and calm despite the fact that we are watching dead bodies floating in the water. This tranquility associated with the water suggests to me that water in this story acts as a refuge from the chaos in the characters’ worlds, it is almost like a utopia. Tano even alludes to this, he asks “what would happen if we lived underwater?” (I have a screenshot of this but I am not sure it is copyright-free to post), additionally acting as an element of foreshadowing of his death. For Tano, Gustavo, and Martín, the economic and personal stressors in their life become too much to bear and the three of them fantasize about death as an escape from it all. I think that this is reflective of capitalist societies and the idea that there is no peace in capitalism, and so the men resort to finding peace and freedom in the water because the economic stress becomes overwhelming.  

Thursday for Widows is definitely a complex piece of detective fiction, with multiple crimes and criminals. The important message to take away from it is that when death becomes glorified over living in a broken economic system, there is a problem, and there are many victims. It is interesting because while three characters are dead, I would hesitate to say they are the true and only victims in this story. These characters caused just as much damage as they endured, they represent the ways that capitalism causes pervasive damage by creating an unlivable world. Claudia Piñero creates a story that unveils the intricate ways that the economic collapse in Argentina caused widespread tragedies with multiple victims. In the scene in which Tano attempts to convince his friends to end their lives, there is an overpowering sense of defeat; as if they have lost this game of survival. They are resigned to their fate, not even Ronnie attempting to change their perspective works. This attitude is what makes me consider that the water is a symbol of freedom and escape, the ultimate end to a hopeless system.  

10/14/21

Thursday Widows: A tittle that becomes real

The movie Thursday Widows  by Claudia Piñeiro is a complex story full of violence. First of all,  I found quite interesting the title since that is how the group of rich ladies meet every Thursday while their husbands are playing cards. These ladies are called widows because that’s the only day they get away from their “home” life, away from their children, away from being mothers and away from their husbands. These ladies just meet for fun and for free themselves from regular duties. However, I found quite interesting that at the end of the movie, the title “Thursday Widows” actually becomes real. Since three of the Ladies’ husbands die. Interestingly, they commit suicide due to their emptiness, yet the widows believe it was a crime.
The film also emphasizes how rich people seem to have everything but at the same time not everything is perfect for them. Argentina, the country where the movie is taking place, is having a lot of economic issues; people beg for food and violence is taking place. One can understand that Argentina was facing very difficult times and even for rich people it was seen as a threat. Moreover, the fact that there are several scenes of sexual violence within  this rich community, emphasizes that also rich people struggle, and “fine manners”  that are expected from this status  are fallacies.

10/14/21

The housewives of Altos de la Cascada

As I watched “Widows on Thursdays” I could not help but laugh at the country club depicted in the movie as I’m very familiar with these gated communities. Growing up in Argentina, they were the norm for many upper-class families and ex-pats. My friends used to live in them, and I remember just how different their lives were there in comparison to other people living in the suburbs such as myself. Here we were able to do things like roam around freely at night, which during my teens it was almost impossible to do outside without the fear of something happening to you.

Despite the amazing qualities that many people see with these communities, there’s always a fakeness that comes to it. Argentina is no stranger to economic crises, and in those people are forced to make life changes, such as how we see with Tano, Ronnie, and Martin. But it becomes so hard for them to accept their new realities. They’d rather die than have to face their wives and families with the truth, which is that they must leave this idyllic community with their friends, sports, and security.

This need to appear successful and wealthy is common in Argentine society, and we are shown the extreme measures that people would go to maintain this. What the movie is able to demonstrate is the erraticness of the Argentine economy, and that even the people living in the most secure communities are not safe from being unemployed and joining the rest of society in their struggle to make it through yet another crisis.