Before I watched the lecture video for Cartucho, I was feeling very overwhelmed of the book. I found the book easy to read, but very difficult to comprehend and follow, if that makes sense. But after watching the video lecture, I felt a sense of ease when Professor Beasley-Murray said that the book being difficult to comprehend was all part of the game that the book portrays. Campobello assumes that the readers already know what she’s talking about in her narratives, so she doesn’t provide much background on each character that she introduces. Professor also mentioned that being narrated in the eyes of the child is also part of the game.
I’d like to answer the question on the video lecture with regards to the effects of adopting the point of view of a young girl. I believe that the book clearly shows how a situation or traumatic events do have different impact on the child, as well as bring out the maturity within them. They might be unable to remember the specific details of certain events, like the names of whoever their parents were talking to, or specific information that were too difficult for them to comprehend, but major traumatic events definitely has an impact on their brains. One example that I could think of is how Campobello have different interpretation of the images of the dead people in front of their house, or how she was vividly able to describe the sight of her mother tending to the medical needs of those soldiers. I think that’s why Campobello was able to clearly remember these memories, because the sights are too traumatic for a child to experience.
One last thing I want to mention here on my blog is Campobello’s Mama, Rafaela Luna. One of the things that I definitely followed and clearly understood in this book is the strength and perseverance that Rafaela had all throughout the book. I admired her strength when soldiers invaded their home looking for firearms, but she didn’t seem to be moved by it, as long as the soldiers don’t touch her children. But this strength didn’t only shine through when enemies were around, she also portrayed this when she was helping out those who were in desperate need of medical care. She was strong, yet sympathetic towards those who are seriously injured, even if the ones she’s taking care of are from the enemies side. Therefore, I do find Rafaela Luna’s character very admirable.
My question for you is, who’s character in the book stood out for you the most?
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on Cartucho and the importance of the book being told from the perspective of a child. I also had some difficulties reading and comprehending the story, so it provides me with some comfort that others experienced this as well. In regards to your question, I also found the character of Campobello’s mother to be a powerful figure throughout multiple vignettes. Additionally, one vignette that really stood out to me because of the characters was Rafael from “four soldiers without 30-30s” (page 16). While only briefly introduced, his kindness through smiles stuck out to me, despite it being clear that he was on the brink of starvation. Thanks for the question!
Hello, thanks for your comment. This has triggered an idea in my head. Could it be that these difficulties in fully following the story have to do with the way a child’s selective memory works? A detail ignites the flash of a memory, but the rest remains in the shadows. The intensity of that light is what interests us (as when a flash was used in old photographs). In the text we perceive the chiaroscuro between affects and effects (before the precise historical record).
Wonderful blogpost! I like how you mention that the difficulty and incomprehensibility of the book was all “part of the game.” It certainly is part of a “game”, and it makes more sense to understand it in this way since the narrator is supposedly a child – although Campobello wrote it when she was an adult. It is the author’s naïve presumption that “the readers [would] already know what she’s talking about in her narratives” that make it more interesting. While at first I found it complex, by the end of reading, I found it rather comforting. Taking in the narrative as it is made it feel like the content was closer to objectivity, despite the narrator being a child (who, in general, aren’t the most reliable in terms of narrative accuracy). As for the character that stood out, I must choose Rafaela Luna as well; for the same reasons you have pointed out.
– Daniel Choi
I wrote about this in my blog post, but I found Villa stood to me among the characters (though this may have just been because I was already aware of his historical importance). His various appearances seem to conflict with each other, as he is sometimes merciful, sometimes brutal, and sometimes a strange mix of both. I also found it interesting how he is both omnipresent and distant – he never interacts with the narrator directly, only appearing through other characters’ descriptions.
Hi,
Thanks for your blog post! I also found myself feeling overwhelmed while reading the book, so I feel relieved that I was not the only one. I agree that the lecture provided clarity on this, and I found myself almost having an appreciation for the lack of details. I completely agree with you that these were definitely incredibly traumatic for a child to experience almost daily, and the ability to remember intricate, traumatic details points to the possibility that the author may be struggling with PTSD, and without a doubt her development would have been impacted. The love that Mama had for her children shone through in every action that she had in this story. The love and care that she seemed to have for almost everyone around her was also quite salient. She seemed like she was the heart of safety for that community. I also found Mama to be a character that stood out to me. Her resiliency in the face of the constant trauma is a reminder of what a mother’s love can do.
Hello! I couldn’t agree more with your initial discomfort reading the book. Upon reflection, like you say, I think Campobello was really successful in crafting the book to be true to the way childhood memories function. They are often brief, vivid glimpses of vague characters and events that lack a lot of context because that information is stored in a less interesting part of our minds. While I also found it difficult to comprehend at times, I think the book achieved exactly what it was attempting to be, if that makes sense.