RMST 202

 This novel was somewhat of a change in what we have been reading so far, I definitely enjoyed this one a lot. Piglia tells the true story of robbers and through his focus on their drug abuse and other reckless actions, he paints an image of what it means to be a criminal.  Piglia's brutally honest depiction of the robbers worked to reveal their motives for this robbery, a desire to leave their old lives behind. They all seem to have some sort of affliction whether that be drugs, sexual perversions, criminal pasts, or mental problems. Piglia paints a psychological image of them which in turn offers as an explanation for their wild behaviour and blatant disregard for human life as shown during their robbery. Dorda is an especially afflicted character as he is a very nervous person as displayed in their escape. This brutally honest revealing of these characters gives us a slight passage into their past and shows why some people might enter this line of work. Piglia did not glori...

I found this novel to be a disturbing yet consuming read. Like you want to look away but can’t stop staring. The exploration of autonomy in the relationship between the young girl and the wealthy man challenges our instant victimization of the girl. She is a victim of being preyed upon by someone much older than her but she is knowing of this. She decides to challenge that idea of being prey and flips the narrative to show she is not complacent.  She wrote of her love for her mother but says she can’t remember if she wrote of her hatred for her too. This dynamic can only coexist under the context of family. To have such a strong, powerful love for the ones you share blood with but to also have an undercurrent of hatred for them too. This is shown in her relationship with her mother as she attempts to “sell herself” for her family’s liberation, encouraged by her mother.  “The child knows what she’s doing is what the mother would have chosen for her to do, if she’d dared.” ...

“Because there's the right to scream. So I scream.” This novel is not supposed to have you gripping your seat with anticipation, it is a story of a mundane, normal life of someone who you might not have previously paid attention to. Rodrigo is using his voice, one of a higher status than Macabéa because people will listen to it. It is his duty to use that voice to encourage others to listen to her story and have empathy for others like it. Through highlighting this disconnect between classes, Lispector reminds the reader of their duty to break down the barrier of stigma and put themselves in another's shoes in order to understand. Rodrigo discusses this duty of his to write Macabéa’s story and bring it to the attention of others as it is the story of many. “What I write is more than mere invention, it’s my obligation to tell about this one girl out of the thousands like her.” (Page 5, Kindle Edition). As he navigates the storytelling of an otherwise mundane life, Rodrigo attem...