In Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez makes it pretty clear from the beginning that the love affair between Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza is doomed. There are many signs that are like bright, flashing lights to tell the reader that this relationship will be difficult for the two lovers. Numerous things go wrong in the beginning stages of Fermina and Florentino’s relationship that are signals that there will be problems between these two lovers. However, in my opinion, there was never any true love between these two characters. Florentino Ariza has an unhealthy physiological obsession for Fermina Daza that he mistakes for love while Fermina Daza was merely being a rebellious teenager who faked a love for Florentino Ariza.
Many instances in the first two sections of the novel portray Ariza’s obsession for Fermina Daza. This obsession is a physiological condition that is quite different from true love. The reader first notices Florentino’s intense fixation for Fermina when he begins to stalk Fermina in the park. Florentino watches Fermina walk by on her way to school every day for weeks while pretending to read the newspaper. Waiting for Fermina to walk by each morning is an act of unhealthy obsession, not true love. This action is creepy. In addition to thinking about Fermina every moment of the day, Florentino composes a seventy-page letter of compliments about her! While writing a love letter may be viewed as a cute act of devotion, the long narrative that Florentino composes is once again creepy. Similarly, Florentino literally stalks Fermina by watching her through the window of her house. These actions of Florentino’s part appear to the reader as an obsessive devotion that is not true love. A true lover of Fermina would make better choices and not act so obsessively to win Fermina’s heart. Also, Florentino’s love for Fermina stems from the wrong reasons. He immediately becomes devoted to her after taking a quick glance at her while delivering a package to her father. This quick glance does not seem like a sufficient cause of falling in true love with somebody. It makes Floretino’s feelings seem similar to a sickness, like cholera, not true love. Florentino appears to be mentally obsessed with Fermina, not truly in love with her.
Fermina, on the other hand, appears to not actually love Florentino, but merely claims to love him in an act of teenage defiance. For much of this section, Fermina outwardly expresses that she does not love Florentino. She refuses to accept the camellia, “the flower of devotion” from Florentino. This act symbolically displays that Fermina is not willing to commit to Florentino as a true lover. From this point forward, Fermina acts as a distant and sometimes uncaring lover to Florentino. In this section, the reader also notices that Fermina’s affection toward Florentino greatly intensifies when the love becomes forbidden. Fermina begins to have stronger feelings toward Florentino when she is expelled from school for writing a love letter to him. Her passion of love for him increases as soon as this love is deemed taboo. Loving Florentino becomes a rebellious act. Fermina’s teenage mind has an urging for rebellion so she fakes a true passion for him. Likewise, Fermina’s love for Florentino also increases when the act is forbidden by her father, Lorenzo Daza. Fermina wants her father to have no control over her so when Mr. Daza forbids her to love Florentino, she increases her devotion to Florentino. Fermina feigns true love for Florentino in order to rebel against her father in an attempt to display that he has no control over her life. Fermina’s love for Florentino is an act of rebellion, not a feeling of sincere love.
While Florentino has a mental obsession for Fermina, Fermina fakes a love for Florentino in order to defy her school and her father. This feigned love contrasts the true love between Dr. Urbino and Fermina. Urbino and Fermina had a true passion for one another. When Dr. Urbino was dying, his only hope was that Fermina would come quickly enough so that he could tell her how much he truly loved her. Likewise, Fermina’s biggest regret about Urbino’s death was that she never had a chance to express how much she truly loved him. Urbino and Fermina displayed true love for one another in wishing to express their respective devotions before death. This true love contrasts the forged feelings that Fermina and Florentino feel for one another. (749)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
My Best (and longest) Blog Entry Yet
The characters of The Sound and the Fury all have complicated and difficult lives. These characters deal with the complications in their lives in their own special ways, some of which are significantly more effective than others. In general, I believe that the female characters of the novel handle their difficult situations more effectively than the males handle their troubles, making the females the stronger characters.
Of all the male characters in The Sound and the Fury, Quentin handles his troubles in the least effective manner. Clearly, Quentin’s main problem is psychological. He is a mental wreck due to the thought of his sister being a sexually active woman. Quentin cannot bear to see his idealist view of the Compson family honor being diminished because of Caddy’s promiscuity. Quentin’s way of handling this emotional difficulty is suicide. His suicide shows that he is not emotionally strong enough to deal with his troubles, and therefore realizes his only way out is to end his own life. This approach is a weak way to handle a difficulty. Quentin’s actions display that he is a mentally weak person is not able to deal with emotional troubles, as some of the female characters are.
Like, Quentin Benjy is also an emotionally weak character because of his inability to properly handle his sorrowful life. Benjy has good reason to be emotionally unstable due to his mental deficiencies. He is totally reliant on Caddy, desiring her attention and affection constantly, even when she has been banished for a long time. He does not handle situations well when he desires Caddy and simply cries when she is not available. However, the reader cannot blame Benjy for this behavior due to his mental condition. Nonetheless, Benjy is a mentally weak character and totally reliant on a stronger, female character.
Jason is another male character who is emotionally weak. Like mother, Jason is unable to overcome the past and is self-pitying. He attributes all his misfortunes to one instance in which he was supposed to get a well-paying job at the bank from Herbert but lost this opportunity because Caddy and Herbert split. Jason attributes all of the troubles in life, such as having a menial job at a farmer supply store and not having a wife, to this one occurrence when he lost his prospective job. Instead of directly confronting and changing his troubled life, Jason simply goes through the days with a self-pitying attitude that accomplishes nothing. This approach shows Jason is a mentally weak character, not mentally strong enough to improve his own life.
Similar to Quentin, Benjy, and Jason, Mr. Compson is unable to handle his complicated life efficiently. He faces the difficulties of having a mental ill son in Benjy, a self-pitying wife in Mrs. Compson, and a promiscuous daughter in Caddy. These three troubles cause Mr. Compson problems and lead him to drink, but his biggest problem is certainly the suicide of Quentin. Mr. Compson handles the death of his son the only way he know how to—by drinking more. This alcoholism eventually leads to Mr. Compson’s death. The fact that he handles his difficulties by drinking shows Mr. Compson is an emotionally weak character and is unable to handle his life through effective means. He is clearly a weak-willed individual.
Unlike Quentin, Benjy, Jason, and Mr. Compson, many of the female characters in the novel show strong emotional states and are able to handle their difficulties, making them strong characters. Miss Quentin has a difficult time living in the Compson household because she is the personification of Caddy’s promiscuity and therefore all of the problems in the family. Miss Quentin is constantly tormented by Jason and is clearly not happy living with the Compsons. Unlike the male characters, she takes her life into her own hands. By taking Jason’s money and leaving, Miss Quentin alters her previously doomed life with the Compsons. She effectively handles her difficulties by taking direct action to change her path and make a new life for herself. This action makes Miss Quentin an emotionally strong character, much more powerful than the male characters who are too weak to change their paths. The fact that she takes care of her own difficulties makes her a strong-willed individual.
Caddy represents another example of a strong female character in the novel. She is an extremely independent and a self-reliant woman. Although her promiscuity eventually leads to the downfall of the family, it shows that Caddy is free-spirited and not dominated by preconceived notions of how a proper woman should act. Caddy’s sexual freedom displays her mental toughness. Although Faulkner offers no commentary on Caddy’s life out of Compson household, I assume she is successfully able to start a new life and mentally handle the difficulties of her past. Caddy’s independence makes her one of the strongest characters in the novel.
However, the strongest character in the novel in undoubtedly Dilsey. Ironically, Dilsey is a female, African-American servant. These three characteristics would stereotypically make Dilsey a weak-willed person. However, Dilsey is the strongest character in the novel and the only one able to maintain order in the Compson household. Her ability to maintain order is displayed throughout the novel, but is most notable in the last section. When the Compson family is in a total state of mayhem, Dilsey single-handedly keeps the peace while serving the family breakfast. Jason is complaining about his broken window, mother is in her usual self-pitying mood, and Benjy in crying uncontrollably. Nonetheless, Dilsey is able the establish order and calm down the situation while serving a meal to the Compson’s. This instance shows that Dilsey is a strong-willed character, capable of dealing with difficult situations. She is emotionally stable enough to keep herself and the rest of the family under control throughout all of the troubles they are faced. From putting the children to bed during the Demuddy’s funeral to taking Benjy to church on the last day, Dilsey is always doing something to maintain order, making her the strongest character in The Sound and the Fury. (1,014)
Of all the male characters in The Sound and the Fury, Quentin handles his troubles in the least effective manner. Clearly, Quentin’s main problem is psychological. He is a mental wreck due to the thought of his sister being a sexually active woman. Quentin cannot bear to see his idealist view of the Compson family honor being diminished because of Caddy’s promiscuity. Quentin’s way of handling this emotional difficulty is suicide. His suicide shows that he is not emotionally strong enough to deal with his troubles, and therefore realizes his only way out is to end his own life. This approach is a weak way to handle a difficulty. Quentin’s actions display that he is a mentally weak person is not able to deal with emotional troubles, as some of the female characters are.
Like, Quentin Benjy is also an emotionally weak character because of his inability to properly handle his sorrowful life. Benjy has good reason to be emotionally unstable due to his mental deficiencies. He is totally reliant on Caddy, desiring her attention and affection constantly, even when she has been banished for a long time. He does not handle situations well when he desires Caddy and simply cries when she is not available. However, the reader cannot blame Benjy for this behavior due to his mental condition. Nonetheless, Benjy is a mentally weak character and totally reliant on a stronger, female character.
Jason is another male character who is emotionally weak. Like mother, Jason is unable to overcome the past and is self-pitying. He attributes all his misfortunes to one instance in which he was supposed to get a well-paying job at the bank from Herbert but lost this opportunity because Caddy and Herbert split. Jason attributes all of the troubles in life, such as having a menial job at a farmer supply store and not having a wife, to this one occurrence when he lost his prospective job. Instead of directly confronting and changing his troubled life, Jason simply goes through the days with a self-pitying attitude that accomplishes nothing. This approach shows Jason is a mentally weak character, not mentally strong enough to improve his own life.
Similar to Quentin, Benjy, and Jason, Mr. Compson is unable to handle his complicated life efficiently. He faces the difficulties of having a mental ill son in Benjy, a self-pitying wife in Mrs. Compson, and a promiscuous daughter in Caddy. These three troubles cause Mr. Compson problems and lead him to drink, but his biggest problem is certainly the suicide of Quentin. Mr. Compson handles the death of his son the only way he know how to—by drinking more. This alcoholism eventually leads to Mr. Compson’s death. The fact that he handles his difficulties by drinking shows Mr. Compson is an emotionally weak character and is unable to handle his life through effective means. He is clearly a weak-willed individual.
Unlike Quentin, Benjy, Jason, and Mr. Compson, many of the female characters in the novel show strong emotional states and are able to handle their difficulties, making them strong characters. Miss Quentin has a difficult time living in the Compson household because she is the personification of Caddy’s promiscuity and therefore all of the problems in the family. Miss Quentin is constantly tormented by Jason and is clearly not happy living with the Compsons. Unlike the male characters, she takes her life into her own hands. By taking Jason’s money and leaving, Miss Quentin alters her previously doomed life with the Compsons. She effectively handles her difficulties by taking direct action to change her path and make a new life for herself. This action makes Miss Quentin an emotionally strong character, much more powerful than the male characters who are too weak to change their paths. The fact that she takes care of her own difficulties makes her a strong-willed individual.
Caddy represents another example of a strong female character in the novel. She is an extremely independent and a self-reliant woman. Although her promiscuity eventually leads to the downfall of the family, it shows that Caddy is free-spirited and not dominated by preconceived notions of how a proper woman should act. Caddy’s sexual freedom displays her mental toughness. Although Faulkner offers no commentary on Caddy’s life out of Compson household, I assume she is successfully able to start a new life and mentally handle the difficulties of her past. Caddy’s independence makes her one of the strongest characters in the novel.
However, the strongest character in the novel in undoubtedly Dilsey. Ironically, Dilsey is a female, African-American servant. These three characteristics would stereotypically make Dilsey a weak-willed person. However, Dilsey is the strongest character in the novel and the only one able to maintain order in the Compson household. Her ability to maintain order is displayed throughout the novel, but is most notable in the last section. When the Compson family is in a total state of mayhem, Dilsey single-handedly keeps the peace while serving the family breakfast. Jason is complaining about his broken window, mother is in her usual self-pitying mood, and Benjy in crying uncontrollably. Nonetheless, Dilsey is able the establish order and calm down the situation while serving a meal to the Compson’s. This instance shows that Dilsey is a strong-willed character, capable of dealing with difficult situations. She is emotionally stable enough to keep herself and the rest of the family under control throughout all of the troubles they are faced. From putting the children to bed during the Demuddy’s funeral to taking Benjy to church on the last day, Dilsey is always doing something to maintain order, making her the strongest character in The Sound and the Fury. (1,014)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)