Carlos Fuentes both employs a second person point of view and uses multiple binaries to develop a surreal novella, which beautifully demonstrates the concepts of magical realism. Magic realism often focuses on the concept of transgressing the boundaries of normal or rationale thought. There are very many binaries present in “Aura;” aiming to destroy these distinctions; Fuente blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, darkness and light, young and old, and past and present. The borders of these binaries are not only individually blended within the story, but often at the same time.
From the beginning of the story the boundary between what is real and fantasy is broken. The first example, which indicates something peculiar, is when Felipe sees a very specific ad in the paper that describes him with uncanny detail. The advertisement, which “is addressed to you and nobody else,” seeks someone who is a “young historian…with a perfect knowledge of colloquial French”(4). While the reader is not entirely aware of the inclinations of such a strange encounter, this scene in fact foreshadows the fact that Felipe is one in the same with the elderly women’s husband, thus blurring the line between real and fantasy as well as the boundary between youth and old age.
Towards the end of the story the reader becomes exposed to an intimate scene between Felipe Montero and the older women. During the scene many binary lines are transgressed as it becomes progressively less clear, both the identity of Felipe or who he is having sex with. As the line between darkness and light is crossed Felipe’s lover transforms from the beautiful “Aura” to the elderly women, and as Felipe now makes love to the elderly women herself he loses himself in the fantastical world and becomes unable to distinguish himself from the women’s husband. Felipe explains that as the silvery moonlight “falls upon Aura’s eroded face…the ray of moonlight sows you the naked body of the old lady” (145) The reader may see many of the binaries’ boundaries have been crossed in this one scene.
The blurring of the borders between these binaries is meant to bewilder and confuse the reader, so that he could reexamine his outlook of the rigid distinctions he has made between them. Fuentes is able to not only blend the distinction between youth and old age by switching from describing Aura to the elderly women, thus making it appear as one in the same, but also it appears that Aura gets progressively older throughout the story, thus blurring the distinction even further. Through this approach Fuente has ultimately confused the reader to the extent that he cannot even distinguish whether the entire story was a dream, thus allowing the reader to reevaluate the meaning of old, young, real, or unreal, and past or present.
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Reone (part 1)
ReplyDeleteCarlos Fuentes both employs a second person point of view and uses multiple binaries to develop a surreal novella, which beautifully demonstrates the concepts of magical realism. From the very first sentence the word you’re is used by the author in order to allow you, the reader, the opportunity to interpret the story based on one’s personal experiences, thus making the reader unable to decipher real from fantasy. This perspective in which the reader is introduced Magic realism often focuses on the concept of transgressing the boundaries of normal or rationale thought. There are very many binaries present in “Aura;” aiming to destroy these distinctions; Fuente blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, darkness and light, young and old, and past and present. The borders of these binaries are not only individually blended within the story, but often at the same time.
From the beginning of the story the boundary between what is real and fantasy is broken. The first example, which indicates something peculiar, is when Felipe sees a very specific ad in the paper that describes him with uncanny detail. The advertisement, which “is addressed to you and nobody else,” seeks someone who is a “young historian…with a perfect knowledge of colloquial French”(4). While the reader is not entirely aware of the inclinations of such a strange encounter, this scene in fact foreshadows the fact that Felipe is one in the same with the elderly women’s husband, thus blurring the line between real and fantasy as well as the boundary between youth and old age.
Redone (Part 2)
ReplyDeleteThe story was written during wartime, a period in which state lines were shifting, as well as identities. War has unpredictable effects on a person’s identity/personality; it throws everything into chaos, forcing the individual to revaluate his values, and aides in the blurring of boundaries.
Towards the end of the story the reader becomes exposed to an intimate scene between Felipe Montero and the older women. During the scene many binary lines are transgressed as it becomes progressively less clear, both the identity of Felipe or who he is having sex with. As the line between darkness and light is crossed Felipe’s lover transforms from the beautiful “Aura” to the elderly women, and as Felipe now makes love to the elderly women herself he loses himself in the fantastical world and becomes unable to distinguish himself from the women’s husband. Felipe explains that as the silvery moonlight “falls upon Aura’s eroded face…the ray of moonlight sows you the naked body of the old lady” (145) The reader may see many of the binaries’ boundaries have been crossed in this one scene.
The blurring of the borders between these binaries is meant to bewilder and confuse the reader, so that he could reexamine his outlook of the rigid distinctions he has made between them. Fuentes is able to not only blend the distinction between youth and old age by switching from describing Aura to the elderly women, thus making it appear as one in the same, but also it appears that Aura gets progressively older throughout the story, thus blurring the distinction even further. Through this approach Fuente has ultimately confused the reader to the extent that he cannot even distinguish whether the entire story was a dream, thus allowing the reader to reevaluate the meaning of old, young, real, or unreal, and past or present. Carlos Fuentes both employs a second person point of view and uses multiple binaries to develop a surreal novella, which beautifully demonstrates the concepts of magical realism. Magic realism often focuses on the concept of transgressing the boundaries of normal or rationale thought. There are very many binaries present in “Aura;” aiming to destroy these distinctions; Fuente blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, darkness and light, young and old, and past and present. The borders of these binaries are not only individually blended within the story, but often at the same time.