Monday, February 22, 2010
Beverley Yuen: Kiss of the Spider Woman
Kiss of the Spider Woman is Puig’s attempt to convey his simple message of not to make judgments or assumptions as things are not always as they appear to be. In short, it essentially exemplifies the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” In the book, people create friendships or fall in love with people that are initially unheard of. Valentin, a realistic and rebellious political activist, is initially irritated by the homosexual and fantasy driven Molina, but they soon become close friends that trust one another. In Molina’s story, created as an exit to the harsh world of reality that would distract Valentine and Molina, the setting is in France in the midst of World War II. The French star of a club, Leni, is infatuated by a high ranking German soldier, Werner, who returns her feelings. Despite being from warring, enemy countries, the two fall in love and protect one another. Leni takes back the map from the Frenchmen in order to protect Werner, and Werner shoots one of the Frenchmen before he kills Leni (the first attempt). Leni’s friend, Michelle, also falls in love with a German soldier and is carrying his child. Michelle is working undercover for the French, but betrays her country for this man, who genuinely returns the feelings as well. In both instances, the women trust the men despite being from enemy countries and then are betrayed and killed by people from their own country. At first glance, all of these relationships seem strange, unacceptable, or perhaps, taboo. One would usually believe that these relationships could not occur, but these examples show how people should not quickly make judgments or assumptions about people without getting to know them properly as they might just surprise them. In accordance with this idea, it is important to note that the people who one would think would be trustworthy are the exact opposite. One would think that Leni and Michelle would be in danger by being romantically involved with the Germans, or at least would be used in some way for military purposes, but it actually was the French, their own people, who killed them, while the “enemies” proved to be their allies; their saviors. While this is the main idea that Puig seemed to communicate through this film, there are a couple other messages suggested as well. In his attempt to juxtapose reality and fantasy by placing Valentin and Molina together, Puig manages to demonstrate how people often enter a world of fantasy in order to retreat; to avoid reality. When the conversation became awkward or serious or when either of the two was physically ill, then Molina’s fantasy WWII story would continue. They did not want to deal with conflict or pain of reality, so they would retreat into fantasy, reflecting how people often to the same; they retreat into books, fantasies, or television in order to avoid the troubles of life. The other message is about treating homosexuals normally, like equals. At first, Valentin treats Molina like a freak, but eventually he speaks to and treats Molina normally, like an everyday occurrence, which it was to him. Valentin is an example or a representation of how people should act towards homosexuals.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Jackie: Kiss of the Spiderwoman
I think what Puig is trying to say is that life is unpredictable and can end at any moment, so we should seize the moment, love, share and care for one another as much as we can, because the journey of life is more important than the destination. Life is short, so if we spend more time loving than fighting, less time stereotyping and judging one another, and more time accepting each other equally and for who they are inside. I think he is also talking about sacrifice. We need to understand who is really important to us, and to stay true to that person, because if we put that person above ourselves, we are bound to learn something in the process and lead a happy life. Staying in prison with a person we love is a better life and a happier life to lead than living a life in freedom and alone. Like a movie, we need to write our own lives and follow are dreams, because that is the only way to achieve true happiness and to die a happy man or woman.
Kiss of the Spider Woman- John Hicks
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” gives binaries between fantasy and reality. What Valentine sees as reality is not actually what is happening. Paulina makes up stories and makes comments to put Valentine in a vulnerable place. He begins telling the story with Lenny and Vernon. In this story Vernon, the liberator, represents Valentine who is a political liberator. Lenny represents Valentine’s wife, who he misses dearly. When Lenny dies in the story it represents the when Valentine lost his wife (Marta) earlier in his life, which causes him to become vulnerable and reveal answers about the revolution.. After Paulina tells the story of the spider women, it is believed the spider woman is a beautiful female creature. Once Paulina and Valentine kiss, it is known that Paulina is the spider woman. This develops the binary between reality and fantasy. When Paulina is telling the story, the film is in black and white portraying the spider woman as a female, but when reality strikes back in, Paulina becomes be the spider woman. It seems Paulina actually saved Valentine with the kiss they had. Every time Paulina would tell a story it would show the story on the film in black and white (fantasy) and when he was done telling the story the film would be in color and in the jail cell (reality). The film ends in black and white which gives the impression that it is fantasy and not reality. Valentine gets back together with his wife, and they sale off into the sunset. Valentine claimed every time when he was about to give up Marta would come into his head and save him, except this time her saving him was more of a dream than reality.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Kiss of the Spider Woman
(No blog on Before Night Falls.) Only write a paragraph, explaining what Puig is trying to say in Kiss. . . . You don't have to take notes of quotations. If you give an example, simply paraphrase. I'm only wanting you to conceptualize the point(s) so that you have thought about the film (based on Puig's book) before you take the exam. SHORT blog.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Beverley Yuen: Mona
Reinaldo Arenas manages to turn one of the world’s most renowned pieces of art, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” into the centripetal force of this story. The protagonist, Ramon Fernandez, is captivated by this mysterious, young woman, Elisa, who seems to exhibit unique and unusual characteristics; characteristics not normally suited for a normal woman. Consumed with a great love and passion for this woman, Fernandez vows to “find out who this woman really was,” (p. 45) but to his complete surprise, he gets more than what he bargained for. He discovered that Elisa was really Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “Mona Lisa” come to life, but here is the magical twist: Elisa is also Leonard da Vinci himself. His purpose was to have “have the woman he painted [to have] the ability to become the painter himself and to outlive him” (p. 57). This truly enormous revelation illustrates the magical realist binaries of male/female, reality/fantasy, and day/night. As the story unravels, Arenas incorporates subtle indications about societal opinions and treatment toward homosexuality, pointing out the horrible attitudes, dangers, and stereotypes that accompany being homosexual, which he had to experience throughout his life.
There is no doubt that Mona employs magical realism, especially through the male/female binary. Fernandez’s testimony quickly begins the story implying that he is in jail on purpose; he “wanted them to lock [him] up and have someone watch over [him] day and night” (p. 35). In describing the person who he wants protection from; the person who is seeking to take his life, Fernandez does not quite know which pronoun to use. He says, “I am saying she, and perhaps I should say he, though I don’t know what to call that thing, (p. 35) which essentially blurs the distinction between genders of his enemy, Elisa/Leonardo. Elisa/Leonardo is neither truly male nor female. Gradually throughout the story, Elisa demonstrates attributes and skills traditionally belonging to males, which further exemplifies how the line and distinctions between males and females are distorted. From Fernandez’s perspective, Elisa initially “[possesses] not only the imagination of a real pleasure seeker and the skills of a woman of the world but also a kind of motherly charm mixed with youthful mischief and the airs of a grand lady, which made her irresistible” (p. 38). She is portrayed as the perfect and ideal woman; she is a true woman. The love blinders of infatuation eventually begin to wear off and Fernandez notices odd phenomenon with Elisa. “She would begin a word in a very soft, feminine tone and end it in a heavy voice, almost masculine” (p. 38). Her voice is blending feminine and masculine tones together, creating one unisex voice. When having dinner in a fancy restaurant, the waiter lagged in bringing the couple water, so “Elisa grabbed the vase adorning [the] table, removed the flowers, and drank the water” (p. 39). This abrupt and rude act would appall many for it is not very “lady-like.” Women are not to act in this manner, so Elisa’s action was pretty unexpected; however, it might have been less surprising if Fernandez, a male, had done it. After Fernandez’s motorcycle had given out, Elisa quickly examines the motor herself and assures him that “[she] knows about these things” (p. 40). Fernandez, with a sexist mind set, “mistrust[s] her mechanical skills” (p. 40), but Elisa proves him wrong and fixes the motor. The gender roles have somewhat reversed as the female Elisa exercised mechanical skills to fix their mode of transportation, while the male Fernandez just sat and idly watched. Traditionally, males have the mechanical skills and fix engines or motors; however, Elisa is the one who dutiful fulfills this role in this story. While driving on the motorcycle, Fernandez watches Elisa’s elegant face in the rearview mirror but “once, instead of her face, [he] thought [he] saw the face of a horrible old man, but [he] this to our speed, which distorted images” (p. 41). Most of the story contains situations in which Elisa exhibits masculine attributes in terms of personality and mannerisms, but this is the first time in which her physical appearance is distorted, solidifying this magical realist confusion between male and female. Eventually, Elisa fully morphs into Leonardo, who is in an extreme moment of passion with Fernandez. Both lust after Fernandez and other men, so does that mean both identify as females? Elisa has displayed male qualities, does this make her male? Gender and societal norms are blended and distorted so much that one cannot identify this one entity, which contains both Elisa and Leonardo, as male or female.
Like many magical realism literary works, “Mona” focuses on twisting reality and fantasy; however, unlike the other stories, it also incorporates the day/night binary to accentuate the former binary. The concept of day/night is significantly connected to reality/fantasy because night is often associated with danger and evil or mythical creatures that emerge from the darkness, but most importantly it is often used with nonexistence, and all of this alludes to the idea of fantasy. While truth and reality is exposed by the day’s sunshine, fantastical creatures, such as Elisa, are able to walk freely, shrouded by the darkness and mystery of nighttime. Throughout the story, most of the instances in which Elisa’s existence is questioned are during the night. While resting peacefully at a hotel one night, Elisa had closed her eyes and fallen asleep, but “suddenly [Fernandez] saw them disappear. [He] screamed in order to wake [himself] up – [he] had to have been dreaming – and immediately [he] could see her eyes, looking at [him] intently” (p. 43). Quickly, not believing this incident to be real, he passed it off as a nightmare. He questions whether or not what he saw was real or magic; fantasy? He blames it on a nightmare, showing how fantasy has greater strength at night. At night, people are often disoriented or confused with less control over their senses, most importantly sight, so they naively ignore or attempt to rationalize strange instances that occur. It is important to note that Elisa’s existence is fading slowly as well, exemplifying how night is associated with nonexistence. In a similar instance, Fernandez was touching Elisa and “saw that Elisa had no breasts. [He] jumped to the edge of the bed, wondering where this woman was driving [him] insane. As if sensing [his] anguish, she immediately pulled [him] over with her arms to her beautiful breasts” (p. 49). This is another example in which Elisa’s existence fades in the night. First, she has no breasts, and then suddenly they appear. Fernandez does not believe anything magical or odd is happening, blaming himself to becoming “insane.” This scene occurs at dawn in which the fantasy or nonexistence of Elisa with no breasts quickly fades as the sun rises and her breasts return, conforming to reality. Readers soon learn that Elisa is actually Mona Lisa emerging from her two dimensional realm into the real world; reality.
To Be Continued…
There is no doubt that Mona employs magical realism, especially through the male/female binary. Fernandez’s testimony quickly begins the story implying that he is in jail on purpose; he “wanted them to lock [him] up and have someone watch over [him] day and night” (p. 35). In describing the person who he wants protection from; the person who is seeking to take his life, Fernandez does not quite know which pronoun to use. He says, “I am saying she, and perhaps I should say he, though I don’t know what to call that thing, (p. 35) which essentially blurs the distinction between genders of his enemy, Elisa/Leonardo. Elisa/Leonardo is neither truly male nor female. Gradually throughout the story, Elisa demonstrates attributes and skills traditionally belonging to males, which further exemplifies how the line and distinctions between males and females are distorted. From Fernandez’s perspective, Elisa initially “[possesses] not only the imagination of a real pleasure seeker and the skills of a woman of the world but also a kind of motherly charm mixed with youthful mischief and the airs of a grand lady, which made her irresistible” (p. 38). She is portrayed as the perfect and ideal woman; she is a true woman. The love blinders of infatuation eventually begin to wear off and Fernandez notices odd phenomenon with Elisa. “She would begin a word in a very soft, feminine tone and end it in a heavy voice, almost masculine” (p. 38). Her voice is blending feminine and masculine tones together, creating one unisex voice. When having dinner in a fancy restaurant, the waiter lagged in bringing the couple water, so “Elisa grabbed the vase adorning [the] table, removed the flowers, and drank the water” (p. 39). This abrupt and rude act would appall many for it is not very “lady-like.” Women are not to act in this manner, so Elisa’s action was pretty unexpected; however, it might have been less surprising if Fernandez, a male, had done it. After Fernandez’s motorcycle had given out, Elisa quickly examines the motor herself and assures him that “[she] knows about these things” (p. 40). Fernandez, with a sexist mind set, “mistrust[s] her mechanical skills” (p. 40), but Elisa proves him wrong and fixes the motor. The gender roles have somewhat reversed as the female Elisa exercised mechanical skills to fix their mode of transportation, while the male Fernandez just sat and idly watched. Traditionally, males have the mechanical skills and fix engines or motors; however, Elisa is the one who dutiful fulfills this role in this story. While driving on the motorcycle, Fernandez watches Elisa’s elegant face in the rearview mirror but “once, instead of her face, [he] thought [he] saw the face of a horrible old man, but [he] this to our speed, which distorted images” (p. 41). Most of the story contains situations in which Elisa exhibits masculine attributes in terms of personality and mannerisms, but this is the first time in which her physical appearance is distorted, solidifying this magical realist confusion between male and female. Eventually, Elisa fully morphs into Leonardo, who is in an extreme moment of passion with Fernandez. Both lust after Fernandez and other men, so does that mean both identify as females? Elisa has displayed male qualities, does this make her male? Gender and societal norms are blended and distorted so much that one cannot identify this one entity, which contains both Elisa and Leonardo, as male or female.
Like many magical realism literary works, “Mona” focuses on twisting reality and fantasy; however, unlike the other stories, it also incorporates the day/night binary to accentuate the former binary. The concept of day/night is significantly connected to reality/fantasy because night is often associated with danger and evil or mythical creatures that emerge from the darkness, but most importantly it is often used with nonexistence, and all of this alludes to the idea of fantasy. While truth and reality is exposed by the day’s sunshine, fantastical creatures, such as Elisa, are able to walk freely, shrouded by the darkness and mystery of nighttime. Throughout the story, most of the instances in which Elisa’s existence is questioned are during the night. While resting peacefully at a hotel one night, Elisa had closed her eyes and fallen asleep, but “suddenly [Fernandez] saw them disappear. [He] screamed in order to wake [himself] up – [he] had to have been dreaming – and immediately [he] could see her eyes, looking at [him] intently” (p. 43). Quickly, not believing this incident to be real, he passed it off as a nightmare. He questions whether or not what he saw was real or magic; fantasy? He blames it on a nightmare, showing how fantasy has greater strength at night. At night, people are often disoriented or confused with less control over their senses, most importantly sight, so they naively ignore or attempt to rationalize strange instances that occur. It is important to note that Elisa’s existence is fading slowly as well, exemplifying how night is associated with nonexistence. In a similar instance, Fernandez was touching Elisa and “saw that Elisa had no breasts. [He] jumped to the edge of the bed, wondering where this woman was driving [him] insane. As if sensing [his] anguish, she immediately pulled [him] over with her arms to her beautiful breasts” (p. 49). This is another example in which Elisa’s existence fades in the night. First, she has no breasts, and then suddenly they appear. Fernandez does not believe anything magical or odd is happening, blaming himself to becoming “insane.” This scene occurs at dawn in which the fantasy or nonexistence of Elisa with no breasts quickly fades as the sun rises and her breasts return, conforming to reality. Readers soon learn that Elisa is actually Mona Lisa emerging from her two dimensional realm into the real world; reality.
To Be Continued…
Mona by Maria
Arenas employs magic realism by using a series of different binaries to tell the story of Mona. The two most obvious binaries are between men/women and past/present; all the while making it difficult to distinguish what is real from what is imaginary –the essential characteristic of magic realism. From the beginning it is brought to our attention that this story is being told from the perspective of the story teller, Ramon Fernandez, and therefore we know that we are about to read a tale based on what he believes is real. This one-sided perspective is an automatic indicator that this story may have magical realistic components.
Ramon’s descriptions of Elisa are misleading because he goes back and forth between describing her as having very feminine features and then having masculine features; therefore introducing the binary of female/male. Throughout the story he even makes the reader question his gender identity. When he first lays eyes on her he describes her as being absolutely fascinating and extraordinary. Then, he points out that when she speaks she goes from speaking like a lady to speaking more like a man: “…she would being a word in a very soft, feminine tone and end it in a heave voice, almost masculine” (pg 38.) Then, she exemplified behaviors that are often associated with men such as having superior mechanical skills compared to Ramon (pg 40) and how knowledgeable she was regarding architecture and history (pg 42). Every now and then Arenas makes it a point to emphasize her feminine traits as if the author is trying to remind us that Elisa is, indeed a female. For example when he compares her to other women in bed saying that she “was hard to please…(what woman isn’t!)” (pg 43). This alludes to the Arenas’ homosexuality, because through this statement, and others like it, one can infer that he is insecure about his attraction to men. It almost seems as though a lot of why he is attracted to Elisa are due to her more masculine traits but he tries to convince us that he really does like women since that is the norm and what is ‘politically correct.’
The binary between reality and fantasy is present throughout the story and is intertwined with the binary of past and present. Throughout this novella one cannot help but wonder whether Elisa is actually present or if she is just a figure of Ramon’s imagination. He describes her as being extraordinary which leads one to think that perhaps she is just a dream. He follows her one day to see where she goes after they sleep together at night: he sees her go into the Metropolitan Museum and then literally he claims that, “in front of my eyes, she disappeared” (pg 47). In reality people cannot just disappear. Here, Arenas employs magic realism by taking a realistic figure, Elisa, and putting her in an unrealistic situation. In fact, he even goes on to say that “there was a relationship between Elisa and that building” (pg 49) which is unrealistic – how can a human being be in any sort of relationship with a lifeless object? After much investigation he realizes that she disappears into a painting. Here, Arenas blends past and present. The painting that she becomes a part of was a product of Leonardo da Vinci, painted in 1505. Here Arenas attempts to link a product of the past, which seems perfectly beautiful, to the twisted reality of his present. One might interpret this as his frustration with his homosexuality coming though. He has to keep his sex life with Elisa a secret otherwise it wouldn’t be accepted or believed by anyone much like in reality he had to keep his homosexuality a secret since it was not acceptable within the society in which he lived in. He looks at her in the painting and everything seems perfect, timeless, and indestructible; I would imagine this is how he felt about his lovers and loved ones. However, the truth about Elisa and about his sexuality was shunned by others who could not see the beauty nor feel the passion that he saw and felt for both.
Elisa and Ramon continue their secret love affair as the story goes on during which Arenas continues to point out manly features of Elisa’s attitude, such as pointing out her “ravenous appetite” (pg 54.) Finally, the truth comes out and Elisa’s identity is revealed, although, it is an identity that is confused by gender. Arenas discusses the motives behind Leonardo da Vinci’s famous ‘Mona Lisa.’ History tells us that da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was actually a self portrait which da Vinci painted of how he saw himself. This is a controversial idea considering that da Vinci was a man, but portrayed himself as a woman. Through da Vinci’s story Arenas attempts to tell his own. It is possible that he chooses Leonardo da Vinci to help him tell his tale because da Vinci was a man who was, and still is, admired and respected by so many. His’ Mona Lisa’ painting, whether there be controversial meaning behind it or not, still is one of the most famous and iconic paintings of all time. Perhaps Arenas is trying to ask for recognition from his people. He wants to be accepted and remembered, like da Vinci, regardless of his sexual orientation. Through blending the border between male and female Arenas makes a strong statement that gender should not matter; similarly, neither should one’s sexual preference.
At the very end of the story is when Arenas’ sexuality is most apparent when he describes having sexual intercourse with Elisa. However, at this point Elisa is no longer ‘Elisa’ but is now existent in the form of an older man. Ramon says that now is when he was most determined to pleasure his sex partner, more so than he had been at any earlier point in the story. So now is when we see his true sexuality come out in the way he describes the passion behind his sexual encounter with this male partner: “…in spite of my revulsion, tried to give him as much pleasure as I could, hoping he would be so exhausted he would let me go” (pg59). Ramon also explains that he tries to keep the illusion of Elisa while having sex with this ugly old man. In this context, one might interpret Elisa’s character as representing all women in society: he thinks they’re beautiful even though is not sexually attracted to them and he sometimes feels like he has to conform to society by fantasying about women, even though, his reality makes him feel differently: his reality makes him feel intimately attracted to men.
Ramon’s descriptions of Elisa are misleading because he goes back and forth between describing her as having very feminine features and then having masculine features; therefore introducing the binary of female/male. Throughout the story he even makes the reader question his gender identity. When he first lays eyes on her he describes her as being absolutely fascinating and extraordinary. Then, he points out that when she speaks she goes from speaking like a lady to speaking more like a man: “…she would being a word in a very soft, feminine tone and end it in a heave voice, almost masculine” (pg 38.) Then, she exemplified behaviors that are often associated with men such as having superior mechanical skills compared to Ramon (pg 40) and how knowledgeable she was regarding architecture and history (pg 42). Every now and then Arenas makes it a point to emphasize her feminine traits as if the author is trying to remind us that Elisa is, indeed a female. For example when he compares her to other women in bed saying that she “was hard to please…(what woman isn’t!)” (pg 43). This alludes to the Arenas’ homosexuality, because through this statement, and others like it, one can infer that he is insecure about his attraction to men. It almost seems as though a lot of why he is attracted to Elisa are due to her more masculine traits but he tries to convince us that he really does like women since that is the norm and what is ‘politically correct.’
The binary between reality and fantasy is present throughout the story and is intertwined with the binary of past and present. Throughout this novella one cannot help but wonder whether Elisa is actually present or if she is just a figure of Ramon’s imagination. He describes her as being extraordinary which leads one to think that perhaps she is just a dream. He follows her one day to see where she goes after they sleep together at night: he sees her go into the Metropolitan Museum and then literally he claims that, “in front of my eyes, she disappeared” (pg 47). In reality people cannot just disappear. Here, Arenas employs magic realism by taking a realistic figure, Elisa, and putting her in an unrealistic situation. In fact, he even goes on to say that “there was a relationship between Elisa and that building” (pg 49) which is unrealistic – how can a human being be in any sort of relationship with a lifeless object? After much investigation he realizes that she disappears into a painting. Here, Arenas blends past and present. The painting that she becomes a part of was a product of Leonardo da Vinci, painted in 1505. Here Arenas attempts to link a product of the past, which seems perfectly beautiful, to the twisted reality of his present. One might interpret this as his frustration with his homosexuality coming though. He has to keep his sex life with Elisa a secret otherwise it wouldn’t be accepted or believed by anyone much like in reality he had to keep his homosexuality a secret since it was not acceptable within the society in which he lived in. He looks at her in the painting and everything seems perfect, timeless, and indestructible; I would imagine this is how he felt about his lovers and loved ones. However, the truth about Elisa and about his sexuality was shunned by others who could not see the beauty nor feel the passion that he saw and felt for both.
Elisa and Ramon continue their secret love affair as the story goes on during which Arenas continues to point out manly features of Elisa’s attitude, such as pointing out her “ravenous appetite” (pg 54.) Finally, the truth comes out and Elisa’s identity is revealed, although, it is an identity that is confused by gender. Arenas discusses the motives behind Leonardo da Vinci’s famous ‘Mona Lisa.’ History tells us that da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was actually a self portrait which da Vinci painted of how he saw himself. This is a controversial idea considering that da Vinci was a man, but portrayed himself as a woman. Through da Vinci’s story Arenas attempts to tell his own. It is possible that he chooses Leonardo da Vinci to help him tell his tale because da Vinci was a man who was, and still is, admired and respected by so many. His’ Mona Lisa’ painting, whether there be controversial meaning behind it or not, still is one of the most famous and iconic paintings of all time. Perhaps Arenas is trying to ask for recognition from his people. He wants to be accepted and remembered, like da Vinci, regardless of his sexual orientation. Through blending the border between male and female Arenas makes a strong statement that gender should not matter; similarly, neither should one’s sexual preference.
At the very end of the story is when Arenas’ sexuality is most apparent when he describes having sexual intercourse with Elisa. However, at this point Elisa is no longer ‘Elisa’ but is now existent in the form of an older man. Ramon says that now is when he was most determined to pleasure his sex partner, more so than he had been at any earlier point in the story. So now is when we see his true sexuality come out in the way he describes the passion behind his sexual encounter with this male partner: “…in spite of my revulsion, tried to give him as much pleasure as I could, hoping he would be so exhausted he would let me go” (pg59). Ramon also explains that he tries to keep the illusion of Elisa while having sex with this ugly old man. In this context, one might interpret Elisa’s character as representing all women in society: he thinks they’re beautiful even though is not sexually attracted to them and he sometimes feels like he has to conform to society by fantasying about women, even though, his reality makes him feel differently: his reality makes him feel intimately attracted to men.
"Mona" by: Heidy Tejeda
“Mona” by Reinaldo Arenas takes us into what seems to be a love story between Ramon Fernandez and Elisa. However, as we are drawn into the story we are presented with unrealistic situations in a realistic setting. In the magical realism booklet it states, “Magical realism often facilitates the fusion, or coexistence, of possible worlds, spaces, systems that would be irreconcilable in other modes of fiction.” (pg. 6) In this novella Reinaldo Arenas uses the binaries of time and place, real and fallacy to undermine people’s perceptions on Cuba and Castro. He uses magical realism as means to channel the message.
“Mona” and Elisa represent time and place in this novella. Elisa’s character within the novella is illustrated to have an endless wealth of knowledge. She knows the best restaurants, places, art, architecture, and have the ability and experience to fix things. However, towards the end Reinaldo makes the distinction that Elisa is in reality “Mona Lisa” the infamous painting by Leonardo DaVinci in 1505.
Reinaldo first describes Elisa to be this perfect “masterpiece” of a woman. However, many times within the novellas Reinaldo questions the appearance of this woman; blurring the line between reality and fallacy. On pg. 49, the author describes a situation with Mona, he states, “At dawn her naked body I saw that Elisa had no breasts.” Often Reinaldo would see and no see parts of Elisa, questioning its mere existence.
In my opinion Arenas lived a life of hardships and struggles as he rebelled against the Cuban government. In this novella “Mona Lisa” signifies Cuba in the way that Castro wanted it to be. Castro banned homosexuality and in his eyes it wasn’t acceptable in Cuba. He painted this portrait of the way Cuba should be, perfect like the masterpiece “Mona Lisa”. However, Arenas describes the Mona Lisa to be this horrible creature who attempts to kill him; which would then explain Castro feelings towards Arenas and his writings about homosexuality. At the of the novella, arenas writes, “Not only was Elisa the woman in the painting, but the woman in the painting was also the painter, who had don’t his self-portrait as he wished to be (the way he was in his mind): a lusty, fascinating woman.” (Pg. 57) Leonardo DaVinci the creator of the painting of Mona Lisa was indeed a portrayal of Castro and his views of life. However, as illustrated in the novellas his ways were not as clear and well intended as they appeared to be.
This novella showed the harsh reality that Arenas was living. Cuba was trapped in this painting by Castro. In his attempt to knife the portrait he meant to save Cuba. However, he failed miserably. He writes to inspire another, to challenge Castro and save Cuba. He uses magical realism as a way to convey the message by leaving it to the reader to find the way.
“Mona” and Elisa represent time and place in this novella. Elisa’s character within the novella is illustrated to have an endless wealth of knowledge. She knows the best restaurants, places, art, architecture, and have the ability and experience to fix things. However, towards the end Reinaldo makes the distinction that Elisa is in reality “Mona Lisa” the infamous painting by Leonardo DaVinci in 1505.
Reinaldo first describes Elisa to be this perfect “masterpiece” of a woman. However, many times within the novellas Reinaldo questions the appearance of this woman; blurring the line between reality and fallacy. On pg. 49, the author describes a situation with Mona, he states, “At dawn her naked body I saw that Elisa had no breasts.” Often Reinaldo would see and no see parts of Elisa, questioning its mere existence.
In my opinion Arenas lived a life of hardships and struggles as he rebelled against the Cuban government. In this novella “Mona Lisa” signifies Cuba in the way that Castro wanted it to be. Castro banned homosexuality and in his eyes it wasn’t acceptable in Cuba. He painted this portrait of the way Cuba should be, perfect like the masterpiece “Mona Lisa”. However, Arenas describes the Mona Lisa to be this horrible creature who attempts to kill him; which would then explain Castro feelings towards Arenas and his writings about homosexuality. At the of the novella, arenas writes, “Not only was Elisa the woman in the painting, but the woman in the painting was also the painter, who had don’t his self-portrait as he wished to be (the way he was in his mind): a lusty, fascinating woman.” (Pg. 57) Leonardo DaVinci the creator of the painting of Mona Lisa was indeed a portrayal of Castro and his views of life. However, as illustrated in the novellas his ways were not as clear and well intended as they appeared to be.
This novella showed the harsh reality that Arenas was living. Cuba was trapped in this painting by Castro. In his attempt to knife the portrait he meant to save Cuba. However, he failed miserably. He writes to inspire another, to challenge Castro and save Cuba. He uses magical realism as a way to convey the message by leaving it to the reader to find the way.
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