someone needs to SUE that fortuneteller becauseeeee……

Hey everyone! I just finished reading “The Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector which was a great read that explored many different themes we have discussed previously in class. The story revolves around Macabea, a young woman from northeastern Brazil, whose life is explained through the eyes of the narrator, Rodrigo S.M. 

This format proved to make this a difficult read for me. I was struggling to figure out how to interpret the story because of the addition of this narrator. It was a very interesting aspect and not something I have really seen before. The narrator had moments where he would speak directly to the reader which made me question my perspective of the story at times but I guess that is what made it unique. It was just odd at first seeing how he described Macabea and how he would seem so condescending but as I continued to read I realized that this inclusion is very intentional to represent the societal prejudices that existed in Lispector’s society and how marginalized communities continued to be dehumanized. Macabea was reduced to just stereotypes based on her economic status which is representative of Brazilian society at the time. 

I really empathized with Macabeas’ character because WTFFFF was that false hope. Like I felt soooo bad when she literally went to the fortuneteller and had a glimmer of hope just for it all to be THROWN AWAY AS SHE GETS HIT BY A CAR?! I think this also made Rodrigo’s character that much more interesting by reading how he would narrate the story AFTER the death of the character it was surrounding. 

I think this story really resonated with me because I am very much a “live life in the moment” kind of guy. I just recently had a conversation with my mom and she was asking me about my plans for the future and I was like, I think a little about it but I honestly prefer to stay in the moment. She was just concerned about a lack of a solid plan for a career and I think for me I very much go with the flow. I told her I’d rather do what makes me happy today because I could literally die tomorrow. I don’t want to spend my life working towards something and not enjoying the present moment just for it to never be achieved because of a premature death. I think it is important to have gratitude for the things in your life in the present and live in the moment as much as possible. 

A question to further the discussion (its a deep one):

If you were to die tomorrow, would you be satisfied with the life you have lived? How does thinking about this make you feel? Would you continue living your life in the same way you have been?